_How the Husbandman shall temper his Plough, and make her fit for his
worke._
A Plough is to a Husbandman like an Instrument in the hand of a
Musition, which if it be out of tune can neuer make good Musicke, and so
if the Plough, being out of order, if the Husbandman haue not the
cunning to temper it and set it in the right way, it is impossible that
euer his labour should come to good end.
It is very necessary then that euery good Husbandman know that a Plough
being perfectly well made, the good order or disorder thereof consisteth
in the placing of the Plough-Irons and the Plough-foote. Know then, that
for the placing of the Irons, the share would be set to looke a little
into the ground: and because you shall not bruise, or turne, the point
thereof, you shall knocke it fast vpon the head, either with a crooked
Rams-horne, or else with some piece of soft Ash woode: and you shall
obserue that it stand plaine, flat, and leuell, without wrying or
turning either vpward or downeward: for if it runne not euen vpon the
earth it will neuer make a good furrow, onely as before I said, the
point must looke a little downeward.
Now, for the coulture, you must place it slopewise through the beame, so
as the point of it and the point of the share may as it were touch the
ground at one instant, yet if the coulture point be a little thought the
longer it shall not be amisse: yet for a more certaine direction and to
try whether your Irons stand true I or no, you shall take a string, and
measure from the mortisse-hole through which the coulture passeth, to
the point of the coulture, and so keeping your vpper hand constant lay
the same length to the of point your share, and if one measure serue
them both right, there being no difference betweene them, then the Irons
stand true for their length, otherwise they stand false.
Now your coulture albe it stand true for the length, yet it may stand
either too much to the land, or too much from the land, either of which
is a great errour, and will keepe the Plough from going true: your
coulture therefore shall haue certaine wedges of ould dry Ash woode,
that is to say, one before the coulture on the vpper side the beame, and
another on the land side, or left side, the coulture on the vpper side
the beame also; then you shall haue another wedge behinde the coulture
vnderneath the beame, and one on the furrow side, or right side, the
beame vnderneath also. Now, if your coulture haue too much land, then
you shall driue in your vpper side wedge and ease the contrary: if it
haue too little land, then you shall contrarily driue in your right side
vnder wedge and ease the other: If your coulture stand too forward, then
you shall driue in your vpper wedge which standeth before the coulture;
and if it stand too backward and too neere your share, then you shall
driue in your vnder wedge which standeth behinde the coulture: if your
coulture standeth awry any way, then are either your side wedges too
small, or else not euen and plaine cut, which faults you must amend, and
then all will be perfect. Now, when your Irons are iust and truely
placed, then you shall driue in euery wedge hard and firme, that no
shaking or other straine may loosen them: as for the Plough foote it
also must haue a wedge or two, which when your Plough goeth right and to
your contentment (for the foote will keepe it from sinking or rising)
then you shall also driue them in hard, that the foote may not stirre
from the true place where you did set it. And that these things when a
man commeth into the field may not be to seeke, it is the office of
euery good Husbandman neuer to goe forth with his Plough but to haue his
Hatchet in a socket, fixt to his Plough beame, and a good piece of hard
wedge woode, in case any of your wedges should shake out and be lost.
{SN: Of holding the Plough.}
When your Plough is thus ordered and tempered in good manner, and made
fit for her worke, it then resteth that you know the skill and
aduantages in holding thereof, which indeed are rules of much
diuersitie, for if it be a stiffe, blacke clay which you Plow, then can
you not Plow too deepe, nor make your furrowes too bigge: if it be a
rich hassell ground, and not much binding, then reasonable furrowes,
laid closse, are the best: but if it be any binding, stony, or sandy
ground, then you cannot make your furrowes too small. As touching the
gouerning of your Plough, if you see shee taketh too much land, then you
shall writh your left hand a little to the left side and raise your
Plough rest somewhat from the ground: if shee taketh too little earth,
then you shall raise vp your left hand, and carry your Plough as in a
direct line: If your Plough-Irons forbeare and will not bite on the
earth at all, then it is a signe that you hang too heauy on the Plough
hales, raising the head of the Plough from the ground, which errour you
must amend, and of the two rather raise it vp behind then before, but to
doe neither is best, for the Plough hale is a thing for the hand to
gouerne, and not to make a leaning stocke of: And thus much touching the
tempring of the Plough and making her fit for worke.