The patents as rec orded, sueeeeding are as follows, so far as is known: Hezekiali Harris, Ky., patent in 1808, and in the same year a patent to Rich .ard B. Chenoweth, of Maryland. Then follows John Klay, of the same State, January 11, 1812. On the same day a patent was granted to Ros well Tousley, subsequently a partner of Jethro Wood, who took out his first patent in 1814, but to which he seems not to have attached much value. Then follows Mathew Patrick, New York, patent January 2, 1813; John Seltz, Feb ruary 8, 1813; Horace Pease, New York, August 28, 1813. In 1814, besides the patent to Jethro Wood, there were patents granted to John Swaa, New York, J. Morgan and J. B. Harris; _and to David Peaeoek, of New York, in 1817. In 1818, Gideon Davis is recorded as taking a patent for the first plow built on mathematieal prineiples since the days of Jefferson. This plow was really a step ahead, as will be seen by the following extract from his speeifieations, in whieh he says: The great desideratum to be -attained in the box share or shallow plow, is that it be so- shaped and eonstrueted as to detach the furrow slice from the solid ground, raise it alp and turn it over, in the neatest and most uni form and effectual manner, with the least possi ble labor, both to the plowman and the team, combining at the same time the advantages of being simple in its structure, strong and durable, easy to keep in repair, and eheap. The mode of using, it is desirable, should be such as will cause the least trouble and ineonvenienee to the plowman. With a view to combine, as far as practicable, these various objeets, he began by making the mold-board, land side. and stand ard, (or width for the beam to rest on,) all of east-iron, and in a solid pieee; this is done in the manner tbat Charles Newbold, of New Jer sey, made his improved plow, patented in the year 1797, but with several alterations and improvements hereinafter particularly speeified. Of the shape of the molding part, or what is commonly called the face of the mold-board, the general principle heretofore concurred in by all scientific men who have turned their atten tion to this subjeet, is that the furrow slice is detaehed from the solid ground, at a straight line. parallel to the surfaee, at such depth as may be required, that it should be raised up and turned over, so as to retain, as far as possible, the sarne flat shape. In order to aecommodate the faee of the mold-board to this idea of rais ing the furrow slice up and turning it over, it has been so eonstrueted as to form straight lines lengthwise, either horizontal or a little inclined, and also to correspond with another set of straight lines at right angles with the land side, or nearly so, commencing at the point touehing the edge of the share and lower edge of the mold-board. These last mentioned straight lines, as they reeede from the point of the com mencement, gradually change from a horizontal or a perpendicular direction, and even pass beyond the perpendicular so far as to give the proper over-jet behind. It had been thought that mold-boards so constructed would fit and embrace every part of the furrow slice in the operation of turning it over, not observing that the furrow slice must neeessarily assume a eon vex form on the under side during the operation by whieh it is raised up and turned over. The truth is, however, that in raising and turning over the furrow slice it always acquires a con vex form on the under side, or else it is broken into pieces and thrown over; as might therefore be anticipated, it will be found that all those mold-boards which are constructed on this principle wear through, in the operation of plowing, about midway, whilst the upper and lower edges are scarcely rubbed. It also neces sarily results that plows of this description work hard and also are of heavy draft, because the mold-board, not being adapted to the convex form which the furrow slice is disposed to assume, lifts the furrow slice at a single point, and that in the middle, instead of being equally applied throughout the entire operation. In order to meet and remedy the inconveniences arising from this form of structure, the mold board was formed into a different shape. and instead of working the molding part or face of the mold-board to straight lines, the improve ment was to work it to circular or sphere lines. Pickering, Hitchcock, Nourse, McCormick, and Knox were also careful laborers subsequently in the same field of invention, and extending the time to the year 1850. About the time of the Knox patent, Joshua Gibbs, of Canton, O., while plowing, observed the unequal wear on the plow share. Selecting a block of wood, he fashioned it as nearly as possible to his idea of a correct mold-board, attached it to a bearn and handles, plowed with it stopping now and then to hew away with his adze that part of the mold-board which he found scoured most by the soil. By successive trials, he obtained a wooden mold board all parts of which presented equal resist ance to the soil in its forward movement. August 15th, 1854, he obtained a patent for his mold board. He thus describes it in his specifications: The working surface of the