The patents as rec -orded, succeeding are as follows, so far dB 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 Seitz, 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 Peacock, of New York, in 1817. In 1818, Gideon Davis is recorded as taking a patent for the first plow built on mathematical principles since the days of Jefferson. This plow was really a step ahead, as will be seen by 'the following extract from his specifications, in he says: The great desideratum to be attained in the box share or shallow plow, is that it be so shaped and constructed as to detach the furrow slice from the solid ground, raise it up 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 cheap. The mode of using, it is desirable, should be such as will cause the least trouble and inconvenience to the plowman. With a view to combine, as far as practicable, these various objects, he began by making the mold-board, land side, and stand ard, (or width for the beam to rest on,) all of cast-iron, and in a solid piece; this is done in the manner that Charles Newbold, of New Jer sey, made his improved plow, patented in the year 1797, but with several alterations and improvements hereinafter particularly specified. 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 subject, is that the furrow slice is detached from the solid ground, at a straight line. parallel to the surface, 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 same fiat shape. In order to accommodate the face of the mold-board to this idea of rais ing slice up and turning it over, it has been so constructed 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 touching the edge of the share and lower edge of the mold-board. These last mentioned straight lines, as they recede 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 necessarily assume a con vex form on the under side during the operation by which 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 moldboard, 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 eqdally 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, 0., 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 beam and handles, plowed with it stopping now and then to hew away with his adze that part of the mold-board which he found scouted 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 eveu, 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 form 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 deposited by him in the Patent Office, wilt 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 penta 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 repairs. 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. Coming to the year 1840, the Messrs. Ruggles, Nourse, and Mason, commenced improv ing the cast plow, through the patient experi ments of Mr. Nourse. In 1842, the Eagle plow No 9 TunermndlInad T, T isun MA_ — brook, of Vermont, interested himself with Mr. Nourse, devising a system by which the lines of the mold-board, if the longitudinal ones are carefully laid on the pattern, the vertical ones will be certain to be correct. Since 1850, the great point in improving plows has been rather in the matter of detail, in adapting them to every variety of soil, and every purpose imaginable, and also to the 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, including trench plowing, subfoiling, ditching, road making, and excava ting great ditches and canals, by means of attach ments to plows of peculiar shapes. (See article Road-making.) The East, years ago, had their plows well adapted to the work required of them. In the average soil there the cast-iron plow would scour perfectly. The Nourse, the Hol brook, the Colins, cast cast-steel and other steel plows, were quite satisfactory in more adhesive soils. With the settlement of the great West, 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 a fair measure of success, which later resulted in the building of plows entirely of fine or what 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 the 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 variety of soil, and for every variety 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 pulverize the soil in a Netter 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.