26 CONTINUOUS CROPPING 



PLOUGHS AND PLOUGHING 



On this matter of ploughing a few words are very 

 necessary. The small farmer would be well advised to 

 turn a deaf ear to anyone who recommends him to buy 

 a swing plough. He should purchase a modern wheel- 

 plough fitted with a skim coulter, a digging board, and 

 a tail knife or breaker. Since he will also later require 

 a plough for the opening and closing of drills, he will 

 find it economical to buy a wheel plough to which a 

 second, or moulding, board can be attached, and also 

 a potato-digging body. 



For two strong cobs a plough should not exceed more 

 than if cwt. in weight. 



Too much attention cannot be given by the farmer 

 to the purchase of his plough, since it will be the most- 

 used implement on his holding. The great point about 

 a wheel-plough is that anybody can use one, whereas 

 the old-fashioned swing-plough requires very expert 

 handling. 



From the examination of a plough it will be seen that 

 the draught can either be shifted to the left or right, or 

 raised or lowered. When working normally the draught 

 hake should be set in the centre and the chain put to 

 its lowest point. It is in the opening and finishing up 

 of the land that the draught point requires altering 

 for various purposes. 



The wheels of the plough are intended to regulate the 

 depth and width of the furrow. The big (furrow) 

 Wh€el regulates the width and the small (land) wheel 

 the depth, although the big wheel also regulates the 

 depth to a certain extent. The skim coulter is also 

 adjustable and can be raised or lowered as desired. 



Some ploughs have also a knife coulter in addition to 

 the skim coulter, but in latter years a sharp shin piece 



