1850. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
325 
to clay, mingled with stones of various sizes. There 
had been almost continuous rains for three weeks 
previous, and the ground was, for the most part, 
thoroughly saturated with water, and the greater 
portion of it had been recently covered with a coat¬ 
ing of long manure. 
In consequence of the inequalities of the surface 
of the held, there was necessarily a diversity in the 
various lands and sections,-—some being more stony, 
wet, or adhesive, than others. This source of fallacy 
was guarded against by your committee as far as 
they could, by taking copious notes of the physical 
condition of the differest lands, and making due al¬ 
lowances when determining the awards. The vege¬ 
table matter on the ground was not sufficiently thick 
to prove any serious impediment to the operation of 
the implements. After the competitors had drawn 
for the number of their lots, the following rules for 
regulating the awards were announced in the hear¬ 
ing of each competitor; 
Rules Regulating the Trial. —In deciding the 
general question—What are the best plows? the 
committee will be governed by the following princi¬ 
ples: 1st, the character of the work performed ; 2d, 
the power required in draught; 3d, quality of mate¬ 
rials, durability and cost of the implements. 
For stiff soil, excellence of work shall consist, 
first, in leaving the furrow slice light and friable; 
second, in so-disposing the sod and all vegetable 
matter as to ensure its ready decomposition. 
For sandy soil, or that which is already too light, 
the points in regard to work will be, first, thorough¬ 
ly burying the vegetable matter; and second, leav¬ 
ing the ground generally level. 
For fallows, or old land, the principle in refer¬ 
ence to the quality of the work will be, the thorough 
pulverization and friability of the soil. 
In determining the power required in draught, the 
most perfect instrument will be used, and the trial will 
be conducted in the most careful and thoro’ manner. 
The same implement for testing draught, and the 
same team will be used for all plows in the same class. 
The plows may be held by the competitors, or 
persons appointed by them, as may be preferred. 
The trial being open to competitors from any part 
of the world, fourteen plows were entered for pre¬ 
miums. 
Old Land Trials. —Before commencing the work 
the committee passed the following resolution, viz: 
Resolved, That the Plow which effects the most 
thorough pulverization and inversion of the soil, 
with a depth of furrow of seven inches, shall be 
deemed to make the best work. 
Name of 
Competitors. 
Name of 
Plow. 
Name of 
Plowman. 
Dft. 
Wt. 
Plow. 
Price 
Plow. 
A. Fleck 
Wilkie’s 
Scotch, 
M. Hutchinson 
487 
175 
$28.00 
French & Smith 
Michigan 
Sod&Sub- 
soil, 
I. Brydon 
406 
174 
13.C0 
Eddy & Co. 
Washington 
co. Iron 
Beam D, 
S. R. Mott 
439 
112 
10.00 
-Randerson 
Schodac, 
——i Randerson 
342 
109 
8.00 
Minor & Horton 
Peekskill 
No. 21, 
J. Mooney 
363 
107 
7.50 
Starbuck & Co. 
Trojan No 5, 
-Smith 
379 
109 
9.00 
P. Auld 
Improved 
Scotch, 
T. Williams 
373 
116 
9.50 
Prouly & Mears 
Centre draft 
No. 51 
J. Mooney 
383 
119 
12.00 
Bosworth, Rich 
& Co. 
Iron Beam 
D, 
T. Leonard 
425 
1021 
8.50 
—- Finch 
Empire A 3, 
M. M. Webster 
456 
991 
10.00 
H. L. Emery 
Albany, 
H. L. Emery 
427 
133 
10.50 
W. .U Chase 
Amsterdam 
No. 6, 
J. Mooney 
343 
1291 
E. .T. Burr all 
Shell-wheel, 
E. Smith 
350 
126 
• 11.00 
Proutj & Mears Connecticut 
i Valley, 
J. Mooney 
525 
99£ 
10.50 
The lands were marked out 162 feet long and 23 
feet wide. The preceding table exhibits, 1st, the 
name of the proprietor of the plow; 2d, the name of 
the plow, 3d, the name of the plowman; 4th, the 
draft of the plow; 5th, the weight of the plow; and 
6th, the price. 
While the plows were in action, they were care¬ 
fully watched by the committee, and every circum¬ 
stance which they deemed essential was noted. The 
appearance of the land after plowing, its friability, 
the comparative time of drying, the amount of vege¬ 
table matter left uncovered, were then carefully ex¬ 
amined. The result of their observations is summed 
up in the following remarks: 
A. Fleck’s Wilkie’s Scotch Plow. —Performed 
work in a handsome manner ; the furrows were high 
set, and their form was well adapted to cover the 
seed with a friable soil after it had passed under the 
action of the harrow. The materials of the imple¬ 
ment were of the best quality, being wholly of iron, 
and all the portions of it, except those exposed to 
the abrasion of the furrow-slice, appeared almost 
indestructible. In our opinion it is liable to the 
following objections: 1st. Its draft is heavy. 2d. 
Its weight makes it too laborious for the plowman 
to handle, particularly where the furrows are short, 
and the turnings are consequently frequent. 3d. 
Its price is too great for the means of ordinary 
farmers. 4th. It requires a more thorough train¬ 
ing on the part of the plowman than is ordinarily 
attained by the farmers of this country. 5th. The 
bottom of the furrow is left uneven, that portion of 
the bottom contiguous to the land-side, being deep¬ 
er than the portion nearest the furrow side. It is 
evident that this cut gives less friable earth adapted 
to the exigencies of the crop than if it were level at 
the bottom. 
French & Smith’s Michigan Sod and Sub-soil .— 
We shall not notice this plow minutely in this con¬ 
nexion, reserving our remarks for a subsequent part 
of this report. 
Eddy Sc Co.’s Washington Co. Iron beam D .— 
This is a strong and well made plow; the beam is 
of wrought iron, and we should suppose from its 
construction, that it was well adapted for very 
rough and stony land. Its draft is heavy, and the 
mould-board presses heavily on the upper and lower 
edges of the furrow, so as to leave the surface ex¬ 
posed after plowing, curved, from the effect of the 
pressure. This peculiar action not only expends 
power wastefully, but packs the earth which ought 
to be pulverized. 
Randerson’s Schodac Plow.— The good quali¬ 
ties of this plow w r ere brought out in the fullest re¬ 
lief by Mr. Randerson, whose expertness as a plow¬ 
man was particularly observed. The lightness of 
draft of this plow is very remarkable; this was seen 
as distinctly in the action of the team as from the 
indications of the dynamometer. It also possesses 
another quality which will recommend it to many 
farmers; it can be used by an inexpert plowman 
with better effect than most of the plows exhibited; 
it runs easily without turning towards the land or 
from it, and when once gauged, it keeps the re¬ 
quired depth with great steadiness. Since good 
plowmen are procured with so much difficulty in 
many places, this quality of the plow will prove of 
great value. With these qualities, it fails in its 
pulverizing action; the furrow-slice is simply turn¬ 
ed, with scarcely any comminution of its particles, 
and it does not bury the grass and other vegetable 
matters on the surface, with that thoroughness 
which good husbandry requires. 
