vue - Scotch pattern walking plough - Canada Agriculture and Food Museum

The walking plough has played an important role in the history of Canadian farming. This Scotch Pattern Walking Plough from the early 1900s is named for its decorative striped design, which originated in the blacksmith shops of Scotland and was imported to Canada by Scottish immigrant farmers and blacksmiths. It was manufactured by the McArthur Foundry in Kenmore, Ontario. The decorative features not only added aesthetically pleasing details, but also suggested quality of production through the extra care and time taken to add the design. This particular plough is in pristine condition because it was only shown as a model at agricultural fairs where advances in farming equipment from individual companies were displayed. The walking plough was an essential piece of farm equipment, used in the preparation of fields for the planting of crops. The plough has multiple surfaces that work together to lift and turn over the soil. The knife coulter in the front of the plough cuts vertically to loosen the ground. Then the pointed horizontal blade of the share slices through the soil, lifting it up and directing it along the curved surface of the mouldboard which rolls and flips the earth. This results in the exposure of the nutrient-rich soil. The farmer required the help of workhorses to pull these ploughs. Although they were bred to be strong, the teams of horses still needed to be alternated to rest and graze. The farmer on the other hand had to continue to work all day long. The farmer needed a great deal of strength to control the depth, angle and direction at which the plough moved through the soil in order to create straight and even furrows. Farmers used the walking plough until the advent of riding ploughs in the early twentieth century. For more information, please visit: http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/nouvelles-news/anglais-english/?p=5877