TILLAGE TOOLS: WHAT THEY ARE FOR 189 



Of course, all lands do not need to be subsoiled. Your 

 own judgment will determine this for you. In many 

 cases, plants will do the work, provided the hard pan is 

 neither too thick nor too hard. The cow pea, the soy 

 bean, and the clover plant are all good subsoilers. Have 

 you ever tried them? Here is just the point: you better 

 have one acre properly prepared and tilled, than several 

 imperfectly cultivated. Your returns will be greater, for 

 all the first expense of this sort of tillage, and of the seed 

 and labor, is saved by getting your required crop from 

 fewer acres. 



Long, long ago Poor Richard said, "Plow deep, while 

 the sluggards sleep*' ; and, although Richard would have 

 been sadly puzzled to give the reason for this aphorism, 

 he was right both from an economical and a cultural point 

 of view. You will agree with me that proper plowing is 

 essential to prosperous farming. The farmer gives less 

 thought to the kind of plow that he shall use, than the 

 carriage in which he rides. It is a sad thing to see, but 

 he does just that thing. 



The one-horse plow: a tool of the past. In many parts 

 of the country we find one-horse plows in extensive use, 

 yet none of the aims of tillage are attained by the shallow- 

 running, one-horse plow. Nor can this tool be defended 

 on the ground of economy. The two-horse walking plow 

 not only does farm work better, but it does as much work 

 as two one-horse plows, and saves the labor of one man. 



The two-horse or the four-horse walking plow ought 

 soon find a place on even the smallest farm. The sooner 

 you send the one-horse plow to the museum, along with 

 the crooked plows and the hand-spinning frames, the bet- 

 ter it will be for your farm : the better it will be for you. 



Some other kinds of plows. The sulky plow is coming 

 into favor, although somewhat gradually. On level land 



