286 



NEW ENGLAND FARMEK. 



JUTfE 



For the New England Farmer. 

 BEPOKT OIT PLOWS AND PLOWING. 



At a meeting of the Concord Farmers' Club last 

 ■winter, it was voted to invite plow-makers, and 

 others interested, to meet at Concord some day 

 early in spring, and give the farmers of the neigh- 

 borhood a practical illustration of the good quali- 

 ties of their plows. A committee was appointed 

 to carry this vote into effect ; and the 6th of May 

 was finally fixed upon for the exhibition. On that 

 day a numerous company of persons interested in 

 the sale and use of plows assembled on the farm 

 of Mr. J. Hurd, now leased by Mr. Elijah Wood. 

 A committee of the club, consisting of Mixox 

 Pratt, Edwin Hosmek, E. E. Bige'low, L. W. 

 Bean, Hiram Jones, J. B. Mooke, Abiel 

 Wheeler and N. H. Warren, was appointed to 

 examine and report upon the plows and their per- 

 formances. This committee have endeavored to 

 perform the task assigned to them in an impartial 

 manner. They felt that their business, for the 

 time was, to know the plow, and its capacities, 

 rather than the plow-maker. They do not claim 

 infallibility of judgment, and may have erred in 

 opinion, but they believe the following statement 

 of the performances of the day is mainly correct. 



The committee, in coming to their conclusions, 

 confined their examinations chiefly to two points. 

 The first, and most important, relates to the qual- 

 ity of the work performed, or the condition in 

 which the plow leaves the soil ; the second, to the 

 amount of force necessary to produce the desired 

 result, on the part of the plowman as well as of 

 the team. In the latter respect there was greater 

 diflerence than in the quality of the work, though 

 in this there was considerable diversity. They 

 would have the plow-maker give his attention first 

 to the discovery of that form of the implement 

 which will leave the field in the best condition for 

 the use to which it is intended to devote it, and 

 then to such modifications as will reduce the re- 

 sistance as low as can be, without impairing the 

 work. The trial took place on a rather stiff" 

 clayey loam, of as nearly even quality as could be 

 found. There were eight plows tried. 



The first tried was exhibited by Mr. G. H. 

 Morse, of Boston, Iluribert's patent, with cast 

 iron beam. No. 3. This did good work, but was 

 heavy, and hard to hold, having a tendency to run 

 out. The beam was thought by some too short 

 for steadiness and uniformity of depth. The point 

 had a too strong tendency downward, and the 

 turn of the mould-board Avas too abrupt for ease 

 of draft. To turn a furrow slice 8 inches deep by 

 14 inches wide, it required a force, as shoAvn by 

 the dynamometer, of 725 lbs. 



Messrs. Smith & Field, of Greenfield, Mass., 

 tried their cylinder plow, Gibbs' patent. No. 2. It 

 turned the sod over handsomely, with ease to the 

 team. It was thought by some to hold hard, 

 though it several times went without holding for 

 nearly the whole length of the land plowed. The 

 point is nearly straigiit with the shoe, and is made 

 broad so as to cut under on the land side about 

 an inch. The slope of the mould-hoard is unusu- 

 ally gradual, by which it is enabled to slide along 

 through the soil with less resistance than any 

 other plow on the field. Furrow 8 l)y 1 5 inches ; 

 force required, 475 lbs. Several of the committee 

 thought this plow did not leave the soil in quite 



so fine a condition as some others. It did its 

 work in so quiet and gentle a manner as hardly 

 to disturb the relative position of the particles of 

 the sod. The mould-board did not appear wide 

 enough for deep work, the loose dirt running over 

 the top at times when plowing only 7^ inches 

 deep. With the skim plow attached, its perform- 

 ance was not so good. The committee are under 

 obligation to Mr. Smith, the exhibitor, for active 

 and valuable assistance rendered them in many 

 ways. 



Mr. Timothy B. Hussey, of North Berwick, 

 Me., exhibited his No. 4 plow, with wooden beam. 

 This was a well-made and apparently strong plow, 

 and did its work well. The mould-board Avas 

 rather low for deep plowing. Furrow 8 by 15 

 inches. Force requii-ed, 687 lbs. It runs steady 

 and holds easy. 



Mr. Joel Nourse, of Boston, exhibited his 

 new iron beam Univei-sal Plow, No. 4. This plow 

 is light, simple, of beautiful form, holds easy, and 

 did its work remarkably well. It is made entirely 

 of iron, with the exception of the ends of the 

 handles, which are of wood, as being more pleas- 

 ant to take hold of. It was exhibited in an un- 

 finished state, (being a new pattern,) and some 

 slight changes are intended in its construction. 

 Judging from its appearance to the eye, there 

 seemed to be no suflScient reason for its requiring 

 a greater force to move it than did the cylinder, 

 unless it is made of softer iron, which would cause 

 greater friction. It did its work well, both single 

 and with the skim plow attached, leaving the sur- 

 face in fine condition. Furrow 7^ by 14 inches. 

 Force required 587 lbs. With skim plow attached, 

 same depth and width of furrow, draft 725 lbs., 

 making a difference of 138 lbs. No doubt the dif- 

 ference in power required between the single and 

 the Michigan plow would vary considerably in dif- 

 ferent soils, being less in loose, sandy land, than 

 where there is a stiff, rooty soil, as the skim plow 

 has to cut through the toughest part of the sod. 



Mr. J. S. Doe, of Boston, exhibited a level sand 

 and side-hill plow. Doe's patent, which turned the 

 sod well for a side-hill plow ; but it appeared, too 

 complicated in its construction. And there seemed 

 to be strong grounds for the opinion expressed, 

 that it should have been invented in the ante- 

 diluvian times, when, as we are told, "there wei'e 

 giants on the earth," or that the giants should 

 have descended to the present time ; for surely 

 no common man could handle this plow all day, 

 unless on large fields whei-e there would be little 

 turning. Furrow 8 by 14. Force required 725. 



Messrs. Wheeler & Garfield, of Concord, 

 Mass., exhibited a side-hill Michigan plow, of a 

 new pattern, which performed good work, with ap- 

 parent ease to the team ; but, unfortunately, in 

 consequence of a flaw in the iron, the beam broke 

 before it was tried by the dynamometer, and so 

 its comparative ease of draft could not be ascer- 

 tained. The Committee were led to believe that 

 the plow will prove a success. 



Mr. J. B. Moore, of Concord, put in an old 

 Nourse plow. Eagle 20, which did excellent work, 

 but it required a force of 750 lbs. to turn a furrow 

 8 by 15 inches. 



Mr. J. Harrington, of Concord, tried his 

 Nourse plow. Eagle No. 2, flat, which laid the 

 furrow over very flat. Furrow 8 by 13 ; force re- 

 quired, 625. 



