32 BERKSHIRE SOCIETY. 



partment of agriculture, and on the degree of excellence that 

 has been reached. The committee, at this time, offer a few re- 

 marks on what remains to be done in the way of improvement. 

 The work we have seen to-day approaches near to perfection, 

 according to the general standard. The whole surface was 

 thoroughly turned over, the furrows were straight, the depth 

 and width well preserved. The only noticeable defects we have 

 remarked, on this and other occasions, being, that the dead fur- 

 row is not, in all cases, handsomely cleared up ; and more care 

 might be well bestowed in making the ends of the lands even. 



Although there may be some practical objections to the plan, 

 it is worthy of consideration, whether each ploughman should 

 not be required to stake a land and open the first furrow for 

 himself; a requirement which would be a sure test of the skill 

 of the workman, and of the care with which his team is broken. 

 According to the present plan, a superior plough may, and fre- 

 quently does, make all the difference observable in the work of 

 two men, while the skill may be on the losing side. 



It has been remarked, that this ploughing is nearly perfect, 

 according to our standard. It remains to inquire in what re- 

 spect our standard is imperfect. The answer is in the fact that, 

 if an average-ploughed field here be compared with one in 

 many foreign countries, where the ploughs are greatly inferior, 

 in all respects, to ours, we shall find the comparison tells against 

 us. This difterence is less observable in sward-ploughing, which 

 is necessarily the only species of ploughing practised at plough- 

 ing matches. In the art of ploughing sward land^a^, Ave may 

 challenge competition. Whether flat furrows, even in sward, 

 are the best, is an open question. Without entering into the 

 merits of the two systems, it may not be out of place to men- 

 tion, that, in consequence of some remarks in favor of this 

 method, by the committee of last year, the subject was dis- 

 cussed by the North Stockbridge Farmers' Club, when it ap- 

 peared that the nearly unanimous opinion was in favor of the 

 shingling or lapped furrows. 



It is, however, in the ploughing of mellow land that we are 

 most in fault ; which arises, on one side, from our pursuing the 

 same system on the fallow that we do on the sward, of 



