ON PLOWS. 39 



the same time some of the committee were not entirely 

 satisfied with its operations. Perhaps this may have 

 arisen from the short chain used, or from the peculiarity 

 in holding, or from a want of a full knowledge of the 

 peculiarities of the plow at the lime, and a consequent 

 misapplication of the power of the plowman. 



This view of the comparative qualities of the plows of 

 these rival manufacturers has led to a re-examination of 

 the observations made by ourselves the last and the pre- 

 sent year; and we find ihe average result of the several 

 plows offered by them to have been as follows — deter- 

 mining their quality by the number of square inches of 

 earth turned by the application of 100 pounds of power, 

 viz: 



1842. 1843. 



Ruggles & Co. 16,91 16,04 



Prouty & Co. 16,35 15,40 



This shows their ends of the yoke to have been so 

 nearly balanced, that it is very possible, the existing 

 difference may have been occasioned by superior skill in 

 holding, or some other collateral cause. In comparing 

 the work done in 1842 with that done in 1843, it should 

 be remembered that the land in 1842 was much the most 

 favorable for being turned; — so that notwithstanding a 

 less quantity is turned this than last year, by the appli- 

 cation of the same power, still the work of the plows, 

 the present year, all things considered, was decidely 

 preferable to the last. 



Mr. Howard, who represents himself to have been 

 personally employed in the construction of plows for 30 

 years, states that "the amount of work which the plow 

 performs is usually ascertained by measurement of width 

 and depth of furrow, which the plow has cut and turned 

 over. A field cannot be said to be well plowed unless 

 ^the whole ground is cut at an equal depth; and this can 

 be done only with the plow which runs level on the bot- 

 tom of the furrow. The best test 1 think which can be 

 applied in the comparison of plows in this particular, is 

 to take a given length of furrow and weigh the same in 

 addition to measurement, thus clearly showing the abso- 



