This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1784 edition. Excerpt: ... Os the Mouldboard. This forms the furrow fide of the plough, by which the furrow slice is removed from that place and position which it has when cut by the coulter and sock, to the place and position which it has when finally left on the ploughed land. This part of the plough has been long neglected the whole in strument having been considered as unworthy of the attention of persons fk.il" led in machinery, who were apt to imagine that no rule was necefTary for the construction of so simple an instrument. Thus it has been left in the hands of unskilful country artists, who, having no just principles to guide them, could neither rseither judge of its defects, nor of the means of its improvement. But it maybe affirmed, that the construction of the plough, especially of its mouldboard, is of a. very nice and complex nature, and requires considerable skill to make it in such a manner as to perform its work to the wish of the ploughman, and with as little labour as possible to the cattle. I may also affirm, that with respect to the propriety of the work, ploughs of the most approved construction, and which have a great character, fall short of what a plough may be made to perform, in a proportion not less than that of three to four. And, with respect to the resistance, I may also venture to affirm, that with the fame size of furrow, and the fame finish of the work, these these ploughs will give as much labour to three horses as a better adapted plough will give to two The form of the mouldboard must liave three properties. It must keep the plough to a proper hold of the ground j it must remove the earth to the furrow side, arid it must turn it over. i/?, It is by the back of the sock, and the fore part of the mouldboard, having the furrow...