History of the Plow. 73 



The mode of using, it is desirable, should be such as will cause the 

 least trouble and inconvenience to the plowman. 



"With a view to combine as far as practicable these various 

 objects, I begin by making the mould-board, land side, and stand- 

 ard (or width for the beam to rest on), all of cast iron, and in a 

 solid piece; this is done in the manner that Charles Newbold, of 

 New Jersey, made his improved plow, patented in the year 1797, 

 but with several alterations and improvements hereinafter par- 

 ticularly specified. 



" First — Of the shape of the moulding part, or what is com 

 monly called the face of the mould-board, the general principle 

 heretofore concurred in by all scientific men who have turned 

 their attention to this subject, is that as the furrow slice is de- 

 tached from the solid ground, at a straight line, parallel to the 

 surface, at such depth as may be required, that it should be 

 raised up and turned over, so as to retain, as far as possible, the 

 same flat shape. In order to accommodate the face of the mould- 

 board to this idea of raising the furrow slice up and turning it 

 over, it has been so constructed as to form straight lines length- 

 wise, either horizontal or a little inclined, and also to correspond 

 with another set of straight lines at right angles with the land 

 side, or nearly so, commencing at the point touching the edge 

 of the share and lower edge of the mould-board. These last 

 mentioned straight lines, as they recede from the point of the 

 commencement, gradually change from a horizontal to a perpen- 

 dicular direction, and even pass beyond the perpendicular so far 

 as to give the proper over-jet behind. It has been thought that 

 mould-boards so constructed would fit and embrace every part of 

 the furrow slice in the operation of turning it over, not observing 

 that the furrow slice must necessarily assume a convex form on 

 the under side during the operation by which it is raised up and 

 turned over. 



" The truth is, however, that in raising and turning over the 

 furrow slice it always acquires a convex form on the under side, 

 or else it is broken into pieces and thrown over; as might there- 

 fore be anticipated, it will be found that all those mould-boards 

 which are constructed on this principle wear through, in the 

 operation of plowing, about midway, whilst the upper and lower 

 edges are scarcely rubbed. It also necessarily results that plows 

 of this description work hard and are of heavy draught, because 

 the mould-l)oard not being adapted to the convex form which the 



