222 
Tfiii ugiiiiviix, . 
BOSTON CENTRE-DRAUGHT PLOW. 
Messrs. Editors —I have read with much interest the 
communication of J. G. B. in your last, on the “ Boston 
Centre-Draught Plow of Prouty and Mears,” in which 
he notices some peculiarities, which, in his opinion, re¬ 
quire obviating, although he admits his conclusions “ are 
not the result of any experience with the plow, but are 
formed, simply by seeing the excellent plate in a former 
number of the Cultivator.” Now, with all due defer¬ 
ence to your correspondent, I must take leave just to ob¬ 
serve, in a court of inquiry, no witness is permitted to 
proceed one step, after confessing that he knows nothing 
about the subject by experience, but merely as matter of 
opinion. But let that pass, and allow me to say a few 
words in defence of an arrangement which I have found, 
by the test of the fullest examination and repeated trial, 
to be perfect in all its parts. 
And first, “the fastening extending down from the 
back of the standard,” does not interfere with the opera¬ 
tion in very deep plowing, and therefore the plow does 
not require the beam to be raised, which would destroy 
the symmetry and proportion of the most elegant imple¬ 
ment that was ever constructed. I was, the past week, 
engaged on trial in the heaviest and most difficult soil in 
Lancaster county, Pa., against the favorite plow of that 
neighborhood drawn by three horses abreast, in turning 
in a first crop of clover of the strongest growth, which 
required to be dragged down before the implement could 
be made to touch it; taking then the whole strength of 
the team to accomplish it, with a furrow from four to six 
inches deep, but by no means subverting it so as to cover 
the crop; while with the Centre-draught No. 5|, new 
gearing, without dragging the crop, and by the aid of 
two of the horses only, it was just the easiest thing in the 
world to turn the crop completely under, fo the regular 
depth of seven inches, the horses absolutely not feeling 
the labor or losing their breath, much less “ turning a 
nair.” The company, many of them neighboring farm¬ 
ers, desirous of seeing how large and deep a furrow so 
small a plow could be made to turn, the wheel was let 
down, when the furrow-slice, measured on the spot, was 
found to be 11 inches deep and 16 inches wide; the fast¬ 
ening extending from the standard not interfering with 
the operation in the least. And more than this, the plow 
carried over this enormous mass, burying the whole of 
the vegetable matter by the aid of a drag-chain, and pla¬ 
cing it hors-du-combat, without any one touching the 
handles, for a considerable space, to the admiration of 
every one present. Here also ivas a trial of the strength 
of the wheel attached to the side of the plow, for the land 
was so rocky that it was often brought up all standing by 
large stones sunk below the surface as well as above it, 
and entangled by the heavy crop of clover, so that the 
wheel was often buried out of sight; proving that the 
single strap is sufficient for the purpose of permanency 
and security. This trial took place on the farm of Mr. 
Moses Burton, Salisbury township, about a mile and a 
half from the Gap, and in presence of many of the first 
^agriculturists of the county, amongst whom were Mr. 
Caleb Burton, his brother and son, and W. Penn Kinzer, 
Esq. of Spring Lawn; and in the hands of these men, the 
plow did, indeed, “ do all but talk.” The same plow 
had been used the day before in turning the sides of the 
high road, no other land being to be obtained; and here, 
by the hands of a lad 12 years of age, the son of Mr. 
Mark Cooper near the village of Enterprise, the work 
was performed with perfect ease, the wheel and rod 
extending back beyond the standard, enabling the child to 
manage her with surprising skill and accuracy. 
