ARTICLE XII.

Report of the Committee on the Ploughing Match, for the Year 1813.

HE commiffion affigned to us of fuperintending

THE

the Ploughing Match for the premiums of the Society this year, was executed as hereafter stated.

Being confined to the vicinity of Bristol, it was difficult, from the short notice the Society were able to give, to meet with land answering exactly to the description propofed as a condition of the premium; and it was only through the exertions of one of your Committee that a plot of ground could be obtained for the experiment. At length Mr. Luton, in the parish of Westbury-upon-Trym, obligingly offered a field. In confequence of advertisement, a pretty large concourfe of people were affembled on 18th of June, and five ploughs were in preparation to contend for the premiums offered. About half of the field (a ftrong loamy foil, upon ftone brafh) was divided into half-acre portions, for which the five ploughmen drew lots, and took their choice as under, viz.

Previously to the commencement of the work, the Committee fixed upon

Mr. Robert Smith, of Wraxall,

Mr. Laac Champion, of Pucklechurch,
Mr. Thomas Todder, of Westbury,

Good practical farmers, and not interested in the premiums, as proper perfons to watch the progress of the experiment; and to point out thofe two competitors, who appeared in their judgment best entitled to the premiums.

After the dinner at King's-Wefton Inn, where a very refpectable company were affembled, the Report of the Umpires was read, as follows:

"King's-Wefton Inn, Glocestershire, " June 18, 1813.

"The Committee of the Bath and Weft of England Agricultural Society having confided to us the adju dication of their premiums for the two beft fpecimens of ploughing exhibited this day, on the land of Farmer Luton, in the parish of Westbury-uponTrym, are unanimoufly of opinion, upon the principles on which all practical farmers ought to judge, that the first premium be awarded to the plough that worked the portion of land, No. 5; and the second premium to the plough that performed on No. 4; as likewife the premiums to the respective ploughmen. We attribute great merit to the other

ploughmen; and think that the encouragement given by the Society to diminish horfe labour and confequent expenfe is highly worthy of public notice.

"ROBERT SMITH.

ISAAC CHAMPION. "THOMAS TODDER."

This adjudication was received with marks of unanimous approbation. And if ploughing with a ftrait and equal furrow, and a general stirring of the foil, leaving an even fub-furface, be figns of good workmanship, we must add our teftimony to the correctness of the decifion; and do therefore beg leave to propofe, that this meeting will recommend to the enfuing annual meeting to confirm the fame, by awarding,

To Mr. Dixon, the firft Premium,
To P. J. Miles, efq; the fecond ditto,
To James Kemp, manager of the
firft plough,

To James Hensley, fecond ditto

Five Guineas.

Three Guineas.

A Coat and Buttons, and One Guinéa. A Coat and Buttons.

It may be fufficient to obferve, that it would be difficult to furpass the zeal, fkill, and determination of the two Scotchmen, with their favourite and accustomed implement the Scotch plough. We take this opportunity to remark, that it must always remain at ploughing matches in fome degree a

contest between the horses, however well they may apparently be matched, till a mean be adopted to apportion force to refistance. Other circumstances, however, had their influence in the competition. That James Tanner, who ploughed his half acre in one hour and 45 minutes, had no premium affigned to him, may be attributed to the inferior degree of merit in which his work ranked; occafioned partly by the obstructing effect of ftones in that portion of Jand he had unfortunately chofen, and partly owing to a mistaken idea (which the Committee took great pains to discountenance) that the most expeditious performance would have a prior claim to a premium.

In James Lovell we recognized an old fervant, and an acknowledged good ploughman, of the late Mr. Billingsley, and a fuccefsful candidate at the ploughing match at Green-Ore Farm. Reluctant to suppose that his advanced age would prevent his ftrength from keeping pace with his zeal, he maintained an arduous but unequal conteft with great, though unavailing perfeverance.

The want of fuccefs, in the competition, of the iron plough may be in great measure imputed to its manager not having been accustomed to a wheel plough of any kind. The unfuccefsful candidates, however, did not go unnoticed. As a token of approbation of their zeal and merits, a fmall fub, scription was entered into by the company who dined together, and distributed equally among them

One very gratifying circumftance attended this. day's exhibition. Although no conditions were prescribed as to the construction of ploughs, or quantum of force to be employed, all the ploughs brought in competition were drawn by two horfes only, managed folely by the ploughmen with reins; affording an excellent example to the diftrict; and correfponding with the conftant endeavours of the Society to fhame out of use the absurd and expensive practice of using four, fix, and even more horses, where two are found fufficient. The horses that drew the plough to which the first premium is af figned, brought the plough ten miles to the field in the morning, went through the work undiftreffed, and returned home with their load the fame evening.

Although the experiment this year may not appear to have produced any thing particularly novel, either in the exhibition of implements, or in a comparison of different degrees of force applied to various or the fame implements, we trust the Society will find enough to convince them, particularly in the testimony of the umpires, that their premiums thus bestowed have a very beneficial influence on that class of society, on the exertion of whose talents fo very much depends.

If it will not be thought intrufive, we beg leave (while the fubject of ploughing, to which the Society have always attached the greatest importance, is on the tapis) to make two or three obfervations.