1850. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
99 
and then, for want of sufficient force in the mould¬ 
board, or rather from being too narrow at the heel, 
about as much of the earth rolls the wrong way as 
the right; and the general character of the work is 
bad. These ideas seem to me to be correct; and if 
so, it is evident that the best kind of work can not 
be done both in stubble and green-sward, by one and 
the same plow. 
For one, I feel the want of a sward plow that 
will turn a furrow a foot deep, and as narrow as is 
possibly compatible with that depth, and which shall 
not be liable to choke under the beam. When I 
commenced farming, my lands would not bear plow¬ 
ing over five or six inches deep. I have been gra¬ 
dually introducing the poor stratum below to the ge¬ 
nial influences of the atmosphere and of compost 
manure, until I hare made a soil of nine or ten in¬ 
ches, of uniform quality. But I haye got about as 
low as I can go with decent execution, until a dif¬ 
ferent plow from any I now know of, is made. My 
mowing-lands bear a pretty heavy aftermath; and 
when the plow is gunged to a depth exceeding nine 
or ten inches, the clear space left between the beam 
and the surface of the ground is so narrow, that I 
am constantly vexed with the wadding up of the 
long tangling grass upon the cutter of the plow, 
and thus prevented from maintaining the desired 
depth of furrow. 
Messrs. Ruggles, Nourse St Mason are now get¬ 
ting up patterns for a stubble and a breaking-up 
plow, which I think will meet my ideas exactly. 
When spring opens, I shall test them by a trial in 
the ground; and if I find them to be the thing want¬ 
ed, I shall then send drawings of them for The Cul¬ 
tivator, along with remarks more fully in detail up¬ 
on their construction, and the desirable results they 
are calculated to produce. 
While walking through the establishments of these 
gentlemen at Boston and Worcester, observing the 
extent of their manufactures, and the many indica¬ 
tions of their ingenuity and enterprise in the same, 
I was forcibly impressed by a reflection upon the 
important influences their labors are imparting to 
our agriculture. They may truly be said to be be¬ 
nefactors of the farmers. Their Warehouse and 
Seed-store in Boston, contains an agricultural va¬ 
riety, almost as exciting to the visitor as the collec¬ 
tions of a Museum. Every kind of field and gar¬ 
den seeds, of implements and machines, may here 
be found, of the best quality, and in quantities to 
suit the purchaser. Their Manufactory at Worces¬ 
ter, is a little world of itself; and he who would like 
to see that which is to be done well done,—who 
prefers farming-tools possessing beauty, strength 
and durability, to those of a clumsy, heavy, and 
make-do construction,—may here find his tastes gra¬ 
tified, even to the turning of a screw. 
Surveying with delight, the great variety and uti¬ 
lity of the implements of husbandry around me, I 
said to myself — 1 here is striking evidence of the va¬ 
lue of the efforts of science and cultivated mind on 
behalf of Agriculture.’ If we wish now to perform 
any kind of labor upon the farm, we find a tool rea¬ 
dy for our use, by which we can do the work easier, 
better and cheaper, than we could ten years ago. 
The effect upon our farmers is great. It sets them 
upon thinking, and awakens pride and a determina¬ 
tion to farm it better every way. I have often been 
pleased in noticing the effects commonly following 
the first introduction upon a farm, of an improved 
modern plow, for instance. The owner takes it to 
his meadow, and to his surprise and delight finds 
that, with two or three cattle, and but little labor 
on his part, the sod can be laid over smoothly, and 
with mathematical precision, where formerly he 
had to hitch on twice as much team to draw his old 
plow, and put himself into all sorts of shapes to 
keep it right side up in the ground, or perhaps to 
keep it in the field. As he surveys his now smooth 
and regular furrows, and contrasts them with his 
usual course of husbandry, he begins to think about 
mending his ways generally; and I have noticed 
that the introduction of the new plow has often 
proved the starting-post in a better general system 
of farming. The observing man does not look for 
enlightened and correct tillage where the tools in 
use are rude and ill-shaped, nor does he often find it 
careless and improvident where those of improved 
construction have been introduced. 
Messrs. Ruggles, Nourse & Mason make their plows 
from patterns and by machinery of their own inven¬ 
tion, upon which they have expended a great deal of 
time, thought and money, to bring them to their pre¬ 
sent state of perfection. Their Eagle Plows now em¬ 
brace a great variety of sizes, forms and fixtures, fit¬ 
ted to all kinds of soil and modes of cultivation. The 
wood parts are made of the Worcester county white 
oak, of second growth. The forest oak is preferred 
to that growing in open land, because the grain is 
not so coarse, and the timber, when dry, is tougher. 
The beams and handles are sawed out by patterns 
nearly to shape, by the farmers around, and deli 
vered at the factory in a partly seasoned state 
They are then stacked up in a lumber-room to sea¬ 
son a year longer, and are occasionally overhauled 
to prevent the powder-post. The handles, when 
sufficiently seasoned, are first steamed, and then 
they can bo bent to any desired shape. Various 
machines afterwards dress, tenon, bore and fit them 
for use. The beams are first put into a machine 
which planes them to uniform thickness on the sides, 
and takes them out of wind; another machine 
brings the tops and bottoms to any curve that may 
be wanted, a pattern boing laid on for a guide which 
is adapted to the purpose; others tenon and mor¬ 
tice the ends for the reception of the handles, cor¬ 
ner and check them, and bore the various holes for 
the clevis, standard bolt, Stc. A thousand beams 
and handles, of any one sized plow, having gone 
through these various operations, will all be alike 
in shapo, and any or all of them will fit their proper 
place without further trouble. When a quantity of 
plows of a given pattern are to be fitted up for mar¬ 
ket, the castings are placed upon a platform, to 
which is affixed the proper guages and guides to 
adjust the various parts of the plow to each other, 
so as to give the implement its proper land, pitch of 
beam, and pitch and height of handles; and the uni¬ 
formity with which this may be done is so perfect, 
that any number of plows, of one size, will all be 
alike in these particulars. 
A furnace is attached to the manufactory, where 
all the various castings are made. Some 5,000 lbs. 
of iron are daily worked up. The best quality of 
metal known in the markets is used. Numerous 
experiments have been tried in order to arrive at 
that admixture of the different kinds of iron which 
shall combine the greatest strength, toughness, 
hardness and durability of castings, No other metal 
has been found to be so strong and hard as the best 
American. Great pains is taken in the construction 
of flasks, in moulding and casting generally, in or¬ 
der to produce a close correspondence to patterns', 
and a perfect fit when the various parts of the plow 
are to be put together. The plow-points, and the 
entire length of sole on the land-side castings, are 
chill-hardened, as it is termed, so that the whole 
bottom-surface of the plow, exposed to wear, is. 
