Expenmental Inquiry on Dravght in Phufjldnfj. 221 



some that I had found in my own neighbourhood a plough of 

 lighter draught than any of theirs in my possession ; and they 

 sent me two others, marked FF, precisely the same in all their 

 parts with each other^ excepting that one was a swing-plough and 

 the other on wheels. Mr. Allan Ransome was so good as to 

 assist me himself in a trial between his ploughs and Hart's^ in 

 which the numbers stood thus : — 



Cwt. Stone. 



Hart's \^ equal to \ b 



FF, swing ... 3 ... 24 

 Rutland, NL . . 3f . . . 30 



Although these numbers were taken by an instrument which 

 I think very imperfect, and were probably one stone too high^ 

 they give^ I suppose, a fair comparative estimate of the draught of 

 the ploughs as they then were : but it was suggested by a member 

 of our Society, Mr. Harris, of Hinton^ that Mr. Ransome's 

 ploughs w^ere rendered much heavier in draught by the coat of 

 coal-tar with which their iron mould-boards had been covered, 

 according to the practice of many makers of implements ; and he 

 undertook to polish their iron-work by using them in a gritty soil 

 for two or three days before the final trial took place. 



An opportunity was afforded me of adding to the implements to 

 be tried two improved Scotch swing-ploughs, which Lord Moreton 

 had lately imported from Scotland for his example-farm at Whit- 

 field, in Gloucestershire. The gentleman who superintends that 

 farm also offered to send up a pair of Clydesdale horses and a 

 Scotch ploughman, and I w^as particularly glad to accept Mr. 

 Morton's offer, because a fair trial was thus insured to these 

 ploughs, of which Mr. Loudon says, in his ^ Encyclopaedia of 

 Agriculture' — " There are now a great variety of ploughs, the best 

 of which, for general purposes, is universally allowed to be what 

 is called in England the Scotch plough, and in Scotland the im- 

 proved Scotch plough:" and, in another place, Of swing-ploughs, 

 by far the best is the implement known in England as the Scotch 

 plough." Mr. Morton was desirous also of showing w'hat two good 

 horses are capable of effecting upon heavy land. 



The points of inquiry, then, towards which I was desirous of 

 directing our trials were chiefly these : — 



L The comparative lightness in draught of wheel and swing- 

 ploughs. 



IL The lightest plough absolutely of whatever kind, 

 in. The effect of different soils upon the qualities, and chiefly 



on the draught, of the plough. 

 IV. The comparative tenacity of different soils ; of which there 

 is much variety in this neighbourhood. 

 V. The power of two horses to plough the strongest soil. 



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