History of the Plow. 107 



I feci more enthusiasm over my achievement than comes from my 

 encounters in public life at Washington.' That is the idea, and 

 not far from the lano-uao-e of his remark to me." 



The following letter, received after Gov. Holbrook's gives Mr. 

 Harve^^'s recollections of the history of the Webster plow: 



" Boston, yl^nV 18^/^ 1868. 



" My Dear Sir — I send you, by to-day's mail, the drawings of 

 the Webster plow, together with a sketch, which will give you 

 the means of furnishing an accurate description of its dimensions. 



" This plow was manufactured in Mr. Webster's workshop on 

 his farm at Marshfield; the model and plan of its construction 

 was entirely his own, and much of the work was performed by 

 his own hand. 



"He had, on his extensive farm at Marshfield, laying near to 

 the sea (upland country), some eight or ten acres, more or less, 

 on which there had been a growth of stunted oak, lit only for fire 

 wood. This had been cut for this purpose; and an undergrowth 

 of scraggy roots, spreading in every direction, had sprung up. 

 It was useless for cultivation as it then was, the roots or stumps 

 too small and too numerous to be removed with an ordinary stump 

 puller, and too strong for any ordinary plow to grapple with. 

 This plow was made to meet the difficulty, and succeeded. 



" I have seen the great man holding the plow, assisted by some 

 six or eight farmers, with strong arms, while it was propelled by 

 six pairs of oxen, tearing up roots and everything else that stood 

 in its way, accomplishing a triumph great in its way, as had been 

 often performed by its maker in the many intellectual triumphs 

 in the forum and senate, and appai-ently giving him quite as 

 much delight. 



"The plow proved a success, accomplishing all for which it 

 was intended. 



" It is probably the largest plow ever built on this continent. 

 " Most respectfully, youi's, 



"PETER HARVEY." 



A great number of inventions for sul)sidiary purposes are 

 recorded in the Patent Oflice, having for their object some 

 improvement in the clevis, the wheel, the share and various other 

 subordinate parts; but the next really earnest attempt to improve 

 the form of the plow was by James Jacobs, whose patent is dated 

 July 8th, 1834. and is reprosonted in Fig. 67. 



