Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1855-01-31
OW NC

i II " " L N
The subject of plowing is one in which
every farmer should be engaged, for it i s
business that every farmer has to do, and
yet we see but mall lot Of good blowing
in proportion toChat which is bad and in
different. This is owing more to farmers
using plOws Of bad construction and make
than tO all other causes combined Hence
farmers tolerate bad ploughing when they
would "veto" at once bad moving, poor
grading, and careless hoeing in their
fields. Then again, good, or improved
plows will cost double, and sometimes
trebble at first cost, over the ordinary
pillow. This fact stands in the way of ma
ny farmers, and when they are told, as
they are by some teachers" that ON an
ordinary farm of a hundred acres they
must have from four to six different sized
plOws, they become disguised or diShear-
tened at once. Now, we have found that
u good Sward plow as could be brought
into the field was also a good pillow for
slubbIv and mellow ground, and this too,
after ten years faithful trial; at the same
time VIC used other pIows as the case re-
quired.
OF course there can be no objection to
farmers having as many different plows
as they have means to buy but with
many farmers, one improved plow is as
much AS they can afford. and have
other farming tools to match-a f.ct by
the way which very few farmers have as
yet arrived at.
AS to the different modes Of blowing
there are many different ideas among far
mers some prefer the lap GurrUw and
the fiat or level lamd furrow others prefer.
Both are good enough if the work is we'll
doue-that is, If the burrows are turned
down 10 cover all .Lhe grass. weeds and
foul stuff. We have found the Hat OF lev
,el land iurrOw, after trial where each fur
row is shut in after the other. the best
Iplan TO prevent grass and weeds growing
lat the edges Of The furrows that we have
yet seen adopted. And so we have prac
ticed the fl It or level land (urrows ON all
cSward lands.
Tne manner of laying out lands for
plowin5 is worthy OF consideration ; as is
often the case when q field has been piOw
ed one way for years, large rilges will be
found at the 81 les of the fences, while low
swales will be left through the fields by
" dead furrows." :: In this case the p!ow-
ing should be reversed SO that the soil
may be brou shi back tOits original place
We have found, when til" fell was toler-
ably level, whether large or small, that
it was best 10 so around the whole field
at once, making but one land, and OF
course, having hEt ,Qne " dead furrOw."
In this case the better way would be to
have some twenty feet in width at the
",head lands" and sides of the fields to be
,plOwed lat. These lands can be plough
ed last, by going around The field vi course
turning TO the right, Il - gec about" until
the field is finished. y suit better plan.
we think, would be Iu commence in th7
.middle OF the ticlL.; tnls could easily be
found by pacing aud stalking. Here plow
Il furrOw say Two rods in lcngth, then
turn back another furrOw The same len 9Th.
After you have plnwed six or eight fur
rows in this way you could commence
plowins across the land. Flowing in this
@ay. you would Of course turn your team
40 the right, a 80 gee about" and so on
uuti! the field was finished. The partic-
ular advantage III plowing i'll this way is,
that your team is all the time treadinI on
the sward on unplowed land, while plow-
ing the other way or " haw about" you
are constantly driving your teams out at
the ends on the plOwed land. II You have
a" double team as is often the case in
plowing heavy sward, then the plowed
grounds at the epds Of the land become
very hard. and the soil is made almost as
unfit for cultivation as though it had not
been plowed ut all.
Another advantage of the gee about"
@yStem OF plowing is, you can plow your
whole hHld wlthOu: Leaving an middle or
dead tErrows which is quite an object Of
consideration, especially in plowing sward
land. In blowing mellow land the dead
burrows are not OF so much consequence,
as they can easily be drawn down by
cross narrowing. The same system of
ptowing without leaving dead fulrows,
can hs done by using the side hill pillow,
by coRReneIng at the side oFlhe field and
Plowipg brckwards and forwards until
the field is finished. leaving the head
lands TO be plOwed last.
As To the depth Of blowing, of course
all farmers must Judge for themselves ;
but the depth should be increased at each
PIo"ing, or go down eight or ten inches
at once, as you see ft. Subsoiling of
course should be attended 10, as ali far
mers know at present. We notice that
new patterns OF plows are being brought
out every year. What particular advan.
tages OF all these "new patterns are we
cannot say now. We think in many ca
ses that too much gearing is attached
tq them for any practical use. A plow
With a clevis or draft rod and wheels is
enough for practical use.-AEbqny Cult