324 [Assembly 



That the late Charles Newbold, a highly respectable and ingenious 

 citizen of our sister State, about the year 1790, effected important and 

 valuable improvements in the coustruction of the plow. The Ameri- 

 can plough then in general use, was a rude, heavy machine, and per- 

 formed its work very imperfectly. It was known at that day by the 

 name of the bull, or hog plough, from its extremely clumsy form and 

 its irregular movement, in and out of the ground like the rooting of 

 a hog. Mr. Newbold set himself seriously to work to improve it; 

 he knew practically its use and what it was required to do; he re- 

 flected much on it, and studied its various parts: all of which he 

 greatly improved, besides adding some new ones, and rendered the 

 whole lighter, more durable, better formed, and more regular and 

 steady in its movement through the earth. The ploughs in use in 

 America at this period, were very little better than those used in 

 England before the introduction of the Rotherham plough. Inven- 

 tions and discoveries however useful and important, a knowledge of 

 them might be to the world at large, did not travel at this early 

 day, with the rapidity they do now. Our country was new, the oldest 

 parts of it almost a wilderness, especially that portion subject to 

 tillage or cultivation. We had just emerged from a long and ex- 

 pensive war, established our independence, every branch of industry, 

 was in a low and depressed state, and especially agriculture. Mr. 

 Newbold it is supposed had very little knowledge of the Rotherham 

 plough as there were very few then in the country, although they 

 had been in use in England 50 years or more. The ploughs then in 

 general use with us were all wood except the share and colter, and 

 these like the other parts awkwardly constructed, and at best a misera- 

 ble imitation of the Rotherham plough. Combining some of the 

 improvements of this last, with many of the imperfections of the hog 

 or bull plough, Mr. Newbold after many trials and experiments by 

 which he improved much the old plough, then in use, conceived 

 the idea of a cast iron plough, and actually made one much superior 

 to any model then used or known among us. For this he obtained a 

 patent, dated June 26, 1797, which was exhibited to the club bear- 

 ing all the marks of an authentic document. Mr. Sands, a respect- 

 able and venerable friend, who, in behalf of the widow and daugh- 

 ter of the late Charles Newbold, presented the document, said, that 

 he and m;iny other citizens who are now 70 and 80 years of age, 

 remember Mr. Newbold well, to have been a man of excellent char- 

 acter, industrious and ingenious. So much engaged was he with his 

 cast iron plough, and determined to make it practical, and the inter- 

 est of farmsirs to use it, that he spent an estate of $30,000 in ex- 

 periments and attempts to introduce it. He became poor, discour- 



