Jasper Republican, Volume 1, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 July 1875 — Common-Sense in Plowing. [ARTICLE]

Common-Sense in Plowing.

Teams drawing loads on the roads get a breathing spell on the descending ground, while in plowing the draft is the same from morning till night. There is a certamnumbcj’ of pounds that a teain can draw day after day and not worry them, but if-more be added, even as little as flft teen or twenty pounds, they walk unstead-, ily, fret and .’soon tire. No amount of feeding will keep them in conditional have many plows in use on which it has been an easy matter to decrease the draft twen-ty-five pounds, and if men had been drawiifg them instead of horses it would have been done. It must be plain to the farmer that eveiy pound, taken off from the draft off his plow is so much gained for his horses. It may be done-in>this way: For any soil exdept sand or gravel, use a steel plow. Their cost is but little more, and thedrjfft enough less to pay the difference in plowing twenty acres. In plowing sod the colter does a good deal of the work and should be kept sharp by forging at the blacksmith’s and grinding every day if necessary. Of course it will wear

out sooner, but new colters are cheaper than new teams. Set the colter in line the point to where it is attached to the beam, When the share gets worn out it is poor economy to use if any longer, but replace it with a new one. Let the traces be as short as will allow the horses to walk without hitting their heels against the whiffletrees, and have just pressure enough of the wheels on the ground to make the plow run steady. If the handles 'crowdcontinually oneway, the draft is not right and, if the plow isa good one, it can be easily remedied at the clevis. To prevent the horses stepping over the traces in. tnrning. fastea a weight of about three fourths of a pound" on the outside of each singletree—that is, on the right end, when you turn to the left, and vice versa. Every observing farmer knovjg that horses are susceptible to kindness and equally so to unkindness. I have seen horses that were working steadily made reckless with sweat, in a short time, by a sharp word or a jerk on the bit. Let your horses do their work as you do yours, as easily as possible, and be as willing to overlook their mistakes as you would the mistakes of human beings.— Practical Parmer.