232 KALM'S ENGLAND. 



plough. He to-day sowed a little wheat with the same. 

 The land was first well ploughed, harrowed, and laid out 

 in broad-land. One carl went and drew the plough, and 

 [T. I. p. 233] another went after and steered. The use 

 of this plough was that in front was set a little plough- 

 share, plogbill, which ploughed up the furrow into 

 which the seed which is sown will fall. Immediately 

 above this ploughshare, but farther back, was a little 

 funnel, tratt, from whence the seed fell down behind 

 the ploughshare into the furrow. Out of the funnel 

 behind this fell the fine compressed manure on to the 

 seed just sown, and last of all was set the harrow, which 

 either had tines or iron blades, tinnar eller jam 

 skallor, to harrow the seed again. In a word it was 

 nearly of the same construction as that which Herr 

 Probsten Vestback invented, and described in Kongl 

 Vetensk. Acad. Handlingar. Mr. Ellis and I were not of 

 the same opinion on this point. He flattered himself so 

 much on his invention, that he also said that since Adam 

 was made there has never been invented so useful an 

 Instrument and Machine as this Drill-plough. I should 

 too much weep for human-kind if this were true, for after 

 Mr. Ellis had, with two carls, devoted the whole after- 

 noon to using this plough, he had not succeeded in sowing 

 a pint, en karma, of seed. Scarcely was a half-furrow 

 sowed before one was obliged to stand and attend to the 

 plough. Now, the seed would not run ; now, the mould 

 stuck fast in the hole at the bottom of the funnel ; .now, 

 the corn was not harrowed well down, so that there 

 were here frictiones frictionum. Had man for all time 

 past not been able to sow in a better manner than was 

 done here to-day, mankind would long before this have 

 died of hunger. I do not deny that if this plough is rightly 

 worked and used, it may for some kinds of seed have its 

 great service, as with pease, &c. 



