30 INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS 



mined to enter the editorial field on his own account. 



Accordingly, the American Agriculturist in the fall of 

 1851 announced that it would be succeeded by The Plow, 

 A Monthly Planters' and Farmers' Journal edited by 

 Solon Robinson, with offices at A. B. Allen & Company, 

 and with C. M. Saxton as publisher. It was offered at 

 fifty cents a year for twelve issues, in the belief that a 

 reduction in price (the American Agriculturist sold at 

 a dollar a year) would promote a sufficiently large circu- 

 lation to more than cover the cost of the enterprise. 1 



The first number of The Plow, with the subtitle 

 changed to A Monthly Chronicle of Rural Affairs, ap- 

 peared in January, 1852. A major portion of the text 

 for each issue was furnished by Robinson. Like many 

 another, he soon discovered that he could work far better 

 for others than for himself, and despite the high hopes 

 and ambitions with which he entered upon this project, 

 financial difficulties made it necessary to discontinue 

 The Plow at the end of the year. 2 Solon's belief that a 

 low-priced magazine would attract numerous subscribers 

 was borne out by experiment, but the expense of publi- 

 cation proved too great for even the extended circulation, 

 and The Plow in its brief career failed to become self- 

 sustaining. 



In content, The Plow compared favorably with its 

 contemporaries and was worth far more than the price 

 asked. Robinson associated with himself as regular 

 contributors John P. Norton, professor of Agricultural 

 Chemistry at Yale, Dr. Antisell, chemist and geologist, 

 A. B. and R. L. Allen, former editors of the American 

 Agriculturist, and Lewis F. Allen, agricultural writer, 

 practical farmer, and stock breeder. He relied, also, 

 upon his large circle of agricultural friends for contri- 

 butions, but while many responded, his appeal did not 

 call forth all the communications for which he had hoped. 



1 American Agriculturist, 10:297 (October, 1851). The notice 

 was repeated in November and December. 



2 The Plow, 1:357, 361 (November, December, 1852). 



