106 Report on Trials of Plows. 



work to plan a large plow, and employed a wheelwright to make 

 the wooden mould-board agreeably to his directions and under his 

 daily personal supervision, and then a blacksmith was employed 

 to cover the mould-board with straps of thin iron in the usual way 

 of strapping wood mould-boards in those days, and to set the 

 wrought iron and steel-edge share, and the lock-coulter, which 

 passed up from the share through the beam, all agreeably to Mr. 

 Webster's directions. Then the wheelwright was directed how to 

 set the beam and handles. Everything must be done precisely as 

 he directed as to landing of beam, pitch and landing of share, etc., 

 and he felt as much interest and enthusiasm in the production of 

 this plow as anybody could. 



" The mould-board was immensely large and long, and was con- 

 structed substantially on Jefferson's principle of straight lines, 

 but with such modifications and variations in form as Mr. Webster 

 thought best, such as greater length, proportionately, and with 

 more twist or overhang at the rear end, so as more surely to invert 

 the sod in deep plowing. It was constructed to turn a furrow a 

 foot deep and about two feet wide. The beam, of the toughest 

 white oak, was long and of huge strength, sufficient for four yokes 

 of his large oxen. 



" When the plow was completed, ready for trial in the ground, 

 Mr. Webster was the first man to hold it, and worked several 

 hours with it, feeling greatly delighted with the capacity of his 

 new plow for deep, thorough work. 



" With this huge plow and a strong team the rough tillage lands 

 at Marshfield, and such of the pastures as had become more or 

 less covered with bushes and shrub oaks, small white birches, etc., 

 were deeply plowed and thoroughly turned over and subdued. 

 The bushes and shrubs were cut at the surface of the ground and 

 cleared ofi" the land, and the roots and stumps turned over by the 

 plow. 



" I visited Marshfield and Mr. Webster about twenty years ago, 

 when he showed me this plow, explained how and Avhy he got it 

 up, and took me to see a field which had recently been cleared 

 of bushes and shrubs and deeply plowed with this large plow. I 

 remember his making a remark to me, substantially as follows: 

 ' When I have hold of the handles of my big plow in such a field 

 as this, with four yokes of oxen to pull it through, and hear the 

 roots crack, and see the stumps all go under the furrow, out of 

 sight, and observe the clean mellowed surface of the plowed land. 



