PLOWING. In plowing, the object sought is to, turn the soil in such manner as may adapt it to be most easily brought to that state best required for a crop, under the various conditions of prairie sod, second sod, green sward, grubby timber land, weedy fields, stubble; or, land, fallow or otherwise, but which may be covered with a green crop more or less heavy, and which is re quired to be turned under in such a way as to completely cover the trash, thus causing it to he freely brought into a state of decomposi tion. These states may now be all fully and perfectly accom plished by some one of the many plows made East and West, and specifically adapted to the end in view. Eastern made plows doing fully as well in Eastern soils as do Western made plows in the peculiar soils of our prairie States. Some years since the State Agri cultural Society of New York offered handsome premiums for plows doing the hest work in a variety of soils, and combinations, including turf, stubble, deep, trench, subsoil and other plowing. The Hon. J. Stanton Gould was chairman of the committee on plows and plowing, which committee cluded others of the most eminent practical men in the State. The most able, exhaustive, and elaborate report of this committee covers the whole ground of plows and plowing, and from the interest and importance of the subject, we extract portions pertinent to this article, which will be well worth the study of all, not 'excepting that large class who call themselves good plowmen; for it must be confessed that very few who consider themselves entitled to the best farm wages going, not only have never studied the rationale of plowing, but have really given but little attention as to whether the plow was only doing medium or strictly good work. Another class, never keep their furrows straight, and in fact can not drive a somewhat wild team straight across a forty-acre field, and of course can not make their furrows come out 'equal at the close of the land. In the extracts we _give we shall exclude everything pertaining to the scientific elucidation of the subject, for, at deep furrows being lapped one on another, as in plowing clover, and other meadow sward. Again,
the curve of the mold-board must be different, when one strip of sod is to fit in closely along another, furrow for furrow. So again in trench plowing with the Michigan double plow, the thin skim furrow is often rolled up forming a scroll, or spiral of sod under the soil thrown on top. (See article Plow for illustrations of plows.) In plowing under trash various devices are used, called weed hooks, coulter cleaners, etc. The most common plan is to hitch a chain to the plow the loop to drag in the furrow as shown on page 744. Difficulty is sometimes experienced in getting the chain to work properly, this, however, can readily be arranged to suit the particular cir cumstances. Neither the chain nor weed hook, however, will work unless the crop to be turned day plows are made for every variety of work so that all that the individual has to do is to state to the plow-making firm just what is expected to be performed and, the proper plow will be selected and sent out of the variety of materials in store. That is it should be stated whether fiat or lap furrows are to be laid in sod, or whether the plow is intended for stirring the soil, turning under trash, for shallow plowing or deep tillage, and also, whether for skim and trench plowing, one plow following another. To illustrate : The plow for prairie sod, when the slice turned is to be as thin as possible is of an entirely different form from that where a deep furrow is to be turned; under is of considerable length so the implement can guide the tops in the proper direction to be covered under. In trench plowing especially where it is deep, the lower slice, which covers the skim furrow, must always be more or less crowded or pushed up, so the work will be as shown in the cut on next page; D, showing the position of the under slice, E, the covering fur row slice and F, F, the furrows; the curve of the furrow slices are shown between E, E, and D, D, D. The Michigan double plow is now but little used, since riding plows have come into use. The two plows are now attached to one beam as shown in the cut, double or trench plow.