28 PLOUGHING. 



PLOUGHING-HORSE TEAMS WITH COMMON PLOUGH. 



The Committee on Ploughing with horses and the common plough 

 report, that four teams competed, all of which evinced many com- 

 mendable quahties in the execution of their work. The ploughmen 

 were calm and quiet, and permitted their horses to move on in their 

 usual course : — the teams well matched and trained. 



The ground selected for ploughing was well fitted to bring out the 

 ploughman's skill in overcoming impediments in his way ; the larger 

 portion of each lot being supplied with under lying stones partly 

 loose enough to be thrown out by the plough, and more so firmly 

 imbedded as to withstand the action of the plough or to eject it. 

 These impediments rendered it impossible to attain uniform depth, 

 or perfectly smooth surface of furrow. 



The ground selected this year was very unfortunate for horse 

 ploughing. Horses are peculiarly well fitted to plough free and 

 level land, but in stony ground they are not be rehed upon so well 

 as oxen ; and in this ploughing, single ox teams completed their 

 work in shorter time than the horse teams. 



There are but a small proportion of farms in Essex county adap- 

 ted to the exclusive work of horses ; and we should be disposed to 

 dispense with one of the three premiums for horse ploughing. 



The committee decided that there was suflScient skill displayed in 

 the execution of their work to entitle the competitors to the pro- 

 posed premiums ; but in considering their relative merits, they were 

 not perfectly unanimous in awarding the first premium. 



There was no hesitation in determining which of the four com- 

 petitors should be omitted in the award of premiums ; and although 

 this conclusion was obvious, we deem it proper to observe that the 

 cause seems rather to be in the unfitness of the plough (not being 

 sufficiently heavy) to overcome the impediments in the ground, 

 than unskilfulness of the ploughman, or the training of the horses. 

 The committee recommend the premiums be awarded as follows : 

 To Moody S. Dole, of Byfield, the first premium of $7.00 



To Wm. F. Porter, of Bradford, the 2d " 5.00 



To Aaron Dodge, of Beverly, the 3d " 3.00 



Mr. Dole and Mr. Dodge were each 43 minutes, and Mr. Porter 

 51 minutes in ploughing. 



All of the Successful ploughmen used Prouty k Mears' plough, 

 No. 155. JOSIAH LITTLE, Chairman. 



