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Vol. I.
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220

IMPLEMENTS OF. HUSBANDRY

the ground which this sort of harrow covers cannot be equal-ly pulverized. Some farmers are of opinion, that the teeth ofthe harrow should incline a little forward at the lower end;others suppose it of little moment though they be placed ata right angle to the surface of the harrow ; but all agree thatnot any two of the teeth should move in one track. Thesetracks ought also to be at equal distances from each other,which enables the implement to perform much more work inthe same time, and to more perfection, by the teeth dividingthe soil into equal small parts.

It may be an advantage to have the teeth, at least of thebrake-harrow, fastened into the bulls, either with screw-nuts,or by an oblong hole in that part of the teeth which risesabove the bull: and into this hole a wedge may be driven, inorder to keep the teeth firm, so that they may not drop outand be lost. The latter method seems the best, because screw-nuts are apt to rust, and of course are not easily taken offwhen necessary. Sometimes the teeth of the harrow are ofunequal lengths, the front row being about half an inchlonger than the second, the third row being about one inchshorter than the first; so that each row backwards is aboutone half inch shorter than the one which precedes it. Har-rowing, in general, is best performed by the driver walkingbehind the harrows, directing the horses by long whip-reins,which he can perform with more safety to himself. By thismethod he is also enabled to rectify or clean the harrows whenrequisite, and to proceed with greater dispatch.

3. Horse-hoes.

The Horse-hoe is a very useful and necessary implementin agriculture, not only for destroying weeds, but also forpulverizing the soil between the rows of any kind of plantsthat are set in straight lines, such as turnip, potatoes, grain,or any sort of seeds that have been sown in drills, at a pro-per distance from one another. Several kinds of this instru-ment are used in North Britain, but those most approved of