No. 216.] 761 



Josiah Dutcher's Plough. As early as 1806 the attention of Mi'. 

 Dutcher was directed to improvements in this implement, and he has 

 obtained two patents since that for improved ploughs. In 1806, the 

 ploughs in use were the hog plough, said to be of Dutch origin, and 

 the bull plough, said to be a Yankee invention. About 1809, a cast 

 iron plough, with wrought iron share, said to have been patented 

 by a Mr. Peacock, was in use in Albany and the adjacent counties. 

 Mr. Dutcher patented his first plough in 1822, but he had presented 

 his specification in 1819. The mould side of his patent plough was 

 larger than any known, and more concave. The landside was twice 

 as wide as any ever made, that is from six to seven inches wide. 

 The share, the most essential of his improvements, was constructed 

 with a projecting piece called a shin share. This renders the plough 

 twice as durable, and is now universally adopted. Another impor- 

 tant improvement consisted in making the bottom of the plough half 

 an inch concave fiom point to heel; this was a great improvement 

 for rough or stony land. 



Mr. Dutcher's zealous efl^orts to improve the plough have not been 

 rewarded. Others have reaped benefit from them, while he has ex- 

 pended umch money and time in vain. 



Mr. Wakeman called for the reading of the memorials prepared 

 by the Institute, praying from the Legislature a grant of power to 

 the Institute to establish an Agricultural School and Experimental 

 Farm. They were read and the memorials unanimously adopted by 

 the Club, and one of them was directed to be signed by the Chair- 

 man and Secretary, and the other by the members present. 



Jesse Oakley communicated the following remarks from one of his 

 intelligent English correspondents, on the subject of the cheese, pork 

 and beef, shipped from the United States to England. 



*' The American farmers who make cheese for this market, use 

 excellent materials, but seem to want method. For in the same par- 

 cel, some is worth eight pence and some two pence a pound. Bad 

 pork and beef have been sent, until some of the poor people Vvill not 

 buy it A grocer told me that the pork wasted too much in boiling, 

 that they thought it must have been fed on bad grain or slops, or 

 potatoes, but that he could sell any quantity of it if it was good. 

 There are customers here, by thousands, for really good articles. Pray 

 tell this to such farmers as it may interest. 



