Experimental Inquiry on Draught in Ploughing. 233 



Here it will be seen that Hart's plough, for the first time^ lost 

 its advantage. The fact is^ however, that unless to carry out all 

 the trials with all the ploughs, we should not have worked it at 

 all, as the surface was so very soft, that the wheel instead of go- 

 verning the depth of the plough's action, sank itself, and dragged 

 through the soil like a coulter. Unfortunately, it did not occur to 

 me that this wheel might be taken off and the implement be tried 

 as a swing-plough. The FF plough with wheels was put into 

 the ground, but, for the same reason, it would not go at all. It 

 was now suggested by the practical farmers that the unploughed 

 ground having been trampled by the land-horse, (for the question 

 with them was not so much the comparative lightness of the differ- 

 ent ploughs, as the possibility of employing 2 horses abreast in- 

 stead of 4 in line,) the draught of the Scotch plough would pro- 

 bably be increased beyond the fair exertions of its horses. Fer- 

 guson's plough was accordingly put in again, and their expecta- 

 tions turned out to be so far correct, that its draught did stand 

 much higher. 



5x9 6x9 

 Ferguson'sj on trodden ground .31 . 33 

 King's wheel ... 35 . 33 

 King's swing , , ,24 . 27 



This last plough, however, it will be seen, worked at as low a 

 power on the trodden land as Ferguson's in its first trial on the 

 fresh ground; but it had been besides objected to the Scotch 

 ploughs that their furrow was shallower by an inch on the right 

 hand than on the left. Now, the furrow drawn by King's plough 

 was declared to be far the best which had been yet made, and 

 indeed I could myself perceive that it was perfectly flat, clean, 

 and square. The plough was considered by the occupier of the 

 land as particularly well suited for its cultivation, and it should be 

 remembered that its draught is to that of the implement hitherto 

 used as that of 3 horses to 4. It has the open mould-board, as it 

 is here called, or turn-furrow and land-rest which have been 

 already described ; the turn-furrow is flat, and both parts are not 

 of iron, but of wood. The Rutland plough followed, and was 

 also allowed to make an excellent furrow : its draught indeed was 

 greater, but the wheels were too much clogged for a fair trial, and 

 it was thought that in drier weather it might be a very good plough 

 for this land."^ Ferguson's was put in once more, and was rather 

 lighter than on its second trial. 



* A Rutland plough has since been employed regularly on this farm, 

 and is preferred by the occupier to any plough he has tried, on account of 

 the excellence of its work.— Ph, P. 



