344 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Nov. 
Blood Horse “Alexander.” 
This fine animal is owned by Mr. E. H. Ireland, 
©f Albany. He received the first premium in the 
class of blood horses at the State Fair at Buffalo,’, 
i-n 1848. He is a horse of commanding appearance, 
and the committee who awarded him the premium 
remark —“ He is a beautiful blood bay, fine bone, 
high carriage, and beautiful action. He is eight 
years old, and a superior horse for all purposes. 
He has stood in this city for several years, and his 
patronage has been extensive. 
®l)e lavmcv 0 ^Tote-Book. 
Trial of Plows in Seneca Comity. 
Te the President and Members of the Seneca County Agricultural 
Society :— 
Gentlemen —When we received the notice of our 
appointment to act as judges at the trial of plows in 
Seneca County, we felt in common with our farming 
community, the importance of the movement, and the 
benefit to arise from a careful, judicious accomplish¬ 
ment of the purpose. 
As practical farmers, accustomed to the plow and its 
use, we feel justified in presenting a few remarks in 
connection with the matter before us, for the conside¬ 
ration of the farmer, and the mechanics, who are dis¬ 
posed to aid us in the proper arrangement of the imple¬ 
ments we need in our vocation, and more especially the 
indispensable and important implement, the Plow. 
We think it has been long evident that caprice and 
accidental circumstances have given rise to a large 
catalogue of plows, which, upon trial, have disappointed 
the hopes and wasted the means of the purchaser; of 
this class of plows, few, perhaps, have been construct¬ 
ed by makers having a knowledge of the use of the im¬ 
plement, and but little of the skill or science necessary 
for the construction of a good plow. 
There seems to be another error also prevalent 
among plow makers, too often adopted by farmers, 
boding evil to our agricultural success, or at least to a 
thorough and proper tillage of the soil; vre allude to 
the frequent attempts to produce plows which shall, by 
turning broad furrows, work over two acres per day, 
gaining time at the expense of the necessary breaking 
up and essential pulverising of the soil. Thus, farmers 
are tempted with plows to turn furrow slices of 14 to 
16 inches in width, while the depth rarely exceeds 5| 
inches; we will not deny that circumstances may exist 
where a broad furrow of tw’elve inches and more in 
width may be useful; but as a general principle, great¬ 
er depth w’ith pulverisation, should be the main object 
of the plow maker, the second effort being to overcome 
resistance with the least pow r er. 
We feel strong in the opinion, that large masses of 
soil, turned over in furrows of fourteen inches 'wide by 
six inches deep, must require a large outlay of subse¬ 
quent labor to render the soil friable and in fit condition 
to receive manure in a w T ell mixed state; neither w’ill 
the land so treated be in a state to afford thorough 
nourishment to the seed deposited from the manures in¬ 
tended for it. The gain of time therefore, in rapid 
plowing by broad furrows, may be and oft times is an 
expensive system. 
Another error in the manufacture of plow’s, from 
W’hieh, as practical farmers, w r e are called upon to suf¬ 
fer inconvenience is, the imperfect line of draft present¬ 
ed to our teams, not only because this line is not pre¬ 
served at right angles w’ith the shoulders of our horses, 
but also because of the arrangement of the beam as at¬ 
tached to the iron frame of the plow’ body. In this lat¬ 
ter arrangement much difficulty appears to exist, and 
fancy has too much sway; the obliquity of the beam to 
the line of the land side, may be necessary in some de¬ 
gree to produce a direct line of dralt from the true 
point of resistance, but as practical men w’e have reason 
to object to the too frequent need of shifting our guide 
