90 



Report on Trials of Plows. 



according to his ideas of what was needed for good plowing, and 

 then plowed with it in some very sharp sand which he found on the 

 shore of Hoboken. Noting the parts which did not at once pol- 

 ish, he continued to change the twist qf his mould-board, testing 

 it constantly in this way until he found that it would polish all 

 over and in all parts alike. He was then satisfied that he had the 

 best plow that was attainable, and had his castings made from this 

 pattern. But he did a much more important service to plow 

 makers and farmers by inventing the process of cold chilling the 

 base of the land side and the lower edge of the share, ignorant 

 that the same thing had been done by Mr. Ransom, in England. 

 This discovery constitutes an era in the progress of the plow in 

 this country. Mr. Stevens had a very good dynamometer with 

 which he made many experiments. 



In the year 1819, Henry Burden, since so celebrated as the 

 inventor of cut spikes and horse shoe machinery, was a young 

 man who had just arrived in this country from Scotland. He 

 brought letters of introduction to the late Patroon, Gen. Stephen 

 Van Rensselaer, who informed him that the plow in this country 

 Avas still in a very imperfect condition, and advised him to turn 

 his attention to its improvement. Mr. Burden acted on his 

 advice, and constructed a plow which was a decided improve- 

 ment upon all that had preceded it. It retained the principle of 







III' n till III! 



£ 



Mg. 66. 



vertical straight lines, but was quite unlike both Small's and 

 Wilkie's. Many hundreds of them were sold, but as an opening 

 was then made for Mr. Burden to enter into a much larger and 

 more lucrative business, he relinquished the manufacture of 

 plows. A cut of the implement is given in Fig. (35. 



