164 POWER AND THE PLOW 



and care in order to secure the best results. This is because 

 the set of the cutter alone may be made to rum the work of 

 the plow by guiding it to take too much or too little land in spite 

 of any change of hitch at the clevis. The rule is to set a stand- 

 ing coulter as if it had no thickness. Whenever the plowman 

 finds that it is leading the plow, which will be indicated by the 

 plow's swinging climbing, and running unsteadily, he will 

 find the remedy by adjusting it to or from the land, as 

 required, by means of wedges under the shank. The 

 rolling coulter is usually connected to the plow beam by a 

 swivel shank and socket, being kept in line by the resistance of 

 the soil. 



A form of coulter known as the jointer consists of a minia- 

 ture plow which is adjusted to the beam forward of the point 

 of the share. This cuts a small ribbon-like furrow which is 

 thrown in the bottom of the larger one and thus does away with 

 the fringe of grass or weeds which might otherwise project 

 above the plowed field. Where the soil is apt to drift, as on 

 the Great Plains, this fringe is desirable, as it catches and holds 

 the soil and snow. In the Eastern and Central States, where 

 these conditions do not exist, the jointer is popular because of 

 the burying of all vegetation, and because it enables a rather 

 deep furrow to be completely inverted. 



Among the useful attachments to plows is the harrow attach- 

 ment, which may be attached to the rear and usually to the 

 right of the plows on sulky and gang types. It may be com- 

 posed of solid disks, knives, or propeller-like sections. By pul- 

 verizing the soil immediately it requires little power as com- 

 pared with the harrowing done later. It also checks any loss 

 of moisture by at once covering the soil with a dust mulch. 

 Another is the fore carriage for walking plows adopted from 

 France. This consists of a furrow wheel, a ground wheel of 

 somewhat less diameter, a connecting crossbar, and means 

 whereby the depth can be adjusted. This takes the place of 

 the gang wheel and to some extent aids in regulating the width 



