Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 - 1953), Friday 31 January 1896, page 1


Ploughing Matches. The old time ploughing match, which was such an important event in country life, seems to'hsve become almost a thing of the past. No doubt, agricultural depression has had something to do with it, and perhaps the loss of interest In farming on the past of many young men, even more, but we think that the main reason has bean the change in the class of work recognissd as most useful, and the introduction of the mutlple plough. The ploughing match was an institution which we inherited frem the old country, and much of thu work done at English matches was fanciful rather thin practical. This was in the days of Eingle furrow plsughe, and whilst etraightnei? of furrow is always to be commended, becaase it generally means that every inch of the under soil has feen broken up, the extraordinary care which was taken to sea that the furrow was not broken and to secure high crested work was of little practical value. A high crested furrow, it is true, did bring up a portion of the subsoil, but the closely peckci eoil would h:vo been far better broken, though its pretty regularity would have been lost. The introduction of the shorter mould boards, especially those of the digging plough type, has given us a class of tiluage much more like spade or fork cultivation, the Eoil is opnoed to the sweetening inflionces of air and sunshine, and is far more easily dealt with by the harrow in preparing a seed bed. Our field trials are nuw tests of the plough rather than of the skill of the individnal ploughman, and the old time cham. pion would fall to recognise as a " plough " at all the complicated arrangements of our modern tillage machines, In which the depth, width, and direction of furrow are regulated by lvors, instead of being cont-oled by the muscular strength of the compatiior. The old type of ploughing match has gone, and with it the opportunity for social intercourse and healthy rivalry. The country race meeting does not and cannot satiefactorily fill its place, for the rivalry of the ploughing field wes on00 which depended on personal strength and skill, and was free from the gambling which is the carso of Australia,