Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1829-09-17
Agricultural.

| eiety, on declining are.eIecsisn TO the Pres'-
deney thereof. we extrsc, the follswing on
ths construction Of pissgds.
q will make some remarks on
the construction of ploughs.
1t is not so much the tCcighf as the
| shape Of q plough which makes it OF
| easier or harder draft; and this de
ponds chiefly on the mould bsard.
Forty years ago, | had a farm IN
| Pennsylvania, part Of which was rich
bottom land-the same which IN New
England is called iutervals. Part OF
this was in a state oil tillage when |
bough. it. I had a good Pennsylvania
plough, of the fashion of that day; but
tho mould board was hollow Breasted;
| g. that rich soil, bsing moist, would fill
I'D The hollow, and there remain, clog
ging ,hs plough. Bot | observed that
the earth thus lodged formed a straight
line from the point of the mould board
10 the overhanging upper corner attne
tail; and /. lhcE struck me, that this
straight line should be given to the
mosld beard itself; and be the guide
to the plough wright in forming the
curvature ss winding Of the msuld
5osrs.
4 few years afterwards, reforming to
live in Philadelphia, ] called one even
ing to see the Vice President OF the
Philadelphia Society Of Agriculture;
when he presented to me a small mo
del Of @ mould board, which Mr. JEFF
ferson (then Vice President of the y
nited Gta,es,) had left with him. At
The frs. glance Of my eye, l saw the
straight lioe above described; and
stretching a thread from the fore psim
sfthe mould board TO its upper csrner
behind, | found it touched it, in lis
whole length, in a perfect straight line
Speaking Of it afterwards TO Mr.
J effersen, he told me he had coromu
nisated a description OF it to the Ame.
rican Philosophical Society, who had
published it in the fourth volume OF
their transactions. There the manner.
Of forming the mould beard ous OF a
piece of squared timber is mlnateiy de
scribcd. Bu, the simple rule may be
as follows: Having fixed the straight
line above meniisned, by one cut of a
saw from the upper corner otthe mould
board behind 10 its point forward
cut away the wood above and below
that line in such manner, that when
finished, if you carry a straight rule
from tive fore 10 the hind part, keeping
il all the way at right angles with the
straight line, it shall touch the face OF
the mould board, in it's whele breadth,
in straight lines, through its entire win
ding, end so that its upper corner be.
hind Shall overhang the lower sufi
10 effect a complete turning Of
The farrow slice. Such > mould board
can never get clogged; and the plough
" i'll move Enough The earth with less
resistance than with mould board Of
any other form. A few years ago, /
saw at Brighton plough with a mould
board very nearly in tho form here
described. 80
Steep for Whect..-We have heard
a practical and iudicious farmer re-
commend the following process as the
best preparation for seed wheat. In
order to destroy smut in the seed TO De
sown, 6 or z gallons of watey will be
wanted for Al 2 bushels of sesc, aud
frem Q lbs. s oEs to- 10 10 oxs. Of
quick lime, according as its quality is
more or less c%austic, o & to the greater
or less degree of smut in the grain
Boil a part of the water and slake the
lime with it, after which add the re-
mainder Of the water. Tue heat Of
The whele of the liquid ought to be
such as we can with difficulty bear
the hand in il. Then gently pour the
lime water on the grain, placed IN a
tub, stirring it without ceasing. The
liquid should at first be three or fecr
fingers breadth ever the wheat. Leave
the grain 80 soak % hours, turning it
FIVE or six times, when it may be sowD.
Grain lined by immersion does net
incommoee the sewer, like tsat which
is lined the ordinary way. The lime
adheres like a varnish 10 the surface
Of the grain; its organization is quicker,
and it carries with it Moisture enough
to develope the embryo: the wheat
will not suffer for want of rain; insects