548 Transactions of the Asierican Institute. 



The propriety and importance of deep working becomes a clearly- 

 estaljlished fact in the minds of every obsei-ving cultivator, on 

 •whatever soil he may operate, very soon after he begins experi' 

 mentally to aim at the production of maximum crops, whether the 

 subjects of cultivation be herbaceous or woody, annual or peren- 

 nial; and the first and most obvious way of achieving it has here- 

 tofore been with the spade. But the expense of doing it by hand- 

 labor constantly turned attention to the plow. Large plows were 

 made, but the inevitable law of greater width than depth of fur- 

 row, and very imperfect tillage in consequence of the wrong 

 stratification, have proved to be persistent objections against the 

 employment of plows, in addition to the rapid increase of the 

 power required, that was found to be always greatly dispropor- 

 tioned to the work. 



But necessity, stronger than the opposing difficulties, advanced 

 the work of deep tillage greatly, both by spade and plow. 



Orchards which would ftiil just as they should become fairly 

 established in bearing whenever this was neglected, and vineyards, 

 which would generally decline before reaching what should be 

 their best condition, when compared with the rapid advance and 

 perpetually thriving condition of those for which a proper course 

 of preparation had been made, were a constant lesson to those 

 who were ready to read it. The obseiTing cultivator would, of 

 course, examine the condition of the roots, and this would leave 

 no doubt as to the cause of failure. Thorough preparation being 

 made before planting, the orchards and vineyards come to full 

 maturity of bearing in less than half the time required under 

 scanty preparation — the quantity, quality, and certainty of pro- 

 duction were even in greater proportion, and age brought nc 

 decline. 



During the century that elapsed between 1768 and 1868, culti- 

 vation grew, by increase of knowledge, in England, fi'om a rude 

 necessity far toward establishment as a scientific art, and each year 

 an advance has been made toward that high degree of improve- 

 ment, by the most minute and careful observation, to verify the 

 ti'ue relation between cause and efiect, and deep-working plows 

 lead the advance. Of this no one need entertain a doubt who 

 will read the accounts of the recent yearly trials of implements. 



The famous Vallerand deep-working plow led in France. Its 

 prophetic name was "Revolution." Some account of its achieve- 

 ments were easily given, but more time than I shall occupy would 



