The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1854-11-03
AGRICULTURAL.
65-Wc find the following article in the
New York Tribune:


New York Tribune:
Sir, you don't know how TO plow.
what! me! do yon mean | don't know how
to plow, that have been man aud boy, fifty
years following the plowr
Yes, sir. ] mean you. do not dispute
the length of time you have tolioaoed the plow,
out you have never got up to it yet. You
don't know how to pow.
"Sir, do you mean to insult mel"
Not at all, only meant TO assure you oil
the fact.
This is specimen of conversation with
an old farmer, not great way from N. York,
who felt nsul;ed because we told him he did
not know how 10 plow. He was at work upon
piece Of ground that might be termed san.
dy loan, though it wos once clay loan, but
nearly NIL the clay had been washed out of it,
because it never had been plowed more han
tour or five inches deep in the world, and was
bedded upon sub-soil of almost pure clay,
into which a soil plow had never entered.
and which was never turned up by the com.
mon plow, because The owner said that would
spoil the land.
Il guess know, for have tried it, and
wouldn't give cent for one of your new. fam
gled plows."
And yet he felt insult1d when told he did
not know how TO plow.
There seems to be a general impression
that everybody knows how t. plow; that even
the farmers boy, or aIybcdy's boy, as 50 n
as his head gets above the plow-handes, in.
stlnctvely understands the business perfe t.
ly. Now hazard the assertion that not ore
farmer or farm.laLorer in ten knows how
properly to perform this operation
Certainly if he only plows ourinches when
no might plow fourteen, he DOES mol know
how to plow. II he plows all his hl-sidos
up and down, he does not know how to plow;
Tor every furrow should be drawn absolutely
level.
what crooked, long rows or short rows!-
How field would ook'
Let it look. You had better look at your
soil in the field than in some brook or river,
floating down to the sea.
"Why such furrows would look like drum
ken mems paths"
Let them look, so that they are not. If
you know how to plow, you won't get drunk
nor plow your land on purpose to wash away,
because some old granny tolls you that you
must Plow straight Making crooked fur
rows IL not crooked blowing; that is in md
eut--sometimes three furows in one and
sometimes three feet apurt.
II you know how to plow, you never will
plow clay land in wet time, or when it is
baked SO that it will turn up in lumps as
hard as brick-bats.
No good plowman ever plows his head
lands while turning the team. That is work
u be done after the other part is finished.
when l see farmer constantly riding up
on his plow-handles, that it may not go too
deeply, or lifting and pressing forward, to
force it into the ground,or runningIt upon the
wing or Landslide, to govern the width Of his
furrow, I am led to think he does not UNDER
stand regulating the draft"
Ifsuch man knows how TO pow, he don't
know what good pluw is, or he would ge.
one.
IT a man plows loose, friable soil in the
fall, or 1.-The does mol plow stiff clay so as
to let it freeze, it is because no don't know
how to plow; for one will blow away in win.
ter, and the other will dsntcregutc aud be.
come friable.
Perfect plowing consists in stirring and
thoroughly pulverizing all The soil to given
depth To effect this, the burrows must be
parallel, ofeven width and dcpth, and not too
Tar asunder."
And the pillow must be adapted to the work
to be done. The idea of universal puw il
one Of the most ridiculous fallacies ever ar
gucd in favor OF by farmers. No man ever
did argue so that knows how to plow.-
There is scarcely farm of u hundred ucres
that does not require dozen different kinds
Of Plows. A tirst-rate sod plow is not good
stubblc.turnins plow; and neither of them is
fit to plow among corn. A subsoil pow is alb
solutely indispensable upon every farm, and
no farmer should be without double mold
board pow, which no should know how to
use in opening out surface drains through ev-
cry field that is not already undcr-drained
wi.i tile-drains.
or all the class Of light, cheap pows, for
working with one horse, we look upon the
old fashioned shovel plow, made with u steel
blade, and not a clumsy piece Of casting, as
one Of the most useful plows on light, ea-
sy.worAehg coil For the last blowing of
fsllew for wheat, with quick walking horse,
Il 10 excellent; for blowing for turnips il is
frst-rate, and for plowns corn it will always
be favorite Implement.