566 Report of the Trials of Ploughs, Harroics, Sfc, at Hull. 
that can get out of order. The handle of the lever is secured by a hook on 
the stilts. 
The coulter Las also to be adjusted from one side of the beam to the other, 
or rather the cutting edge must assume a diftercnt position according as the 
furrow is to be thrown to the right or left of the beam. This is also made 
self-acting, and is as simple as the rest. The beam is hollow at the point 
where the coulter is attached by a pin working in a slot ; from the head of the 
standard a bar passes backwards sufficiently to take a bearing on the front 
face of the inverted mouldboard holding it in position and keeping it rigid when 
in work. The reversal of the mouldboard moves the bar, and consequently 
alters the angle of the coulter ; but the most ingenious portion of the whole 
apparatus is the self-acting lock of the fore-wheels, which makes them suit- 
able for the furrow and land-side alternately, and this is done by having the 
axle jointed in the centre, so that the wheels can assume different heights at 
work to suit the furrow and land-side, and are level when the jjlough is turned. 
The position of the furrow-wheel in work is secured by the self-acting lock or 
stop from a central standard, to which it is attached by a hinge, a slight incli- 
nation of the plough causes it to fall over either side as required ; as soon then 
as the wheel falls into the furrow, the lock-stop falls over and holds it rigid 
in its position. It is always more or less difficult to convey to the reader a 
clear idea of an implement by description. We fear our explanations may lead 
him to conclude that The Excelsior plough is rather an ingenious eccentricity 
than a simple practical implement ; if such is his impression, we must correct 
it by drawing his attention to the draught as compared with an ordinary 
plough — a remarkable fact considering the extra weight of the iron mould- 
board — and the Judges were unanimous in their approval, both of the mecha- 
nism and the quality of work performed. Fig. 50 shows the jointed axle of the 
fore-wheels and the self-acting lock ; a a the jointed axle ; h the self-acting lock. 
Fig. 50. 
Fio;. 51. 
I have omitted to notice that Mr. Davey introduced a novelty in his 
skim coulter, which he places behind, instead of before, the ordinary coulter, 
and between it and the breast. His argument is that, in this position, the 
skim coulter, dealing with the edge of a moved or loosened surface, meets with 
less resistance than when cutting a slice out of the solid ground. The differ- 
ence between placing the skim before or behind the coulter is an increase or 
reduction of 23 lbs. in the draught. This skim coulter is double-faced (see 
Fig. 51), and therefore operates on the furrow as thrown on either side of the 
beam. 
Although one-way ploughing is not cither necessary or desirable on level 
land in ordinary work, it was suggested by one of the Stewards that such an 
implement would be very useful for working up the headlands of lands culti- 
vated by steam-power. In all cases where a level surface is desirable, such 
as in preparing land for laying down to grass, the one-way plough will also 
prove valuable. The cost, including everything, is 8?. 7s. Qd. 