The observation, that different soils require differently 
constructed plows, is perfectly admissible as a general 
axiom; but the Centre-draught plow works on so very 
“different” a principle to that of every other, that to 
judge of its powers and capacity it must be seen and felt; 
and until then, I should despair of being able to convince 
your correspondent of the fact. The Centre-draught 
plow of Prouty & Mears is indeed a self-sharpener in the 
best acceptation of the term; for after five trials on the 
most difficult soils, the point of the share was scarcely 
rubbed, and by no means required turning; while the 
owners of many of the favorite plows in the neighbor¬ 
hood admitted, that on such soils, every second day at 
farthest, their points required renewing, at the cost of 
sixteen cents; expressing astonishment to find that a dou¬ 
ble point and share of No. 5-§, at the charge of 62 cents 
only, are found to turn from 60 to 80 acres, and often 
more. Your correspondent’s account of the mode in 
which the only sharpening process is conducted, by the 
renewal of the parts, is lucid and satisfactory; it is proper 
to observe however, that the wing or share of the Prouty 
plow is made to move also; it is therefore sharpened, as 
well as the point, by the same operation. 
That Mr. Bergen’s plow is the best for green-sward,. 
“ especially if the soil is old and tough,” that your cor¬ 
respondent has ever seen, I have no doubt; but he must 
see the Boston Centre-draught perform that service be¬ 
fore he can form an idea of the perfection which has 
been obtained in that all-important operation—it would 
be vain to attempt to describe it; the “ age and tough¬ 
ness” of the sod being quite an indifferent circumstance. 
His remarks, regarding the proper angle of the mould- 
board for turning soils of different kinds, with the admis¬ 
sion, that with those in common use—not excepting the 
Bergen, I presume—some soils will always be found to 
adhere, are, I have no doubt, perfectly correct; and I 
consider it would be a much easier test to travel a hun¬ 
dred miles to convince him by occular and tangible de¬ 
monstration that these do not apply to the Centre-draught, 
than to attempt to overturn his opinion by any thing 
that I have it in my power to say; I would therefore 
cheerfully take such a step to obtain a trial, he being con¬ 
stituted judge, with a jury of 12 honest and practical men 
of the neighborhood; it would then be easy to show the 
perfectly different principles upon which the Centre- 
draught plow is constructed, but which are at present so 
little understood: in short, it is “spade labor,” which is 
now universally admitted to be “the perfection of good 
husbandry.” 
In conclusion I would add, while your correspondent 
recommends the Bergen plow for its superiority in ordi¬ 
nary soils, I claim it for the Boston Centre-draught with 
the new gearing, for those of every description, ordinary 
as well as extraordinary, heavy, light, sod or corn- 
ground, wet or dry, crop or no crop; and ask leave to use 
his very expressive ana aescriptive terms of commenda¬ 
tion. “ Its advantages are, lightness of draught, strength, 
economy in the cost of sharpening, and the capacity of 
performing the best work in green-sward; durability, for 
the friction being easy, the mould-plate will wear well, 
while the advantages of the improvements of the wheel 
and the new gearing attached to it,” are emphatically its 
own, and cannot be applied to Mr. Bergen’s plow— 
much as it might require its aid—without fraud and rob¬ 
bery; other “Patents” lying under the same predica¬ 
ment. Who was the inventor of the self-sharpening 
principle, is a question that cannot be solved at this time 
of day; I presume it was concocted long before Mr. Ber¬ 
gen’s entrance into existence; I know at least a dozen 
who conceived themselves entitled to this distinction, the 
inventors of the Centre-draught, however, not claiming 
it, the patentees considering it honor enough to have in¬ 
vented the best and most important mode of applying it, 
and enabling its possessors to plow their lands at the ex¬ 
pense of less than one cent per acre for blacksmith’sbills; 
and by these and other improvements—the foremost of 
which is the new gearing, so faithfully and beautifully 
portrayed in your invaluable page—to save, by superior 
culture, after tillage and increase of crop, about the cost 
of a new implement on every 25 acres of land worked by 
it, whether the soil be ordinary or extraordinary in its 
texture and consistency. 
Montgomery Co., Pa. Centre-Draught. 
P. S. If your correspondent be l eally a practical man, 
desirous of “seeing” the operations of the Centre-draught, 
I would not consider the pleasure of an interview over 
paid for, by the expense of a journey of many miles to 
accomplish a wish that would then be mutual. I attach 
my real signature, which you will please make known 
to your correspondent in this case, and present him with 
my respectful consideration. 
