Sod

This close up of the Berkshire sod reveals a ploughed field. The smooth surfaces of the soil shows it has felt the touch of Coulter, Ploughshare and Mould board. These oddly named parts form a traditional agricultural plough, an implement that turns the soil over, exposing a new surface for planting and burying last years stubble to rot and add nutrients.

The traditional four furrow plough is an antique these days. Huge tractors now wield seven and eight furrow ploughs, which cover the ground quite quickly. However ploughing is not the only game in town. Sometimes the soil is not turned over,  just broken up.

This huge machine is treating a stubble field featured elsewhere in this blog. This is not ploughing, I think it is a spring tine cultivator or possibly a chisel plough. These do not dig so deep into the soil but require a lot of power to pull them. This mechanical beast was able to root up the old crop at running pace.

Its a far cry from the old shire horse and three furrows.