Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1888-08-10
PIOws and Flowing.

Professor Sanborn, last year, at the
University of Missouri, made various ex-
periments with plows and in blowing.
A summary of the conclusions as ar
rived at, is given as follows by the Farm,
Field and IStOckndn
A detection of the traces when under
draft from a straight line from shoulder
to doubletree, results in a decided loss
of power, and such loss is applied to the
CALLING and worrying of the horse.
The use of a truck or a little wheel
under the end of the plow beam gained
IA. 1 per cent. of the draft as an average
Of the trials made, and in addition gave
a more uniform furrow and relieved the
plowman. This saving can be made only
when the line of draft is right
The use of the coulter, was, without
exception, attended with a decided loss
of force or increased draft by whatever
form OF coulter used but was less with
the new style coulter than with the roll
ing and Old-fashioned coulter. The
average gain of draft by dispensing with
the coulter was 15.6 per cent The
coulter invariably disturbed the line OF
draft, resulting in a furrow Of different
dimensions from those formed without
it.
The draft of plow decreases as depth
Of furrow increases, until it reaches the
plOw's normal capacity, and then in
creases as the depth is increased beyond
this capacity of the pillow. This law is
modified by the fact that as furrow in
creases in size, the ratio of cutting face
or edge of pillow to the furrow turned
decreases.
The draft of pillow decreases as width
of furrow increases, until the normal
capacity of the plow is reached, after
which it increases again under the same
limitations as in previous cases of depth,
yet it does not increase in as rapid a
ratio as is seen in case Of depth. The
absolute draft in fifteen-inc furrow
was less than a ten-inch furrow. The
diScord of these results with those pre-
viously found by others has several pos
sible explanations, one of which may
possibly be the influence of plOw i'm
prOvement.
The necessity of intelligently adjust
ing the furrow to the normal capacity of
the pillow, or using only plows that will
be normal to the furrow turned was
made apparent. The loss in draft from
a furrow varying from the plow's nor
NAL capacity by two points only, was for
an average of all trials of varying widths
and depths, 21 per cent. From the
standpoint of draft it is poor economy
to turn small furrow. Three horses
are better than two in blowing.
If one adds the savings from the three
factors discussed-truck, coulters and
width and depth-one gets 49.7 per
cent; or a pillow with truck on, coulter
Off, and pillow a good-sized furrow, will
give this per cent. of gain when put
against a pillow with coulter on, truck
OF and turning a shallow, narrow fur
row; or rather the latter would draw
40. per cent. harder than the former, if
the professors data are correct. A seven
by fourteen inch furrow requires about
three horse power to turn it. Those
who use two horses either turn small,
costly furrow or overdraw their horses
upon sod land of the kind in question
a clay loan. A furrow turned, whose
size is not normal to the pillow, Is usually,
if not always, a jerky or uneven one,
poor and hard on the workman.