it was in 1770 peculiar to Suffolk, and then called the Suffolk Cat-head. Young, in his Suffolk Report,' says that there is no other in the kingdom equal to it, and ascribes its invention to Brand; at all events, one something similar is affixed to Brand's plough, which see.

The plan of fixing the coulter in the beam by wood or iron wedges, and by a coarse-cut screw-bolt, is defective, as being difficult and uncertain. To obviate these defects another contrivance (see fig.), was suggested by George Green, a farmer of Millbrook, Bedfordshire, which admits of the coulter being easily raised higher or lower; the angle of inclination as readily altered; the edge of the long blade turned more towards or away from the land, and the coulter set out or in laterally. This was first made by Ransome, and soon after other manufacturers followed with modifications of the same principle.

ef

Line of Draught

Wheel Plongh, with High Gallows.

I shall now proceed to give some examples of ploughs, patent or otherwise; and first, the wheel-plough with high gallows, usually called the Norfolk wheel-plough, and used in many parts of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. The dotted lines upon the

figure, from the frame at d to the point c, will give the figure of the swing-plough; and what is intended by this is to show that the line of draught will be the same in either case, and that the line a b should be intersected by the draught-iron of the plough. The beam of the wheel-plough is elevated and made to rest on a bar of wood called the bolster, crossing the upright standards e and f, and the latter form part of the carriage framing supported by the wheels; the draught-chain g collars the beam at h, and will remove at pleasure from the notches at h to the one at i; the small chain k serves to keep the standards in their upright position; 7, the bolster, is made to rise and fall, as the plough may be required to cut shallower or deeper. The plough is made to go more "to or from land" by altering the chain to a notch in the hake at 9 either to the left or the right hand, or the same at the hake m. The former acts instantly on the body of the plough, the latter on the carriage and wheels. Corresponding alterations with the latter must be made by the pins in the bolster.

All wheel-ploughs, whether with high gallows, furrow-wheel, or wheel and furrow-wheel, require frequent adjustment as to their wheels, which occasions loss of time, and unless the furrows be ploughed beyond the length required, the large wheel must be raised at each end of the field just before the plough comes out of the furrow, or it will be taken gradually out of the ground, and the land will not be ploughed to its full depth.

The loss of time involved by alteration of the furrow-wheel may be overcome by a simple mechanical contrivance: with a lever, the longer end of which reaches the handle of the plough, and by it the wheel can be adjusted to any depth instantly. The invention of the late Henry Osborne, a Suffolk farmer, effects this purpose and answers admirably.

Ransome's Rutland Plough, with Iron Truss-Beam.

This plough obtained the prize both on light and heavy soils at Southampton, and may be used either as a wheel or swing plough. For general purposes it may be considered as worthy of a preference over most, if not all, others, and by changing the mould-board only, which was the case at the trial at Southampton in 1844, it will answer equally well for heavy as for light land. This plough in its original form (with wood beam and handles) was first introduced into Rutland by Richard Westbrook Baker, Esq., and obtained general use there; and subsequently from various trials and experiments it was brought to its present form, and is now known as the Improved Rutland Plough marked Y. L. The coulter-fastening is on a new principle, affording facilities for quickly placing the coulter in any required position. By loosening the loop-bolt in front, the coulterfastening, which hangs upon a pivot-bolt, may be altered and set to any angle of inclination, and by loosening the looped bolts behind the coulter it may be turned to the right hand or left, and afterwards by screw

ing up the bolts set fast. It is adapted for Ransome's improved Coulter all the patent iron ploughs.

and Fastening.

The following cut represents a plough which has recently been

made for supplying the wants of those who prefer a light twohorse plough to the four-horse turn-rest plough, in general use throughout Kent and the neighbouring counties. It is used with a pair of horses. It gives the same turn of furrow as the turnrest, and lays the land upside down, but the mould-board does not change from side to side. The seam so much admired in Kentish ploughing is left perfect by this plough. It is marked Y. S.

Ransome's Patent Trussed Whipple-trees.

The annexed cut will convey an idea of the construction of these whipple-trees, which are made on the truss principle of light wroughtiron. By this arrangement great strength is obtained, and many delays and accidents which attend the use of the common wooden articles

are avoided.

