A History Of Ploughing Backwards

"I like nothing better than hard work - I could watch it for hours!"

Saturday afternoon found me at Stotfold Mill's "Working Steam Weekend", where there were demonstrations of various types of ploughing - lovely to watch but hard graft for those involved. The kind of hard labour that must have hurried many of my ancestors to early graves. But nevertheless a very pleasant way to pass an afternoon. Just watching, naturally.

When I say "ploughing backwards" I don't mean "ploughing backwards", of course. It's the history that was backwards because it was the more modern methods I saw first.

Later on I stood in the sunshine for a while observing the forerunner to the tractor, ploughing by steam. If you'd run about the fields with one of these monsters you'd do more harm than good - and you'd probably get stuck. They had to use a different system.

Underneath the steam engine is a large winding-drum which pulls the plough across the field by means of a thick steel cable.

Six furrows at a time! The early days of farm mechanisation. If you look carefully you'll spy not only the cable pulling the plough, but also a chain hanging down at the front - they'll need that in a minute.

Oh, how we enjoyed watching them struggle to manually tip the whole plough, ready to make its return journey across the field.

Back they go, being pulled by another steam engine on the opposite side of the field. Of course there's an even more picturesque way to till the land....

A two horse-power outfit.

At the end of each hard-pulled furrow they paused for affectionate pats from admirers young and old. They also seem to have an instinctive understanding of how to pose for the camera!

Then off they go again, while we loiter around unproductively, take a few snaps and eat ice-creams. As I say, "I could watch it for hours!"

Take care.