Victoria Agricultural Society Champion Ploughing Cup
The Victoria Agricultural Society Champion Ploughing Cup was awarded in the 1870s.
Ploughing competition in Coburg
Ploughing competitions were held regularly throughout the colony in the 1870s. For example, in 1878, some of the districts that had competitions included Coburg, the Lower Goulburn Valley, Kerang, Hawkinston, Echuca and Woodend. Sometimes, in good weather, they attracted audiences of up to 600. The competition depended on a farmer volunteering a parcel of land for ploughing.
Who won this cup?
David Harris of Broadmeadows won the Champion match in 1876, 1878 and 1879. He won using a plough manufactured by Tynan.
The Champion Class was open to veteran ploughmen. The lower Class A was open to men who had not previously won a ploughing competition.
A ploughing match lasts up to five hours
This was no light-hearted event: ploughmen had five hours to plough, usually one-third of an acre. The land had to be ploughed in two gathered ridges with two furrows on either side. The furrow had to be no less than five inches deep.
If a ploughman did not complete the task, he would be fined 5 shillings or banned from future competition.
David Harris won the cup outright after he won twice.
Mandy Bede
Did you know?
John Tynan began making ploughs in 1857 in his Victoria Agricultural Implement Factory. Tynan was the first to manufacture swing ploughs. The ploughs won many prizes, including the first Victorian gold medal for a locally made plough.