THE PLOUGHING QUESTION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1069, 9 October 1883, Page 2

THE PLOUGHING QUESTION.

To the Editor. Sir, —In reply to your correspondent in last night’s issue and his regret at the tone of my former letter, I may say if 1 have made a mistake as to the identity of the writer and said anything to hurt the feelings of your correspondent, I most heartily apologise for the same, as nothing was further from my intention. But I can assure “ Ploughb y ” that I am not the only one who has made the same mistake, andl am in no way averse to writing under an assumed name; but when anyone makes a personal attack in a public paper, as the writer of the letter to which mine was a reply did on Mr Cameron for his judgment on the ploughing as expressed by his remarks at the dinner, I do think, Sir, they ought to put their name to it. And as to discussing the matter here, I have already stated I have no iatention of doing so; and as to my trying to teach the farmers how to take mure crop per acre than they cm do at present, I have not the presumption to attempt. My business is to make implements and put them to the test before the farmers, and if they are satisfied with them 1 will be happy to supply them ; if otherwise, they can leave them alo.io: but whatever their judgment may be, I will never rush into print to condemn them for it if it goes against' my way of thinking. Now, Sir, 1 was not at the match, nor have I ever seen the plough that has caused this correspondence. I must blame “ Ploughbuy ” for leading me astray. I have just received a letter from the blacksmith who set the plough, and he tells me that there was not an eighth of an inch of false cut on it; and in reference to my statement.in my first letter, that the same boards, would not do, I was taking “Ploughboy’s” statement I that Allan had. two or three inches of false out as correct. - Some people appear to think that the round-crested furrow and false cut are inseparable,, whereas nothing could be further from the fact, as you will see by the enclosed diagram. If you have not the hieans of printing it I hope that “ Ploughboy ” will call and have a look at it, and 1 think it will make it plain enough to him, and you will see that it is the false cut and not the crested form that requires the different board. This disposes of hia reference to a certain catalogue, as no mention of false cut is to be found there. As to the position of the coulters I am quite content to let that rest without answering, and as totho writer in the Canterbury Times I think his knowledge of ploughing and ploughs will be taken by farmers fir what it is worth, when they read such statements as coulter shafts. I think *he must be some relation to the party who wrote a certain paragraph in the same paper re the awards at the Timaru show some three years ago. As to your correspondent’s remark re would-be champions' ignorance, etc , I will notice no further than to say that, not being a ploughman myself, I never had the chance of seeing

anyone trying to plough with a sheep’s head ; but having been for many years engaged in making ploughs I can safely say that I have come across a few heads of a similar kind in that capacity. Hoping you will find space for these remarks, and I will promise not to trouble you again on the same subject.—lam, etc., Petek Walker. Ashburton, Oct. 9. [lf “ PJoughboy ” has any curiosity on the subject he can inspect the diagram referred to by Mr Walker at our office. —Ed. ft]