THE SHARPENED STICK 13 



the ass were used to lighten toil, but horses seldom. At 

 the present time, most half-civilized nations prefer the 

 "senseless" ox or the stubborn, thick-skinned ass to 

 the intelligent, spirited horse, which requires a high 

 degree of skill, and judgment, if his energy is to be 

 directed along the most economical and pleasure -giving 

 lines. The well-bred horse is nearly worthless unless 

 there is a trained mind to direct and control him. In 

 traveling through foreign countries, one is minded of 

 the superior horsemanship of the American farm -boy 

 over that of the farmers' sons of civilized as well as 

 half -civilized countries, boys of Great Britain and her 

 colonies excepted. It is sometimes said that the Ameri 

 can mechanic has produced farm implements whereby 

 the horse can be put to more effective uses. Due credit 

 should be given to the mechanic, but the owners of 

 horses invented nearly all the labor-saving horse imple- 

 ments. When, by reason of increased wants and the 

 complexities of advancing civilized life, division of 

 labor was forced upon us, the mechanic took such 

 implements as were at hand and improved them. 

 J. Stanton Gould 1 graphically describes the inventor of 

 the first plow in the following words: "While working 

 the land with his sharpened stick, with his mind intent 

 upon some mode of ameliorating his condition, he 

 (the farmer) sees the bulls and cows grazing on the 

 hillsides around him; they are stronger than he, and 

 he desires to subjugate their strength to his service. 

 Seeing a forked stick in his path, a bright thought 

 dawns upon his mind: he will tie the long end of a 



i Utica Plow Trial, 1867. 



