History of the Plow. 93 



The new firm began, in the year 1840, with mtiking a series of 

 plows of different sizes, in strict accordance with Mr. Jefferson's 

 principle; but these had but a very limited sale, as they were found 

 to be very deficient in turning qualities, though they answered 

 very well in stubble land. On the failure of tliis specuhition, Mr, 

 Nourse determined to remedy the difficulties Avhieli he found in 

 existing plows, and apply to the new implements all the know- 

 ledge and skill which he had acquired in the course of his expe- 

 rience. I]i order to accomplish this he took a sheet of thick lead 

 and patiently cut and hammered upon it until he brouglit it to a 

 form which his judgment approved. 



The plow thus made Avas distinguished from others chiefly in 

 two respects. First, by the greater length of mould-board, and 

 second, by a nearer approach to straight lines in a longitudinal 

 direction. The most of the plows of that day had extremely 

 short mould-boards, and very few of them made any approach to 

 straight lines, in any direction. 



The Eagle plows, as compared with others in the market, were 

 very long; they had more turn of mould-board at the rear end 

 and a greater intensity of twist beyond the perpendicular. He 

 was induced to pay particular attention to this point by the fail- 

 ure of the Jefferson plow to invert the furrow slice, but he found 

 the unexpected result that, in accomplishing this object, he effected 

 at the same time a much more complete pulverization. 



The plow thus made from the lead pattern was the famous 

 Eagle No. 2, and was finished in the year 1842. This plow retains 

 its popularity to the present day, large numbers of them being 

 still sold. 



Finding this to be a very good and serviceable plow, he next 

 made Eagle No. 20, and rapidly thereafter various other sizes of 

 the Eagle were made, which are still popular, and are shipped 

 to every part of the world where our commerce reaches. 



From the year 1841 to 1861 the sale of these plows reached 

 25,000 annually. 



The Eagle No. 2 was the only pattern of this series which was 

 modeled in lead, the others being worked out of the wood with 

 more or less theory based on the Eagle No. 2 as the ground 

 work. 



In the year 1845, Governor Holbrook, of Vermont, began to 

 aid Mr. Nourse in the planning of his plows. The latter had 

 never been able to devise any system that would make the straight 



