212 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



May 



spade. He is independent, and still lives. In 

 plows, America has likewise distinguished herself. 

 A cast iron one was introduced from Scotland, 

 ■when Mr. Alger, of South Boston, and Mr. Wood, 

 of New York, began to manufacture them, though 

 somewhat modified in pattern from the Scotch, 

 and we have maintained the lead. Mr. II. here 

 referred to a trial of plows under the patronage of 

 the N. Y. State Agricultural Society, in 1850, 

 w here there were 40 different ones in competition, 

 tlie trial lasting ten days. The result was that 

 Messrs. Prouty &; INIears, of Boston, took three 

 premiums for plows adapted to as many different 

 kinds of work. The results were important, and 

 would be permanent. There are some points, 

 however, in regard to plows and plowing, in which 

 we do not compare well with the English. We 

 have lost sight of the adaptation of plows to differ- 

 ent purposes, to an extent, and for very heavy soil, 

 he Ihought the Scottish, and some of the English, 

 superior. Their harrows, too, are superior to ours 

 — ours being too heavy. Seed harrows should 

 likewise be light. The English have a potato har- 

 row, and implements for cleansing the soil — root- 

 ing out witch grass, for instimce ; the Norwegian 

 harrow is one, and sometimes the English Grub- 

 ber is made to do this work. In this matter we 

 have been loo inattentive. Our horse rakes are 

 very good, but in England they are made with 

 steel tines, and are sometimes used to cleanse 

 their fallows. 



Mr. Wktiierell, of Boston, said there was 

 nothing more important than the plow, as it was 

 our chief implement for pulverizing the soil. Our 

 mechanics had done Avell, but could improve. He 

 had heard the complaint that our plows cut too 

 naiTow furrows. Another objection was that they 

 were easily broken, and the most serious was, that 

 they did not perform their work so well as desired. 

 He spoke of a trial of plows in Elaine, where the 

 draught was great, and observed that it had much 

 to do with their economy. He alluded to Mr. Pu- 

 sey's opinion, that while some plows required 

 three horses, others required only one, and it was 

 found that the size was not in proportion to the 

 draught. The construction had more to do with 

 tlie plow than the weight. To Jefferson we owe 

 much for an improvement in this implement. Our 

 plows are not suited to the West ; the best he had 

 seen were made in Illinois. Our material is iron, 

 theirs is steel. Should the mould-board be con- 

 cave or convex ? At the trial in Maine, ours were 

 very hard to hold by the pressure upon the hands, 

 though some run very well ; and Mr. John John- 

 ston said this was an important matter. In fact, 

 our plows are defective as they rre, and he doubt- 

 ed whether we have one well fitted to pulverize 

 the soil. He considered the question of horses or 

 cattle for plowing. On side hills in England one 



horse is used before the other. He also spoke of 

 the importance of using horse-carts, which he 

 thought the most economical, and cited trials of 

 Mr. Pusey, where their great value over others was 

 demonstrated — and we should then require less 

 laboring animals. Some changes are not improve- 

 ments. A gentleman out West had said to liira 

 that there had not been much improvement in 

 plows since Jefferson. Some farmers oppose 

 some of the new machines. One man would rot 

 have a mowing machine and horse rake because 

 they cut and gathered too much poor stuff. But 

 two farmers side by side, with different practice, 

 would show the good results of improved imple- 

 ments. Small farmers can hire a mowing ma- 

 chine ; and all will find that where one can be 

 used (by the proper preparation of the land) their 

 farms Avill be worth twenty-five per cent, more 

 than others. The speaker also commended the 

 Clod Crusher as important in pulverizing the soil. 



Mr. Howard, by wa^ of explanation, alluded 

 to the Grubber, the Norwegian Harrow, and the 

 Clod Crusher, as used in England. As to steel 

 plows on the prairies of the West, their clayey 

 soil sticks to iron, not U) steel. Such plows would 

 not be important in all places. 



Dr. LoRiNG, of Salem, said it was an extraor- 

 dinary fact, that the best farming did not always 

 keep pace with agricultural implements. Our ag- 

 riculture has not kejit up with our labor-saving 

 machines. The plows of Italy and Portugal are 

 not much better than those in the time of Virgil ; 

 yet those countries have improved in husbandry 

 to a good extent. Our mechanics have attempted 

 to make agriculture easy ; hence (together with 

 the high price of labor) our numerous machines. 

 Our hoes and forks are graceful in their form 

 and highly polished, but less substantial. Yet our 

 plows are better. To the ^Michigan plow there 

 was some objection, but for spring plowing for 

 corn it makes the soil easy, and is the best for sod 

 land for immediate seeding. The cast-iron beam 

 plow was also good. Dr. L. alluded to a horse- 

 hoe and root-grubber bought for him in England 

 by Mr. Howard. He gave some explanation of 

 them, and regarded them as very useful on a 

 farm. As to the Avorking power of a farm, on light 

 lands, he thought horse labor very good, but on 

 rough land ox labor was preferable. Oxen, he 

 believed, would do as much as horses. In regard 

 to cutting hay, he had used mowing machines and 

 a tedder. His haying was done quicker and bet- 

 ter by them, but not cheaper than by the scythe. 

 These machines must have two trained horses, 

 and as in connection they are liable to get out of 

 order, he doubted whether they were economical. 

 Our horse-rakes are very good. The hay-fork 

 was important, but there was some question 

 whether we had a good instrument. What we 