mold-board consists of about one-fourth of the interior surface of a hollow cylinder. If the plow is intended to turn a surface six inches wide, a mold-board made from a cylinder with about a twelve-inch bore is desirable; but if it is intended to turn a furrow twelve inches wide, the mold-board should be made from a cylinder with a bore of about twenty-four inches; as these plows have been found to work best when they turn a furrow about as wide as the radius of the bore of the cylinder from which the mold-board was made. It has been found from experience that these plows work best when the length of the mold board is from one and a half to twice the diame ter of the bore of the cylinder from which the mold-board is made. The advantages claimed were: 1. The plow draws easier. 2. It raises the furrow from the point and share more gener ally, naturally, and easily, turns and lays the fur row more uniform, smooth, and even, than any other mold-board, and leaves the trench wider in proportion to the width of the plow, and conse quently the rear of the plow need not be set so wide as when a different mold-board is used. 3. It breaks the sward or furrow far less than any other. 4. The mold board, being more arched is stiffer and stronger than others of the same size and weight; and, making the working sur face of the mold-board in the torm of a section of a hollow cylinder; the center or axis of the cylinder being parallel or nearly parallel horizon tally to the base of the mold-board, substantially as described. We now return to Jethro Wood, whose name will always be remembered for his improvements in the manner of casting and fitting the working parts of plows. In 1819, his ideas were matured on the subject of plows, and from the views then set forth in his specifications for the patent then issued to him, he never devi ated. The illustration we give, an accurate copy deposited by him in the Patent Office, will! explain itself by means of the lines. The figure. of the mold-board being, he says, as observed from the furrow side, a sort of irregular gon, or fine sided plane, though curved and inclined in a peculiar manner. While Mr.Wood did not add materially to the working value of the plow, he did perform this inestimable service. Before he perfected his inventions. plows were huge, uncouth, and clumsy, costly in the / needed, and did not perform good work. Mr. Wood did lighten the weight of the plow, and_ made a better plow, that cost less money than the others. Coining to the year 1840, the Messrs.
Ruggles, Nourse, and Mason, commenced ing the cast plow, through the patient ments of Mr. Nourse. In 1842, the Eagle plow No. 2, was produced. In 1845, Gov. brook, of Vermont, interested himself with. Mr. Nourse, devising a system by which lines of the mold-board, if the longitudinal ones are carefully laid on thc pattern, vertical ones will be certain to be correct. Since 1850, the great point in plows has been rather in the matter of detail, in adapting them to every variety of soil, and_ every purpose imaginable, and also to invention of plow fixtures of various kinds. It is said that plows of over 1,200 different patterns are now made and adapted to every conceivable work, includina trench plowing, subsoiling, ditching, road making, and ting great ditches and canals, by means of ments to plows of peculiar shapes. (See Road-making.) The East, years ago, had plows well adapted to the work required of them. In the average soil there the cast-iron plow would scour perfectly. The Nourse, the brook, the Colins, cast cast-steel and other steel plows, were quite satisfactory in more adhesive soils. With the settlement of the great Vv-est, and the failure of Eastern plows to scour in, peculiar humus prairie soils, wonderfully light and porous, and yet with scarcely any apparent grit, great difficulty was experienced. This early led many inventive minds, even forty years ago, toward devising a mold-board that would cast off the peculiar and sticky muck of many West ern prairie soils. Mr. John Deere, the elder, of Moline, experimented with steel saw plates and realized a fair measure of success, which later resulted in the building of plows entirely of fine or wbat is now known as plow steel. at least so far as the surfaces which come in contact with the earth is concerned. Now these highly materially lightening the draft, enables the cut of tbe plow to be widened, as it certainly does cut a more equable furrow, than the swing plow, or in lieu of this, allows two plows to be ganged together, either plowing two furrows along side the other, or throwing one furrow directly on the other. The idea will readily be caught from the engraving of a three-horse plow turning a six polished steel plows are made for every vaiiety of soil, and for every vaiiety of work, leaving only one thing more to be desired, an implement that shall perform the labor, at a less expendi ture of draft, and pulveilze the soil in a better manner than the plow. This has been success fully accomplished, by means of rotary imple ments, when simply the stirring of the soil is necessary. What the future has, in store in this direction remains for future inventors to solve.
