FOR PROMOTING AGRICULTURE. 47 



something less expensive and better for the purpose than 

 had been found ; and, among other things done, a letter 

 was written to Thomas Jefferson, asking for a description 

 of a threshing machine used by him, and his opinion of it. 

 In 1822 a premium of 175 was paid for Gregg & Kale's 

 threshing machine. In 1824 a lengthy description was 

 given in the Journal of a " foreign invention not much 

 known in this country, called the hydraulic ram " ; and 

 the apparatus is recommended as serviceable where irriga- 

 tion is desired, and for farms properly situated as respects 

 a head of water, as being cheaper than the cost of a well 

 and pump, and yielding a water supply without manual 

 labor. 



More than in the case of the threshing machine, solici- 

 tude was manifested for many years, by the trustees, for 

 the improvement of the plough that implement which is 

 primary in all agricultural operations, and which, in its 

 rudest forms, has been said to mark the beginning of 

 human civilization. During a few years a premium was 

 offered " to the person who shall exhibit the best plough 

 for common purposes, of an improved construction, and of 

 his own invention." Ploughs were imported from Eng- 

 land, in one instance by the society, and in others by lead- 

 ing members, in the hope that the right model might be 

 found ; but no important gain appeared in the demonstra- 

 tions of either American or English ingenuity, in this line, 

 until a date which will be named below. The society's 

 importation was made in 1810, but no commendatory 

 report of the operation of the plough appears. At the 

 first public " ploughing match," given by the society in 

 1817, an English plough belonging to one of the members 

 and officers of the society, John Prince of Roxbury, was 

 used in the competition, which in part, of course, had to 

 do with the skill of the ploughman and driver. No 

 superiority appeared in the plough ; for it may be as- 

 sumed, from the well known character of Mr. Prince, that 

 he provided competent manual skill. Several other 



