History of the Plow. 95 



about the year 1809 or '10. The cast plow, with wrou<»;ht share, 

 was known in and about Albany and adjoining counties. It is 

 said to be Mr. Peacock's patent. But I considered all that I saw 

 awkward and complicated, not simple enough for general use, hut 

 such as they were, I made and sold, like the other plow makers. 

 In the year 1818 I heard that there was a new plow got up by 

 Jethro Wood, and as the plow was rather my hobby, I took the 

 trouble of going some twenty miles or more to see it. But when 

 I come to see and examine it I found it to be complicated, weak 

 and short-lived, yet it Avas diiferent from those heretofore used — 

 composed of three parts, a mould-board, land side and share. 

 The mould-board was too short and too full on the external sur- 

 face, and otherwise not properly shaped. Its entering wedge, or 

 first part of the plow was too low and did not turn the furrow 

 upon the edge in proportion to its entering the ground; in any- 

 thing like quick speed the furrows were broken and deranged. 

 " The land side was too narrow, long, and too weak, and did not 

 protect the front edge or part of the mould-board on the land side 

 and was too straight on the bottom; the share was far from being 

 right; it left the shin of the plow all unprotected. In April, 

 1819, I planned a plow which I supposed better adapted to do 

 the work, as it afterwards proved itself to be. This plow I did 

 not patent until 1832. Owing to the bad management in Wash- 

 ington I lost my first $30. Not having my specification at hand, 

 I will describe my improvement at that time, April 15, 1819. 

 The mould-board was longer than any I had known. It was con- 

 cave, with a corresponding shape. My land side I made twice as 

 wide as Wood's — six to seven inches — and connected it to the 

 mould-board by two wrought iron bolts. My share, in which 

 consisted my greatest improvements, was constructed with a 

 projecting piece called a shin share, so made as to supply with a 

 new edge the shin of the plow as well as the wing. By this 

 improvement, w^hich has been adopted by all plow makers, the 

 plow was more durable by one-half. The making of the land 

 side concave on the bottom, although about half an inch from the 

 point to the heel of the plow, was a very simple but an important 

 improvement. The mould-board back of the wing of the share 

 did not touch the ground by half an inch. The two improve- 

 ments are quite necessary in rough and stony lands. Wherever 

 my plow was introduced it superseded Mr. Wood's. The result 

 was a prosecution l)y Mr. Wood for an infringement of his patent. 



