204 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE 



May, 1921. 



Figure lOB. 



If yoii do not think it does try putting wheels at an 

 angle on a wagon similar to a disc harrow and then 

 yiiu will agree with this line of thought. With patent 

 eveners "to remove side-draft"' go easy and make 

 sure they do so before you buy. They will hold t/ie 

 plow straight, I grant you, but they do so at the 

 expense of power. In other words, the team holds 

 the plow straight. Under the most ideal conditions 

 the centre of a four abrea.st /iit«h will be about 27 

 inches from the furrow and with the centre of the 

 plow fixed and immovable at a point 19 inches from 

 tiie furrow wall you can now see that there must be 

 a tendency to twist tihe plow towards the plowed 

 gioimd or what is known only too well as "side-draft." 

 It wears out wheel boxings and horseflesh to an 

 alarming extent. At tliis point your attention is called 

 to Figure lOD. It shows two common types of re- 

 placeable boxings. Farmei's have brought wheels 

 to us to find out how to remove the boxings. A 

 small bolt is usually found in the ^uib. After 

 it is removed the iDoxing is driven out with a 

 heavy hannner. The .solution is plow tandem and 

 then the centre of the plow will be in the same 

 straight line and everything will run well. Some 

 say that it takes so much power, beeau.se the team is 



farther away from the work. The lead team is not far 

 enough away to make any material difference, and the 

 power that would be consumed in overcoming sidedraft 

 is eliminated altogether. This clinches the argument 

 for the man who wants the best way. 



We have not taken up many points in connection 

 with the subject that might have been dealt with, 

 hut perhaps we have interested .some reader. 



What are you going to do about it? 



One good plowman in a community will do more 

 good work towards improving the plowing in that dis- 

 trict than a thousand articles. Get busy and arrange to 

 have a real live plowing match next June. The De- 

 partment of Agriculture or the Agricultural College 

 ought to help you. Put the arrangements in the hands 

 fif energetic men and help them to get enti'ies. Have 

 some classes for the boys and young men and you 

 will be surprised /low hard it will be to drive them 

 away from the farm. The quality of the plowing will 

 improve each succeeding year to the benefit of all 

 concerned. 



We will now deal in more detail witli the following: 



1. Factors influencing the draft of plows. 



2. The method of testing the draft. 



Figure IOC. 



Figure lOD. 



Do you know the power required to pull your plow 

 or, for that matter, any ot^er farm implement? In 

 manufacturing plants, careful records are kept of the 

 cost of operating their power machinery. This cost 

 is watched very closely so that all the work is per- 

 formed in tilie most economical manner' thus keeping 

 the cost of production down. Why should farmers 

 not follow their example? If it pays a maruifacturer 

 it will pay t;ie farmer. It will tend to convince you 

 that the question of draft is very important, and as 

 a means of proving this beyond all doubt I advocate 

 that every municipality should purchase a dynamo- 

 meter. (See Figure 12.) This shows a front and rear 

 view of two types suitable for the testing of hor.se 

 drawn implements. This is an instrument for testing 

 the draft of any implement; it is simply a strong 

 .spring balance. The farmers in the district could t^ien 

 rent this testing device for a nominal price and thus 

 prove to tlieir satisfaction some important points. 



You think tliis sounds rather far-fetdhed and .splen- 



