Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-06-14
PLows AND FLOWING.


what Farmer Can AeeonplisA With >
Good Implement.
The mold board of the pillow is an
inclined plane. Hence the resistance
offered to plows by the earth is in the
ratios of the quotients obtained by d.
viding the right of the mold-board ty
its length. The shorter the mold
board and the more abrupt its curve
the greater the draft When tho plow
has long. slender point the work
for the team is easier than when the
point is worn off till it is short and
thick: so q pillow with long line
drawn diagonally from the point. low
at the rear and gently curved. makes
easier work for the team. Our object
should be to get = plow having these
points in as marked degree as will ad.
NIT of the pillow doing good work. For
If tho mold-board has not enough
curve. it will not turn the ground
well.
Some want for blowing sod curve
so abrupt and high that the furrow
will be turned. or rather thrown. with
sufficient force to break the sod into
pieces. Some pieces are thrown cross
ways of the burrows and others are
turned with the turf up. Now this is
just what some want, because then the
harrow will tear the sod into bits.
Both blowing and narrowing are very
hard on the team. and this. think,
should be sufficient objection to this
kind of blowing. Another objection
is that many bits of the sod are left
with the turf up, ready to grow. For
blowing sod l prefer low, gently
curved mold-board; this will turn the
sod upside down, but no more. and
will not break it into pieces. When
the field is plowed the surface is
smooth and no sod is visible. and the
work for the team has been the mini
mum. Then with the harrow 1 can
cut and pulverize the ground without
bringing turf to the surface.
For other ground. however, prefer .
higher. more sharply curved mold
board; one that will turn the furrow
with sufficient force to break it into
bits. However, the pillow should not
throw the furrow with such force as to
bring part of the ground that was on
the surface before to the surface again.
this puts worse than needless increase
on the work of the team. for it is bet
ter to have the surface, exposed to the
sun aud atmosphere through the year
buried, and fresh earth brought on
top. Not a few plows have mold.
boards to high and sharply-curved for
any use. The curve of the mold board
should be carefully considered in Sc.
Letting the pillow.
Much depends upon the way in
which the team is hitched. A straight
line drawn from the point where the
tugs are attached to the names to the
center of resistance should have the
point of the beam in the same plane,
otherwise the horses must use some
power simply to lift or pull down the
point of the pillow. The result is in.
creased draft, greater wear on the
pillow. harder work for the plowman
and poorer blowing. 1t is difficult for
us to locate the center of resistance
scientifically, but we can determine
whether or not the team is hitched
properly in this way: Select spot Of
level ground. In this draw a furrow
as deep as you desire to pillow. Level
and smooth the bottom of the
furrow. Place your pillow in the fur
row and start the team along it. Il
the point is raised from the furrOw OF
pulled into it, the team is not properly
hitched.
Another fault is having the pillow
take too little or too much land. This
is easily remcdied with proper clevis.
The part fastened to the beam should
have row of holes, to regulate the
depth of the furrow. The horizontal
clevis working in this should have a
similar row of holes. by which to regu-
late the width of the furrOw. Three
holes bored through the end of the
Ueitius ~ ACOCIVO =" SoAeAO pm Wv hO'
admit of sufficiently accurate regu.
lat!un.
A majority of the blacksmiths are in.
competent or careless. Unless you
watch them, they will spoil the pillow
in sharpening it. A pillow properly
made will, when set on level floor,
touch the floor at all points of edge Of
the share; that is, every point of the
cutting edge and of the lower edge Of
the land side is in the same plane.
Also the side of the land side is straight
A careless or incompetent blacksmith
will get the point out of place. 1t
will curve up or down. or outward OF
inward. or both. Then the pillow must
dip. push or wabble. The draft is in
creased and so is the wear. The best
blowing is impossible, and the plow-
man has hard time of it. A good
pillow, properly attached, will run in
light soil and smooth ground without
hand being put to it. On Illinois
prairie land have gone for eighty rods
4 u l.