1851. 
THE CULTIVATOR, 
109 
outline of the mould-board is very well represented in 
Fig. 12. The share is narrow, the wedge-power great, 
and the back part of the mould-board is adapted to 
place the furrow-slice exactly at an angle of 45° before 
leaving it. The land-side is perpendicular, and the 
coulter stands in a range with it. 
In considering the form and proportions of a plow 
best adapted to the working of stiff heavy soils, Messrs. 
R., N., M. & Co., have thought that plow the best that 
will cut a perfectly rectangular furrow, whose depth is 
to its width as two is to three, and lay it at an angle of 
45°. The plows for stiff lands that they now offer the 
public, are adapted to work as above specified. They 
combine the best working properties of the celebrated 
Scotch plow invented by Small, with the lightness and 
cheapness of the American plow. The lines of the scale 
from which these mould-boards are fashioned, give the 
mould-boards a slight convexity of surface, which is 
considered an advantage in the working of tenacious, 
unyielding soils; but the lines may be varied to straight 
lines for medium soils, or to concave lines for light sandy 
soils. The line of transit for the upper edge of the 
furrow-slice, is adapted to the delivery of the slice with 
an unbroken crest. The mould-board presents a uni¬ 
form resistance to the furrow-slice, and will brighten 
uniformly over the entire surface, however tenacious the 
soil may be. 
Fig. 13 represents the action of this plow in furrows 
seven inches deep by ten inches wide. The plow enters 
the ground very easily, a good hinge is preserved upon 
which to raise the furrow-slice to its perpendicular posi¬ 
tion, the back part of the mould-board lays the slice at 
an angle of 45° before leaving it, and the two exposed 
faces of the slice are of equal breadth,-—namely, seven 
inches. 
Fig. 14 represents the action of a plow unadapted to 
laying proper lapped furrows. The plow is so wide upon 
the bottom as to require a width of furrow-slice of at 
least twelve inches, and yet it cannot go more than seven 
inches deep,—indeed it can hardly do that, without 
crowding over to the left or land badly, and it cramps 
and breaks the slice very much. But the slices are of 
unequal proportions. The width is too much for the 
depth, and, consequently, so flat a surface is formed, 
that if the furrows are to lie exposed for some time to 
the weather, and if the soil be a stiff adhesive clay, it 
will run together and bake so much as to render the 
harrow quite inoperative, and but a shallow seed-bed 
will be raised. The spaces underneath the furrows are 
wide and low, and they will be apt to fill with soil, 
which will prevent a proper circulation of air, and a 
free passage of surperfluous moisture, and the surface 
will be apt to be wet and heavy. 
The triangles, abc, efg, Fig. 13, are of equal sides, 
and the angles, b, f, are angles of 45°. The triangles 
hik, klm, Fig. 14, are of unequal sides, and the 
angles, i, k, are angles of only 36°. If we sup¬ 
pose a series of sections of these 7 by 10 and 7 by 12 
furrow-slices, each extended to ten rods, for instance, in 
width, and that they are one inch thick, we shall find 
upon a calculation of the aggregate exposed surface of 
each, that the furrow sections, 7 by 10, of equal faces, 
have exposed 2791 inches of surface to the air, while 
the sections, 7 by 12, of unequal faces, have exposed 
but 2722 inches j and any one who chooses to extend the 
calculation and comparison to an acre of ground, will 
find the balance to be very much in favor of the slices 
represented in Fig. 13. A like comparison of rectangu¬ 
lar furrow-slices, whose depth is to their width as two is 
to three, and which are laid at an inclination of 45°, 
with furrow-slices of any other form, or proportions, that 
are practicable to be laid, will be found to result in favor 
of those first-named;—indeed it can be shown that no 
furrow-slices but rectangular ones, whose depth is equal 
to two-thirds their width, can be laid at an inclination 
of 45° j and since it can be proved that rectangular fur¬ 
row-slices, whose depth is equal to two-thirds their 
width, and which are laid at 45°, present the greatest 
surface to the ameliorating action of the atmosphere; 
and since it can also be proved that such furrow-slices 
present in their projecting angles the greatest cubical 
contents of soil for the harrow to operate on, in raising 
a fine, deep tilth, or seed-bed, and that such furrow- 
slices have the best spaces for the circulation of air, and 
the passage of water, underneath them,—we may con¬ 
clude that all plows, for laying lapped-furrows in heavy 
adhesive soils, are absolutely faulty in just so far as they 
fail to cut rectangular furrows, whose depth is to their 
width as two is to three, and to lay them at an inclina¬ 
tion of 45°. I would give unerring mathematical de¬ 
monstration of these points, were it not that I should be 
extending an article already too long. 
I intended, Messrs. Editors, to have said something 
about the importance of each radical improvement in the 
plow, in increasing actually the wealth of the country,not 
only directly by the increased crops to be derived from 
improved plowing, and the direct saving of expense in 
doing the work, (a good plow, saving time and labor,) 
but, indirectly, by exciting in the farmer’s mind a new 
degree of pride and ambition to farm it better every way. 
But my article is already too long, and I forbear. F. 
Holbrook. Brattleborough. Jan. 29, 1851. 
Ctit inrtiraltal Drpnrfmwt 
CONDUCTED BY J. J. THOMAS, MACEDON, N. Y. 
Inquiries and Answers. 
Mr. Editor —Will you please name a list of early 
bearing varieties of the apple of the different seasons 1(1. j 
There are reports in circulation in the West that the 
Northern Spy is subject to the bitter rot, which, though 
I have utterly doubted, I should like the certainty of? 
(2.) Does the Red Canada compare in value, both tree 
and fruit, with the Esopus Spitzenburgh? (3.) In apply¬ 
ing salt to kill the large white grub, should it be left on 
the surface or plowed in? (4.) What is the best Book 
on Soils, and the general relations of Geology to Agri¬ 
culture? (5.) F. K. P. Delevan, Wis. 
(1.) Early Red Margaret, Red Astrachan, Sops of 
Wine, Drap d’Or, Late Strawberry, Hawthorndean, 
Fall Orange, Dutchess of Oldenburgh, Dyer, Porter, 
Summer Sweet Paradise, Bullock’s Pippin, Wine Ap¬ 
ple, Downton Pippin, Baldwin, Williamson, Jonathan. 
The following usually begin to bear early, but produce 
rather thin crops for the first few years:—Early Harvest 
