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Irish ploughs before 1800 were usually constructed of wood with only the cutting edge made of iron. They were poor at turning over the ground. The field would have been ploughed more than once up and down as well as across.
Swing ploughs were introduced from Scotland after 1800. Made of forged iron, they were much better at turning over the soil. They required less men to guide them and less horse power to pull them. However in certain conditions the old Irish plough performed better.
Wheel ploughs were introduced from England around the same time. They did not catch on at the start as the depth and width of the plough furrow could not be adjusted on the move as with the swing plough. However, on even ground, they required less skill to produce good work. As land was improved from 1850 to 1900 they became more and more common.
The use of the spade to prepare the ground for crops was popular. The spade was cheap. Higher yields were achieved. People's wages were low so an acre prepared this way was as cheap as using a horse.
People used spades on their own small holdings and when working for larger farmers.
The Great Famine of 1845 to 1851 removed much of the poorest section of the people through death and emigration.
After the famine there were less people to work the land. Agricultural production slowly changed from crop growing to cattle production. A switch was also made from spade work to horse work for the cultivation of the land.
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