238 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



and six air furnaces, twenty forges and shifting mills, in 

 addition to a number of trip-hammers, and a great number 

 of nail and smith shops. Many branches of iron and steel 

 manufacture had grown up in their neighborhood ; and cut 

 and Ijammered nails, shovels, spades, scythes, saws and 

 other implements were made in large quantities. Charles 

 Newbold took the first patent for an iron plough, in 1797. 

 Oliver Ames of Massachusetts patented shovels and spades 

 in 1811, and the same patterns are made to this day. At 

 the Centennial Exhibition, in the same case, stood those 

 made in 1811 and in 1876. Scythes were early made by 

 machinery, probably the first agricultural implements in this 

 country that were. The system of granting patents for new 

 inventions, which is the great stimulus to improvement, had 

 its rise in England early in the seventeenth century, and has 

 been since adopted by most civilized nations. In the sys- 

 tem of laws called the body of liberties, adopted by the gen- 

 eral court of Massachusetts in 1641, was a law on this subject. 



It declared that there should be ' ' no monopolies, but of such 

 new inventions as were profitable to the country, and for a 

 short time only." 



One of the first applicants for exclusive privileges under 

 this first New England code, was Joseph Jenks of Lynn, 

 who came to the province in 1645, and in the following year 

 presented a petition for a patent for a new application of 

 water power to mills for various uses, including a saw mill. 

 On the 6th of May, 1646, the court resolved " that in an- 

 swer to the peticion of Joseph Jenkes for liberty to make 

 experience of his abilityes and inventions, for ye making of 

 engines for mills to goe by water for ye more speedy dis- 

 patch of worke than formerly, mills for ye making of sithes 

 and other edged tools, with a new invented sawe mill, that 

 things may be afibrded cheaper than formerly, and that for 

 fourteen years without disturbance of others setting up the 

 like inventions, that so his study and cost may not be in vayne 

 or lost. This peticion is granted so as power is still left to 

 restrain ye exportation of such manufactures and to moder- 

 ate ye prizes thereof if occasion so require." 



This Joseph Jenks was a remarkable man, and might be 

 called the *' Tubal Cain" of this country, as he was the first 



