6 American Economic Association [804 



farming class. The Napoleonic wars, in particular, 

 stimulated the demand of Europe for American agri- 

 cultural products and our patent office records furnish 

 ample evidence of the efforts of inventors to supply 

 better means of cultivating and caring for such pro- 

 ducts. 1 Whitney's cotton gin patented in 1794, was 

 only one of many devices designed to promote the busi- 

 ness of the farmer. At least two patents for grain 

 thrashing machines were issued as early as the year 

 1 79 1. 2 A patent for a corn planting machine was issued 

 in I799 3 and another for a grain cutting machine in 



1803.* 



But the only one of these early inventions, other than 

 the cotton gin, which seems to have really foreshadowed 

 its successor of the present day, was a cast-iron plow in- 

 vented by Chas. Newbold of Burlington County, New 

 Jersey. Sometime between 1790 and 1796, Newbold 

 had a plow cast, under his direction, at the Hanover 

 furnace, in Burlington County, New Jersey. The plow 

 was cast all " in one peice " and on June 17, 1797, he was 

 granted a patent for his invention. 5 He appears to have 

 used this first plow on his own land with much success ; 

 but, financially, his enterprise was a failure. The 

 farmers were opposed to " new fangled notions " and 

 contended that the use of cast iron " poisoned the land, 

 injured its fertility, and promoted the growth of weeds." 

 Finally the point of the plow was broken off. It was 

 never repaired, and the plow is now in the museum of 

 the New York State Agricultural Society at Albany, 



1 Eighth Census, Preliminary Report, p. 96. 



2 Eighth Census, Preliminary Report, p. 96. 

 3 U. S. Agr. Report for 1870, p. 401. 



* Eighth Census, Agriculture, p. xx. 



5 U. S. Agr. Report (1870), p. 395 ; N. Y. Agr. Report (1867), p. 448. 



