PHOTO - oat seed furrow plough

Hi Gang;
The next set of photos shows two champion ploughmen working on the same day in a match.
The history of "oat seed furrow" ploughing goes back to the mid-1800's and continued until WW2. Now the art has been revived and its the most skillfull and difficult style.
The grassland was ploughed 8" wide and 4" deep, the aim to bury all grass, and leave the furrows turned into a pointed top. When the seed was sown by a man scattering the seed by hand, most would fall into the bottom of the ridge, and when the soil was harrowed afterwards it would break down into a fine tilth leaving the seed in rows. Also by leaving the maximum area of soil exposed to the rain & frost would help the soil crumble.
The ploughs were special designed and evolved over the years. The share points are wide to cut the whole width of the furrow, and the mouldboards (bodies) are some 4 feet long to turn over the furrow gently.
This photo shows a 2 furrow trailed plough which has been heavily modified for match (competition) work. A plough like this would sell for over $4000 today - they are rare and highly sought after.
In the next pictures I will show more of the ploughs and the work they produce. I will explain what all the extra bits are for, and you will see how they form the furrow. Hope you enjoy. Cheers David