STAGES OF THE PLOW 141 



declared that its use poisoned the ground, and it did not 

 fully replace the bull plow until about 1825. Then the 

 better plowing it made possible created a new era in farm- 

 ing. Thomas Jefferson had had much to do with this 

 improvement, by his experiments upon various forms of 

 moldboards, and Daniel Webster also had a hand in the 

 movement. 



x 



THE SPAULDING PLOW. 

 Here the plowman rides and can adjust the plow from his seat. 



On even ordinary farms in the prairie states of the 

 West it is rare indeed now to see a farmer walking behind 

 a plow. The usual plow there is the "gang plow." This 

 consists commonly of three distinct moldboard plows 

 fastened together, one a little to the rear and to the 

 left of the one before it, so as to turn three furrows at 

 once. This gang plow is drawn by five horses, and the 

 driver rides. One man and five horses, in this way, do 

 much more work than three men and six horses with 

 single plows. 



