Thu late lord Karnes, in his Gentleman Farmer, says, •• boldly recommend a plough introduced into Scot land about twelve years ago, by James Small, which is now in great request. This plough may be considered as a capital improvement." Had his lordship lived a few years longer, and noticed the improvement since made on this valuable and useful implement, he would, with greater justice, have been warranted to recom mend Mr Small's plough in the warmest manner. In short, no kind of plough will cut the furrow so clean, or turn it so nicely over for 'Teel\ ing benefit from the atmosphere, and effect from the harrowing process ; and, what is of greater importance, none are more easily drawn, taking into account the quality of work that is performed, than the one of which we are now speaking. A great deal of its utility is determined by the strength of the animals employed in the draught; by the dexte rity of the man to whom the management is committed ; and by the order and condition in which the coulter and share are preserved : For the best constructed imple ment will make bad work, when strength and dexterity are wanting in the operator. But, under a parity of cir cumstances, it may be affirmed, that the swing plough, brought into practice, and afterwards improved by Mr Small, is fitted for executing work to better purpose than any other of the numerous varieties of that imple ment employed in the several districts of Great Britain. Fig. 8. plate V. represents this implement as used with a chain ; though this appendage is now generally out of use.
The mould-board, as well as the sheath, or head, is now generally made of cast-iron, on the inside of which is an inscription, bearing Mr Small's name, the name of the founders, (Cooper and Barker,) and, what is prin cipally intended,—the approbation of the Dalkeith Far mer Society. It is now universal over Scotland, and, perhaps, were it better known in England, it might come to displace the complicated ploughs, with wheels and other trumpery, with which agriculture there is at present encumbered ; as it is not apt to be put out of order, but, simple in the construction, and effective in operation, it is adapted to almost every situation. The chain, connected with the muzzle, by which it is drawn, fixed as lar back as the coulter, is not essential to its formation, serving merely to strengthen the beam, which may be made stiongcr of itself at less expense, while the tillage is as accurately performed with ploughs that have none. The price is from 50s. to 60s.
Mr James Veitch of Inchbonny, near Jedburgli, an ingenious artisan, has made very considerable improve ments on the plough, of which he has favoured the Edi tor with the following account:—" It is well known to every practical farmer, that land, when properly ploughed, must be removed from a horizontal position, and twisted over to a certain angle, so that it may be left in that inclining state, one furrow leaning upon ano ther, till the whole field be completely ploughed. The depth and width of the furrow which is most approved of by farmers, and commonly to be met with in the best ploughed fields, are in the proportion of 2 to 3, or if the furrow be two feet deep, it must be three wide, and left in an inclining position from 45' to 46°. Various forms have been given to the different parts of the plough by ingenious gentlemen and workmen, according to their different fancies, in order to diminish the weight of draught, and to turn over the furrow, and leave it in its proper position without tearing or breaking it, and at the same time to preserve nearly the original fOrm of the instrument ; but, unfortunately, no person has been able sufficiently to accomplish these ends. Mr Small's plough is by far the best known in this country, but the perpendicular position of the sheath, and the too sud den twist of the sock and mould-board, together with the mould-board not being a proper curve with respect to the different resistance that the sock and mould board will meet with in ploughing stiff land, render it, in many respects, not so perfect an instrument as could be wished for. As the sock and fore part of the mould
board, entering first into the stiff land, meet with the greatest resistance, and consequently must wear soon est, to remedy this, I begin, for instance, at the point of the sock, and bring it a great way farther forward than that of Small's, and by this means give it a more oblique position; which diminishes the angle of the furrow's ascension from the horizontal to the vertical position. The more this angle is diminished, where it meets with the greatest resistance, the less apt will the plough be to tilt out of the land ; and the nearer to the perpendicu lar the sheath and sock are with respect to the sole of the plough, the less hold will it take of the land, and it will be more apt to start out. If the point of the sock be not made to project a great way below the plane of the sole, or point downwards toward the bottom of the furrow, the ploughs that are made in this fashion grind away the point of the sock below ; and, as this point is so much inclined, and removed from a parallel position with respect to the sole of the plough, it increases the friction on that part, and makes the plough a great deal more difficult to draw. This parallel position I have preserved in my plough, as far as the strength of cast iron will admit ; and, as the furrows are laid parallel one to another, I have formed the sock, and that part of the mould-board, (where the furrow, by twisting over, is brought to the perpenchcular,) by cutting away the mould-board pattern, in parallel lines, from the sole of the plough to the top of the mould-board; and, by these means, I both procure a steadier motion for the plough, and also diminish the friction, by diminishing the an gle ; and consequently render it easier drawn, and less apt to break the furrow by a sudden twist. It is of great importance, in the formation of a plough, to have the line of draught at right angles to the horses' shoul ders; a circumstance of which the greater part of plough-makers are totally ignorant, although it is well known to every one that has the least knowledge of me chanics. If we take the angle that the horses' shoul ders make with a perpendicular from the horizon, and continue another line at right angles to it, or parallel to the draught-chain, the length of this line, from the horse's shoulder, to where it meets or crosses the coul ter, at half the depth of the furrow, will be 13 feet 2 inches for ordinary sized horses. If the plough be pro perly made, the line of draught should pass through the middle hole of the plough-bridle, at the point of the beam. This requires the beam (as will be seen by the figure) to he no less than 7 feet long, to give it a proper height at the bridle. This property I have strictly attend cd to hi all the ploughs that I make ; although, in gene ral, plough-beams are only 6 feet in length, and sonic of them still shorter, which renders them very difficult to hold, and inferior, in other respects, to ploughs of a pro per length. I have likewise made that part of the plough next the solid land a perfect plane, and to run parallel with the line of draught ; whereas sonic of the common ploughs are completely twisted hi that part, and deviate more than 2 inches from the line of draught : This throws the plough to the left, and causes the hinder part of the mould-board to press hard against the furrow, and crush and break it ; besides increasing the labour of the cattle. The position of the coulter must not deviate much from the angle of 45°; for, if we make it more oblique, it causes the plough to choke up with stubble and grass roots, by throwing them up against the beam ; and if less oblique, it is apt to chive the stones or other obsta cles before it, and make it heavier to draw.