Horse-hoeing husbandry

by Jethro Tull

The Lime wherewith the brined Wheat is dried, receiving some of the Salts from the Brine, will stick in the Notches of the Spindle; yet never makes any Stoppage to their Delivery of the Seed; but every Year we clean the Notches from the Lime with a Chissel, and, if it were done oftener, it would not be amiss.

There is an Accident that may possibly happen, but never to a careful Driller; viz. a large Clod may some way be thrown into a Funnel of the Beam of the Plough, either by a Wheel, or by the Paddle that cleanses the Sheats from the Dirt that sticks to them when the Earth is wet. This may stop the Wheat from falling out of the Funnel into the Trunk; and then, so far as the Plough, goes thus stopped, the Chanel will have no Seed in it; but the Driller that follows may take it out immediately, which if he should neglect to do for never so little a Distance, he ought to stop the Plough whilst he supplies the Chanel with Seed from his Hand as far as it is empty. When there is any Danger of this, as in very rough cloddy Ground, it is best to take off the Drill-harrow, to the end that the Chanel may lie open for receiving the Seed from the Hand. But if the Ends of the Hopper reach below the Funnels, and they are otherwise defended, as they may be, this Accident can never happen.

When the Drill-harrow is taken off, the best way for taking up the Plough to turn it, is to bore a Hole of about half an Inch Diameter in the End of each Beam behind the Funnels, and fasten a Withe into these Holes; by which Withe the Driller very conveniently takes hold with one Hand, and lifts up the Plough, laying his other Hand on the Hopper to keep it steady. This Method of taking up the Plough hath been often used for the Wheat-drill, and for the Turnep-drill; and in the latter the Hole in the one Beam holds the Withe as well as do the Two Holes in the former.

There are new Editions of some of these Engines, which cannot be fully described without more Plates; but since those already described are found by Experience to be sufficient for the Purposes they were designed for, new Editions of them are not necessary, tho’ convenient in many respects.

Reason will easily make Additions to the Instruments when they are necessary; as when more than one Brass Spindle is to be turned by one or each Wheel for planting Clover amongst Barley after it is come up. ’Tis done by a very light Plough, drawn by a Man: It plants Four Rows at once Eight Inches asunder: The Shares are very short and narrow, and so are the Sheats and Trunks. ’Tis not difficult to put on a Crank at the other End of the Brass Spindle, in the same manner that the Handle that winds up a Jack is put on, and to fasten it at the Hole at I in [Fig. 5. of Plate 2.] This Crank must, at its first turning, before it turns up towards the Letter H, of the same Fig. be long enough to reach to within an Inch of the Fork of the Second Spindle. Thus each Wheel may turn several Spindles, and then this Drill may plant many Rows of Seeds at once.

When you plant Rows nearer together than Eight Inches, it is best that the Plough have Two Ranks of Shares and Hoppers, else the Earth may be driven before the Shares; but with Two Racks of them, they will not be more apt to drive the Earth before them in making Rows at Four Inches asunder, than at Eight, when there is only a single Rank of Shares.

But I think this near Distance of Four Inches cannot be proper for any Sort of Seeds, except Flax-seed; and even for that Seed not necessary. If the Land be made fine, a single Rank of Shares will go very well to plant Rows at Seven Inches asunder.

I had formerly a Drill-Plough for drilling across very high round Ridges for Hand-hoeing, where Horse-hoeing is impracticable: It had no Limbers; but it had little Ground-wrists to make open Chanels, and had Handles behind it, whereby the Driller raised up the Tail of the Plough, when it was passing the Summit of the Ridge. There were neither Funnels nor Trunks; for these would hinder the Seed from falling into the Chanels, both by the Plough’s going up and down the Ridge. The Hopper was drawn by the Plough in such a manner, that in passing all Parts of the Ridge the Wheels were not raised from the Ground: The Chanels were equally supplied with Seed throughout: It planted Four Rows at once, at a Foot asunder. I used this Drill-Plough 30 Years ago in Oxfordshire: I have no such Ridges here, nor consequently any Occasion of such an Instrument; and did not make Cuts of it, because it is not useful for Horse-hoeing. I only mention it here for the Benefit of those who have a mind to plant such Ridges regularly with an Engine: I hope their own Reason will enable them to contrive such a Plough, especially now they have the manner of making the Drill, Hopper, &c. shewn to them.

I have made a very material Addition to the Hoe-Plough, of [Plate 6.] viz. At the fore End of the Beam [Fig. 2.] is the Hole I, by which alone let the Plough be drawn, leaving out the Hole H; instead of the Hole G make a Mortise, Three or Four Inches long, and as broad as the Thickness of the Iron Pin, the End and Nut of which are seen at C, in [Fig. 1.] This Pin should be more than half an Inch Diameter, and square at that End that goes into the Mortise; let the hinder End of the Mortise just appear behind the Plank, when the Beam is at right Angles with it.

By means of this Mortise there may be many more Holes through the Plank without Danger of splitting into one another the Holes in the Beam, which must answer those in the Plank.