As illustrating the various forms of plows we have interspersed a series of cuts of plows as designed for various tillage, and which will suffi ciently explain themselves. Within the last few years an important modification of the handling of plows has been inaugurated, which while not teen inch furrow. This class of plows are increasing in populaiity year by year, the only objection to them being the increased cost over that of the ordinaiy swing plow. In the article Plowing will be given much additional matter in reference to plows and plowing, with cuts illustrating, both horse and steam plowing. (See also articles Cultivators and Stirring the Soil.) PLO1VING. In plowing, the object sought is to turn the soil in such manner as may adapt it to be most easily brought to that state best required for a crop, under the various conditions of praiiie sod, second sod, green sward, grubby timber land, weedy fields, stubble; or, land, fallow or otherwise, but which may be covered with a green crop more or less heavy, and which is quired to be turned under in such a way as to cornpletely cover the trash, thus causing it to be freely brought into a state of tion. These states may now be all fully and perfectly plished by some one of the many plows made East and West, and specifically adapted to the end in view. Eastern made plows doing fully as well in Eastern soils 'as do Western made plows in the peculiar soils of our prairie States. Some years since the State cultural Society of New York offered handsome premiums for plows doing the best work in a variety of soils, and combinations, including turf, stubble, deep, trench, subsoil and other plowing. The Hon. J. Stanton Gould was chairman of the committee on plows and plowing, which committee cluded others of the most eminent practical meu in the State. The most able, exhaustive, and elaborate report of this committee covers the whole ground of plows and plowing, and from the Interest and importance of the subject, we extract portions pertinent to this article, which will be well worth' the study of all, not excepting that large class who call themselves good plowmen ; for it must be confessed that very few who consider themselves entitled to the best farm wage§ going, not only have never studied the rationale of plowing, but have really given but little attention as to whether the plow was only doing medium or strictly good work. Another class, never keep their furrows straight, and in fact can not drive a somewhat wild team straight across a forty-acre field, and -of course can not make their furrows come out equal at the close of the land. ,In the extracts we give we shall exclude everything pertaining to the scientitie elucidation of the subject. for, at deep furrows being lapped one on another, as in plowing clover, and other meadow sward. Again, the curve of the mold-board must lie different, when one strip of sod is to fit in closely along another, furrow for furrow. So again in trench plowing :with the MiChigan double plow, the thin skim furrow is often rolled up forming a scroll, or spiral of sod under the soil thrown on top. (See article Plow for illustrations of plows.) In plowing under tra,‘11 various devices are used, called weed hooks, coulter cleaners. etc. The most common plan is to hitch a chain to the plow the loop to drag in the furrow as shown on page 744. Difficulty is sometimes experienced in getting the chain to work properly, this, however, can readily be arranged to suit the particular cir cumstances. Neither the chain nor weed hook, however, will work unless the crop to be turned this day plows are made for every variety of work so that all that the individual has to do is to state to the plow-making firm just what is expected to be performed and, the proper plow will be selected and sent out of the variety of materials in store. That is it should be stated whether flat or lap furrows are to be laid in sod, or whether the plow is intended for stirring the soil, turning under trash, for shallow plowing or deep tillage, and also, whether for skim and trench plowing, one plow following another. To illustrate: The plow for prairie sod, when the slice turned is to be as thin as possible is of an entirely different form from that where a deep furrow is to be turned; under is of considerable length so the implement ,ean guide the tops in the proper direction to be covered under. In trench plowing especially where it is deep, the lower slice, which covers the skim furrow, must always be more or less crowded or pushed up, so the work will be as shown in the cut on next page; D, showing the position of the under slice,, E, the covering fur row slice and F, F, the furrows.; the curve of the furrow slices are shown between E, E, and D, D, D. The Michigan double plow is now but little used, since riding plows have come into use. The two plows are now attached to one beam as shown iu the cut, double or trench plow.