Erperimental Inquiry on Draught in Plovghinrj. 225 



5th. If we once more compare the two ploughs in daily use on this 

 very soil, we find Hart's at 14 stone, and the old Berkshire at 

 23 stone : that is to say, worse by 2 stone for its three horses 

 than Hart's for its two. 

 On land of this quality the ScoLch swing-ploughs were e-sidently 

 out of the question : at the imitation, therefore, of my neighbour 

 and friend JNIr. Throckmorton, we adjourned to some low strong 

 ground of his near the Thames, in the parish of Buckland, partly 

 \^-ith the view of trying the powers of the Scotch horses, and of 

 ascertaining whether, as some suppose, there is no ground which 

 two horses are unable to cope with. 



Trial II. 



This land was a clean hean-stubble, productive in dry seasons, 

 a dark mould on a subsoil of blue clay. As it was laid up in 

 high ridges, and the occupier stated that it varied in firmness, 

 being easiest to work near the furrow where it was wet, we had 

 some difficulty in finding a sufficient breadth of equal strength for 

 the trial of the nine ploughs. We chose, however, the drier part 

 of a land, and were permitted to thi^ow the furrow- shce down 

 from the ridge, instead of gathering it up to the crown, as we 

 ousfht to have done in that staofe of the cultivation : but to have 

 done so, we were told, would have been the labour of another 

 horse. At the desire of the very intelligent Scotch ploughman 

 we went an inch deeper than in the last trial, making the furrow 

 6 inches by 9 ; that is, 6 inches on the land-side, for the ridge 

 was so steep that there may have been an inch less of depth on 

 the other side of the furrow. The Clydesdale horses behaved 

 admirably, but it w"as soon evident that the attempt was a vain 

 one. They struggled and floundered; and the other two pairs 

 which succeeded them vrere much distressed, particularly the 

 horses who were not in the furrow. The ploughmen could 

 scarcely keep their ploughs in the ground. It became difficult, 

 under these circumstances, to form a fair average of the respective 

 numbers shown by the instrument, but the follovring Table con- 

 tains the best approach we could, make : — 



Blue Clay in the parish of Buckland. 



Furrow 6x9 inches. 



Ferguson's improved Scotch plough, swing 



50 stone. 



Clark's ditto . . . 



. 52 



Hart's one wheel .... 



. 43 



Ransome's FF, two wheels 



. 44 



Ransome's FF, swing 



. 44 



King's swing ..... 



. 48 



King's one wheel .... 



. 43 



Rutland, Ransome, two wheels 



. 50 



Old Berks 



. 52 



Average 