The following description of Ransome's patent ploughs, made entirely of iron, is extracted from the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England:—

(Derby Meeting, vol. iv. p. 467.) "They would particularise as worthy of high commendation those produced from the manufactory of Messrs. Ransome, composed entirely of iron and steel. The beams of these ploughs are constructed on the truss principle, which, though novel in its application to the plough, has long been appreciated by mechanics as possessing the greatest stiffness combined with lightness. It is this consideration which has induced those makers to abandon the use of wood, hitherto used by them for this part of the plough in preference to a beam of solid metal. The structure of their improved iron beam is such as to destroy lateral vibration, particularly at its root or juncture with the body of the plough. It admits also of a neat and powerful fixing, as well as ready adjustment of the coulter.

"Tremor in mechanism is well known to consume power uselessly, and in the case of the plough vibration in the beam, though it be insensible to the eye, renders the guidance of the implement more difficult and its work less exact. The circumstance of increased stiffness attending mere weight of matter may have been one cause why the heavier ploughs have not unfrequently been found to require less force of draught than lighter ones for an equal weight of soil moved; but stiffness is not incompatible with lightness, and a diminution in the weight of an implement, when perfect action is otherwise secured, must be attended with economy of power, or, what is the same thing, with a diminution of resistance, whence truer work results.

"It is also important than the handles or stilts should be stiff enough to transfer the effort of a holder to the body of a plough with the least expenditure of his strength; for the easier its guidance the greater will be the certainty of the labourer's attention to his business. This pro

perty has also received the care of Messrs. Ransome, and together with the simple means applied for adjusting and replacing the mould-boards, shares, and wearing parts of the various ploughs exhibited by them, testified to the thought and ability bestowed on the most minute details of an implement which still maintains its claim to be the most indispensable, as it was probably the earliest-invented auxiliary to humnan labour in tilling the soil."

(Vol. v. p. 367.) "Ploughs.-The judges having selected, from the immense number of ploughs exhibited, such of them as they deemed particularly worthy of trial; these were apportioned to the light or stiff land farms, according to the wishes of the exhibitors. At the time of trial each plough had a separate land assigned to it, and each ploughman was desired to execute the best work he could, without regard to quantity, the excellence of the performance being the object principally sought. Some of these ploughs were entered as wheel-ploughs only; some were represented to work with two wheels, or with one wheel, or as swings; others were constructed purely on the swing principle. Under these circumstances the judges thought fit first to order the twowheel ploughs into action; then those with one wheel; and then the swing, or the ploughs without a wheel. By this arrangement not only was the quality done by each implement displayed, but a fair opportunity offered itself for observing and comparing the quality of the work as executed in the same soil, and under the same circumstances, by the three classes of the implement. The skill of the individual construction was also manifested; and on this occasion the remarkable result came out that one particular plough excelled all the others, whether working with two wheels, with one wheel, or without a wheel. In such a case the work done by this plough was unquestionably superior to that effected by any other competing with it; and it was equally unquestionable that the order of excellence, in respect of work, was-first, that executed by this plough when fitted with two wheels; secondly, with one wheel; thirdly, when acting without a wheel, or as a swing. This plough was one of three in the field from the manufactory of Messrs. Ransome, marked Y. L.; and to them the judges awarded the Society's prize of ten pounds and the silver medal.

"These remarks have reference to the trials made on the light land at Mr. Gater's farm; and precisely similar results were recognised by the trials which took place on the very hard stiff soil at Mr. Spooner's farm. Here, again, the superiority of the same plough developed itself, but to meet the condition of the soil Messrs. Ransome had fitted it with a longer and differently-curved mould-board. To them the judges also awarded the Society's prize for the plough best adapted to heavy land,' as well as for 'light land.'

"Some very good work was done on the light soil by ploughs manufactured by Mr. John Howard, of Bedford, and by Messrs. Sanders, Williams, and Taylor, of Bedford. On the stiff soil the judges commended the performance of a plough by Messrs. J. and E. Plenty, of Newbury, an old Hampshire implement, as being apparently of light draught; also a plough by Mr. Howard, of Bedford, both working with two wheels. The performance of the swing ploughs was very indifferent