History of the Plow. 129 



velocities in order to produce pulverization, but that these ditfer- 

 ent velocities should be no greater than is required for the disin- 

 tegration of the soil, in order to avoid an unnecessary expenditure 

 of power. 



In vicAv of the fact that the plow has always been regarded as 

 the basis of all civilization and all wealth, it may well excite 

 astonishment that it should have required so many years to have 

 made the few successive advances which we have just detailed. 



We can only account for the apparent anomaly by remembering 

 that very few of the gifted minds of successive generations have 

 devoted their attention to the plow, and that until the present 

 time there has been no clear and definite idea in the minds of 

 inventors of the precise objects which they were seeking to 

 accomplish. 



We hope it wall be found that the very careful and accurate 

 trials with superior instruments made at Utica, will have the eliect 

 of giving more definite ideas to the inventors of the country, and 

 that the result will be seen in a more rapid series of improve- 

 ments in the plow in the next five years than has been accom- 

 plished in the preceding centuries. 



Just as the manuscript is going into the hands of the printer 

 we have received a pamphlet giving a description of Dr. Grant's 

 new invention of a plow for deep tillage. 



We are heartily in sympathy with the objects which the Doctor 

 has in view, but as we have never seen the plow nor its work we 

 can give no intelligent opinion of our own as to his success in 

 practically accomplishing those objects. 



We give the drawings and description from the pamphlet as a 

 part of the current history of the plow. 



Fig. 1 represents the lona turning plow, which has been fitted 

 for receiving certaii? additions hy wdiich it is transformed to ari; 



y 



