222 Experimental Inquiry on Draught in Ploughing 



The ploughs put into the ground were as follow : — 



1. An improved Scotch swing-plough, made by Mr. Ferguson, near 



Stirlmg, entirely of iron. 



2. Another, by Mr. Clark, also near Stirling. These two were both 



remarkable for elegance of shape and general air of lightness. 



3. A one-wheeled plough, of wood with, iron breast, by Mr. Hart, of 



Wantage. The mould-board is not, as usual, of one piece, but 

 consists of a turnfurrow, standing some inches from the ground, 

 which piece, instead of being gently hollow, is almost flat and 

 straight, and of a separate piece, called a ground-rest, which lies 

 below and within the former, and serves to clear out the bottom 

 of the furrow. This is our old construction in this part of the 

 country, and this plough may be called an improved Berkshire 

 plough. 



4. Ransome's FF, with two low wheels, resembling his Rutland 



plough (a figure of which is given in Mr. Handley's paper), but 

 of slighter proportions. This plough was originally constructed 

 by him, in the year 1826, for market gardeners near London, to 

 be drawn with one horse, but is now used as a two-horse plough 

 on light lands in Cambridgeshire. 



5. Ransome's FF; the same plough, but as a swing-plough. 



6. A swing-plough, with wooden breast of the Berkshire construc- 



tion, made by Mr. King, of Buckland ; belonging to Mr. 

 Throckmorton, and held by his ploughman, who had won a 

 prize at our Faringdon Meeting. 



7. A one-wheeled plough, of the same general shape, but much heavier, 



belonging to Mr. Williams, of Buckland. This plough, and the 

 holder also, had lately won a prize at our local meeting. 



8. The Rutland plough of Messrs. Ransome, which shows the lightest 



draught in Mr. Handley's paper. 



9. An old Berkshire plough, of a very cumbrous appearance, with an 



extremely high gallows in front, entirely of wood. 



10. Having since received a plough which came from Lord Leices- 



ter's agent, and which 1 am informed is the implement used on 

 the Holkham property, I tried it upon this field, the ground 

 remaining in the same state. It is a two-wheeled plough, with 

 a light gallows. 



I will now give the successive trials, only observing that, in any 

 remarks on the performance of the ploughs, I am stating not my 

 own opinion, but those of several practical agriculturists who 

 were good enough to assist me. With regard to the numbers 

 indicating the draught of the ploughs, I was also aided by other 

 observers ; and such is the goodness of Mr. Cottam's new 

 draught- gauge, that we scarcely ever, I believe, differed by more 

 than a quarter of a hundred-weight, and often agreed to an eighth, or 

 one stone. The numbers are therefore given in stones, as a well- 

 known measure of the weights imposed on a horse. 



