History of the Plow. 69 



■wrought iron or steel and fastened on with rivets." He informs 

 the society that they may be had, either with or without the false 

 edge, of Mr. Peter T. Curtenius, in New York. The Col. Smith 

 above named was afterward Gen. Smith, and was the proprietor 

 of St. George's manor in the county of Suffolk. He was an 

 eminent and extensive ftirmer, and was one of the original corpo- 

 rators of the old Agricultural Society of New York. 



The next plow patented was by John Denver, June 12th, 1804. 

 He was a Marylander, and some old people in that State still 

 remember such a plow, but we can obtain little definite informa- 

 tion respecting it ; it probably never came into very general use. 

 There is neither specification, drawing or model of it now in the 

 Patent Office. 



The next patent was granted to Hezekiah Harris, of Kentucky, 

 February 24th, 1804. We can find no memorial of this plow 

 either in the Patent Office or elsewhere. 



A patent was granted to David Peacock, of New Jersey, April 

 1st, 1807. There is no record of this now in the Patent Office 

 at Washington, all the old records having been destroyed by fire ; 

 but we learn on very good authority that it was made of cast iron, 

 and resembled Newbold's plow, except that it was cast in three 

 separate pieces, while Newbold's was cast in a single piece. 

 Newbold sued him for an infringement, but it was finally settled 

 by the payment to Newbold of $1,500. He was very much dis- 

 satisfied with his agents, who made this arrangement, and always 

 thought that he had been betrayed by them. David Peacock 

 took out another patent in 1822. There were some improvements 

 made in other parts of the plow, but the chief feature was the 

 famous lock coulter which it is believed he was the first to intro- 

 duce (Fig. 90). The plows made by Peacock were very exten- 

 sively used throughout the country, and many of them were to 

 be found in use on farms in this State and in New Jersey and 

 Pennsylvania as late as the year 1850. 



The earliest recocrnition of the importance of straight tran.s- 

 verse lines in the mould-board that we have met with is contained 

 in the following letter from the celebrated Timothy Pickering, who 

 was a most excellent farmer, as well as an eminent statesman. It 

 was addressed to Dr. Alex. Coventry, and is dated Salem, June 

 3d, 1820: 



" M}^ public employments in the war of our Eevolution having 

 caiisod me to take my family to Philadelphia, I remained there 



