The day of the single furrow

The plough is an ancient part of agriculture and probably has its roots in the very origins of farming. Its beginnings were perhaps a simple stick or stone drawn through the soil before more complicated wooden ploughs were used behind oxen to make life easier for the ploughmen.

Steel ploughs really allowed the plough to come into its own with stronger wearing parts shaped for maximum efficiency for turning over the soil. Used behind horses, these ploughs made of wood and iron, and then just iron, became universally used behind teams of horses to bury the crop residue, manure, and green cover crops. This helped keep the soil’s fertility at a maximum as well as provide the ideal growing medium for the planting of a following crop.

Mechanisation

With the motorised tractor, the plough soon grew in size and complication.