Report of the Judges. 223 



furrow, fell back again into the furrow channel to some extent. 

 We did not consider this an objection, as it promotes that mixing 

 of the soil which we have shown to produce such good effects; 

 but it is proper to add that we saAV this plow work subsequently 

 in the soil of the Connecticut valley, where there was more moist- 

 ure in the soil, and there, none of the soil fell back into the fur- 

 row channel, but the furrow, twelve inches deep, was turned 

 over as handsomely as could be desired and remained just as it 

 was first laid 



The adhesive character of the soil in this valley enabled us to 

 study the action of the twist of the plow to great advantage. 

 We could see the horizontal laminations and the vertical and 

 transverse cracks just as they were produced by the various 

 curved lines on the surface of the mould-board, opening the whole 

 interior of the furrow slice to the air. 



We are aware that we shall shock the prejudices of all farmers 

 by the assertion, but we cannot refrain from expressing our delib- 

 erate conviction that this plow put the land at Utica in a better 

 condition for a crop than it could possibly have been put by the 

 spade. We have seen very active laborers who have spaded 

 sixteen square rods of earth a day to a depth of seven inches, but 

 the average day's work does not exceed ten square rods a day. 

 One man and three horses will plow two hundred and forty rods 

 a day; or, in other words, three horses will do the work of 

 twenty-three men, and in addition will stir it five inches deeper 

 and leave it in a mellower condition. There can be no question, 

 therefore, of the great value of this plow. Its performances 

 astonished every one who saw it operate. A portion of the huul 

 plowed was the site of an ancient brick yard, containing a thick 

 stratum of angular fragments of burned brick tightly imbedded 

 in an indurated bed of blue clay, yet the plow passed through it 

 without stopping, and completely pulverized every part of its 

 immense furrow slice of twelve inches square. In two or three 

 instances the plow was arrested suddenly by large boulders deeply 

 impacted in the soil, but no part gave way in the least, even 

 when subjected to this sudden strain. This, in our opinion, is a 

 conclusive test of the great strength of this plow, and of the 

 judicious distribution of the material which enters into its com- 

 position to resist the strains and shocks which it has to encounter. 



After a most careful and thorough examination of all the sepa- 

 rate parts of this plow, considered individually and in combina 



