252 MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



HONOR INVENTORS! 



IMPLEMENTS AND IMPLEMENT MAKERS. 

 PENNOCK'S REVOLVING RAKE. 



Agricultural Societies in our country, and perhaps in all countries, bestow 

 too large a proportion of their attention and premiums on sleek animals and big 

 crops, and too little on implements, and on experiments, and for the ascertainment 

 of new facts in respect of crops, manures, &c. 



What we need most is cheaper labor, and more thorough tillage and prepara- 

 tion of the land. The place of cheaper labor must be supplied by every possible 

 contrivance in the structure of implements for saving labor ; hence it would be 

 far better to give $100 for a new and improved implement, such as Pennock's 

 Revolving Rake, than to give $20 for the best animal, if not very extraordinary. 

 Great inducements should be oflTered, too, for the application of steam to agricul- 

 tural purposes. Let any one reflect for a moment how much manual labor it 

 supplies in factories, on railroads, in navigation, &c. and he cannot but desire to 

 see it doing more for Agriculture. 



There is no class of benefactors more liable to the eflTects of piracy and ingrati- 

 tude than inventors — and especially inventors of improvements in implements 

 and machinery applied to agricultural uses. The abuse in these cases takes 

 place all over the country, so that it becomes impossible to arrest it. 



We have been struck with the truth and force of this fact in many cases, and 

 in none more than in that of the Revolving Rake, invented by friend Pennock, of 

 Delaware. If, in the business of manufacturing or of navigation, a man had in- 

 vented an improvement of equal labor-saving efficacy, it would have made him 

 independent forever; and if the agricultural community were to make him up 

 $25,000, they would do him no more than justice. This admirable implement 

 is used not only all over our country, we believe, without leave or license from 

 the inventor, but over Europe also. We saw it everywhere in our travels the 

 past summer. If Agricultural Societies cannot otherwise reward such men, the 

 least they can do is to make honorable mention of them in their annals. But re- 

 ward is chiefly bestowed and premiums offered for large and fat animals because 

 they are animated forms, that fill the eye and that serve to collect a crowd and 

 swell out a show. 



Ought premiums to be given, in any case, Avhere the native animal is not at 

 least equal to the imported ancestor, if of full blood ? If they be, are they not 

 virtuallv premiums for advancing backward? Would not any agricultural im- 

 plement that would enable a farmer to do with it double as much of any given 

 sort of work in a day as he can do now, be better worth a premium than all that 

 have been given for largest crops of Indian corn the last seven years ? In a sin- 

 gle county in England, where astonishing progress has been made, and where 

 formerly they assigned only $150 of prizes to the implement department, they 

 now appropriate $1,000. 



Our implement-makers are to the agricultural community what the Quarter- 

 master's Department is to the Army. Let their ingenuity be stimulated and re- 

 warded by every means at the command of all associations got up for the pro- 

 (r,40) 



