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Plow (Steel, Single Blade, Walking)

Steel Plow
The plow is the first basic tillage tool. A field needs to be prepared for planting. It starts as land upon which has been growing either native plants for new plots, of the remnants of the last crop in established farms. The soil is often dry and hard after a hot summer or wet after winter rains. The plow consists of a bladelike plowshare that cuts into the soil to begin to prepare it for planting. As it cuts a furrow, lifts it up, turns over, and breaks up the soil. This also buries the vegetation which was on the surface and exposes soil which can now be prepared for planting a new crop.

Plow Line Drawing
Soon 2 and 3 blade sulky plows were developed. The more plow blades, the faster a field could be plowed. By the 1930s tractor pulled plows replaced the horses and disks replaced the plow blades. The tractors worked faster, as they could pull larger plows, more blades, at a faster speed. Unfortunately, the constant turning and breaking up of the soil allowed for soil erosion by the wind and rain. In the 1960s minimum tillage and no-tillage farming became more popular and the plows use became less popular.
Plow Components:
- The share (or landslide) is the pointed lower part of the plow. Its height should approach the depth of the furrows, from 4 to 8 inches. As it digs into the soil it receives the most wear and needs to be replaces sooner than the moldboard. Its configuration can control the plow tendency to dig into the ground.
- The moldboard is the large curved pate in the back. It lifts, turns and pulverizes the furrow slice. Different shapes work better for different types of soil.
- The share is metal plate on the other side of the landslide. It supports the landslide.
- The beam attaches the plow to the horse. It was initially made of wood and later of steel. The bracket with a series of holes is where the team is attached as shown below.
- The heavy-line horse is hitched correctly. The dotted line shows the same horse with the hitch raised to accommodate a short hitch. If the dotted-line horse were hitched the same as the heavy-line horse, an up-pull in the beam would result. Tugs that are too long have the opposite effect. Raising or lowering the clevis corrects the line of draft from the hame to the point of draft.
- One or two horses pulled a single plow. Three horses were required for a sulky plow and four to five horses were needed for a gang plow.
LEONIS ADOBE GRAPEVINE

Every Tuesday
July 9th - August 13th
9:30AM to 11:30AM
July 9th - August 13th
9:30AM to 11:30AM

Feed the Animals
Live Music
Games & Crafts
Story Time
Lots of Fun Activities
EVENT SCHEDULE
- July 9th - Welcome to the Ranch
- July 16th - Music on the Ranch
- July 23rd - Cooking on the Ranch
- July 30th - Animals on the Ranch
- August 6th - Pow-wow on the Ranch
- August 13th - Fiesta on the Ranch
$4 for Non-Members (per day)
FREE for All Members
FREE for All Members

