FALSE-CUT V. PLAIN PLOUGHING.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 379, 5 August 1874, Page 3

FALSE-CUT V. PLAIN PLOUGHING.

(To the Editor.) Sir, — " Plain Ploughman," in your issue of the 29feh ult., twits me with a limited liberality in not mentioning the merits and faults of both systems of ploughing under discussion. Sir, I thought this quite unnecessary, as any mention of the matter in your'coluinns never mooted any fault-finding with plain ploughing, only with the false-cut style, so the former needed no defence. lam glad to notice " Plain Ploughman " is willing to grant me all the advantages I show in favor of false-cut ploughing. This is satisfactory, as they are not few, nor are they unimportant. I shall now, feeling my breast warmed with the desire to be courteous to " Plain Ploughman," endeavor to answer his queries ; but before doing so let me compliment him on his honesty in not commenting on the nonsense I referred to as being talked about false-cut ploughing, seeing that he heard none of it ; and also let me correct a mistake of his that reads something like finding a mare's nest. I never found fault with any plain ploughing at all, as "Plain Ploughman" makes me do. I said that " some of the falsecut ploughing was so badly done at the late match as to prejudice on-loolters against it ;'- and now let me answer " Plain Ploughman." In a district like this, where so much sorrel and other noxious weeds exist, one system of ploughing ia equally useless with another; the roots attached to soi-rel, eapeweed, <&c, no ploughing can destroy. To extirpate suoh nuisances the aid of science must be asked, just as o false-cut ploughman, -would require to court her to trim his plough properly, in fact to give it the grand scientific touch sarcastically alluded to by " Plain Ploughman." I should think a good way of getting rid of sorrel and capeweed would be to set Celestials to paddock the ground, and even after this was done some special roots would require a shaft sunk to get at them ; and here I would say that partly greed, partly ignorance, partly idleness and laziness are the causes why sorrel, capeweed, &c, cover the country, and no style of ploughing will root out theso evils but a system of farming different in every way from that generally adopted here, and which in evei'y respect could be very aptly styled suicidal. Well the equally high shoulder that is left in the bottom of the furrow is to enable the ploughman to pack his furrows properly anj bury the grass. An easy system for horses or men is not desirable, unless it can also be named a good one. The average depth of the falsecut furrow ploughing, dimensions being six inches deep, would be about five inches. There is no difficulty attached to the following season's ploughing referred to if the farmer has the sense, which he ought to have, to cross-plough his land, thus getting, too, for fresh soil the so much abused ridges. .Notwithstanding "Plain Ploughman's" great experience, dating back so many years, let me tell him that so far from false-cut ploughing receiving the condemnation he declares it has done in the old country, the best and most experienced ploughmen who contend for prizes in Midlothian, for instance, support this style, and it is countenanced by those generally who take a deep interest in agricultural affairs. With regard to " Plain Ploughman's " challenge, if he will be good enough to take the trouble of arrangiug preliminaries I have no objection to entering into competition with him., In conclusion, I would remark again that for ploughing lea land, and that only, the false-cut style is admirably adapted. By the way, Sir, in transcribing my letter to your columns you snbstituted the word " low " for " lea." Perhaps after all this need not be regretted, as I see it affords " Practical " and " Willie," in your issue of the Ist inst., an opportunity of perpetrating a harmless joke or two, which make their lettors all the more readable. — I am, &c, ! False-Cut. Waitahuna Boad, 3rd August.