The First World War (1914-18) brought significant challenges and disruptions to Scottish agriculture. A wide range of agricultural events, including shows and ploughing matches were no longer held. The year 1919 was an important year for resuming them, including the Highland Show. Some ploughing matches took one or two years to restart and then get into their stride. As events restarted again, there was some reflection as to whether they would become as popular as in their pre-way heyday. This included ploughing matches.
A short article published in the Buchan observer and East Aberdeenshire advertiser on 29 April 1924 commented on the restarting of ploughing matches in that area of the north-east. It is worth quoting at length for the comments on the development of these matches as a difficult period in their history:
“Plooin’ matches as popular as ever
Ploughing matches appear to have lost none of their old-time popularity, for contests were never more numerous throughout the country than they have been this season. It was thought that during the wartime upheaval of farming work the fine art of the plough would rapidly pass into the limbo of forgotten things. Tractors and double and multi-furrow ploughs were fast displacing the old-fashioned two-horse team and swing plough; but a reaction has set in. The double furrow horse plough now mostly fills a slap in a fence, and the old plough with its single furrow speeds over the fields.
The slump in horse-flesh was a determining factor, and will be for a generation at least. Foe the general work of the farm horses are practically indispensable. The tractor is at best but a useful auxiliary. Under suitable weather conditions a tractor can overtake an extraordinary amount of useful tillage, but it is practically useless for the numerous minor kind of operations that constitute the routine work of the farm.
The tractor plough has done excellent work, and in more than one contest where it has been pitted against horse-drawn ploughs, it has come out on top. Neverthless, the plough work of the tractor in general leaves much to be desired. Apart from the novelty of the thing, the same amount of human interest can never be concentrated so keenly on an exhibition of tractor ploughing as on the work of a well-handled horse team.
Thousands of spectators have visited some of the leading ploughing matches in the north this season, thus showing that interest in one of the fine arts of the farm is very widespread, for among the coat-clad crowd were many visitors from town and city-men who having left farm work for other employment, still retain a deep interest in ploughing contests. Among the competitors, too. Were several ex-ploughmen, doughty champions of a former day still keen on exhibiting their prowess, and in pitting their strength and skill against those of the younger sons of the plough.”
