History of the Plow. 101 



a flat surface, and the remainder was twisted over precisely as a 

 iurrow would be. The wooden pattern was then cut so as to 

 coincide with the surface of the twisted leather. Prouty & Mear's 

 No. 5i and No. 30 were formed in this wa}'-. They became very 

 celebrated, and large numbers of them were sold. The sales of 

 this firm amounted to about five thousand annually, at an average 

 price of eight dollars. Their self sharpening points were 

 probably the best that were ever made. The first prize, at the 

 great trial in Albany in the year 1850, was awarded to these 

 plows. 



Messrs. Minor and Horton began to make what is known as 

 the " Peekskill Plow " in the year 1835. Mr. Minor had been 

 an employee in the establishment for nine years. The first plow 

 patterns made at Peekskill were by James H. Conklin, whjle an 

 apprentice with Levi Carpenter in 1823. They were known as 

 L. C. plows, and had two points to the share, a few of which are 

 still in use. The next was made by Stephen Gregory, which 

 was known as the Gregory plow; these were made in 1826. 

 The next were made hy the same J. H. Conklin, who had formed 

 a copartnership with James Wiley; these were made in 1827, 

 and were called the Wiley k Conklin plow. These suited the 

 market well, and large numbers of them were sold of seven 

 different sizes. About the same time Truman Minor, who was 

 the superintendent of Scth Halt's foundry, made a set of patterns 

 for four different kinds of plows. Shortly after this Mr. Hait 

 died, when Frost Horton and Truman Minor formed a partnership 

 us above stated, and having taken Mr. Halt's foundry, began the 

 manufacture of the "Peekskill Plows," of nine different sizes. 

 In the year 1855, Mr. Minor retired from the firm, and died in 

 the year 1862. On his retirement the firm assumed the style of 

 Horton, Depew & Sons, which continued to manufacture the same 

 kind of plows until 1864, when they sold out the business to J. 

 B. Brown and I. L. Paulding, who formed a stock company known 

 as the Peekskill Plow Company. 



This company, since its first formation and under various names, 

 have made patterns for about ninety different forms of the warped 

 surface which Mr. Minor originally devised. They have, during 

 that period, made about one million sets of castings, and it is 

 estimated (though on unreliable data) that about half as many 

 more have been made from patterns taken from these castings by 

 others. 



