Tuesday, February 24, 2009

The Ploughing Match of 1900.

The art of the ploughman.
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Agricultural Shows and Ploughing Matches have been the norm for a good many years. It was at these events farm workers showed their skills in various events in ploughing through to rick building and thatching.



The diagram is to show in theory how the ploughman would set his furrows. To polish the sides of each furrow so the scattered grain would fall to the bottom, a piece of triangular pig iron about two feet in length was towed on a chain fixed to the plough.
The moldboards of these match ploughs were on the average 5' 6" in length with a very gradual twist so that the sod being turned stayed in one piece. Today ploughs have changed to digger or semi-digger moldboards and reversable ploughs are the norm.

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