ON PLOUGHING. 71 



To Moses Pettingill, of Topsfield, the first premium 

 of $6 00 



To Joseph V. Woodman, of Haverhill, sec- 

 ond premium of 4 00 



Your Committee regret that there are not more pre- 

 miums offered for ploughing with horse teams, and of a 

 liigher order, as the facilities are so much greater for 

 ploughing with them, than with ox teams. All which 

 is submitted, 



For the Committee^ 



SOLOMON LOWE. 



ON SUB -SOIL PLOUGHING. 



The Committee on " sub-soil ploughing," report : — 

 That only one sub-soil plough was submitted to their 

 examination. This was of the medium size, and when 

 drawn by two yoke of oxen stirred the earth to the depth 

 of about twelve inches. It well accomplished the object 

 of breaking the sub-soil without bringing it to the sur- 

 face. This plough was not entered for a premium, but 

 exhibited by Mr. Benjamin Poore, of West Newbury, to 

 whom the Society has been so often and largely indebted 

 for augmenting the interest of its shows. Your Com- 

 mittee are led by the concurring testimony of those who, 

 in Great Britain, and in our own country, have made 

 trials of the sub-soil plough, to recommend it to the at- 

 tention and trial of the farmers of Essex. It is only 

 about twenty years since it was invented, in Scotland, 

 and its introduction into this country is of a compara- 

 tively recent date. Yet, several of our enterprising 

 plough manufacturers have already succeeded in produc- 

 ing an article much cheaper than the English one, and 

 which performs the work equally well. The object of 

 the sub-soil plough is to follow in the surface furrow, 

 and to break up the sub-soil to the depth of from eight 

 to sixteen inches, according to the size of the plough, 

 without bringing it to the surface. It thus deepens and 

 fertilizes the soil by exposing it to the action of lighl 



