. British husbandry; exhibiting the farming practice in various parts of the United Kingdom. Agriculture; cbk. Ch. I.] SMALL'S PLOUGH. f Its chief merit consists in the fore-part being formed in such a slender wedge-like manner, as to cut the plit from the land with the least possil)le resistance, while the thin feather-sock under-cuts the furrow-slice with equal ease. The gradual curvature of the mould-board from the point of the sock to the lieel of the wrest also lessens the friction in elevating and turning the furrow-slices, and thus renders the operation of ploughing so much less difficu
. British husbandry; exhibiting the farming practice in various parts of the United Kingdom. Agriculture; cbk. Ch. I.] SMALL'S PLOUGH. f Its chief merit consists in the fore-part being formed in such a slender wedge-like manner, as to cut the plit from the land with the least possil)le resistance, while the thin feather-sock under-cuts the furrow-slice with equal ease. The gradual curvature of the mould-board from the point of the sock to the lieel of the wrest also lessens the friction in elevating and turning the furrow-slices, and thus renders the operation of ploughing so much less difficult than it formerly was, that it was proved by an experiment made before the Dalkeith Farming Society, that Mr. Small's plough, in tearing up an old ley, was drawn by a force of from 9 to 10 cwt., while the old Scotch plough required one equal to 16 cwt. to perform the same work * ; it has also been successful in similar competitions in many parts of both England and Ireland, as well as in Scotland, which it is here unnecessary to detail. It, however, fell short of the perfection aimed at, and has since undergone many modifications, almost every ploughwright having his own peculiar cast of some alteration. That by Wilkie is certainly a material improvement, as it turns up the furrow with a bold shoulder, like that for which the Scotch plough was so much valued : its shape, like that of a well- tapered wedge, turning over the soil with very moderate powers; and its broad-winged share leaving nothing This plougli,—wliich, although partly altered, still goes by Small's name,—of which fig. 1 is a profile, as described by Mr. Wilkie, although entirely of iron, weighs less than a hundred ami a half. A B, the beam, is 6i feet long, and 2A- inches deep, by 1 inch thick : at the coulter side it is 3| inches deep and 1^ inch thick. The sheath is fixed to the beam by two screw-bolts; one going up through the beam at C, the other * Gen. Rep. of Scotland: Append, vol. i,, p.
Size: 1693px × 1476px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840, booksubj, booksubjectagriculture
