Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1862-01-17
Froa the se.ssiiSc AasT'csa.
The Cast.Iron Plow----succsss Of In.
yentors.

ventors.
In the s-arch for competency and fortune
inven,or- have greater inducements ant
morv sneourAs-msp, TO make improvement
in mechanism, than merchants, lawyers,
politicians. OF authors have to plan and
struggle in their several walks Of life. Thus
many Of the princsly fortune. and graz
manufacturing establishments. in every rAr'
Of the world have bad thyir origin in IA
,enisd inventions. The richest pleb'ans N
England are the descendant. Of Richard
Arkwright. the inventor Of the th'Ss,l'
spinning frame and the grca'e., engineer
ing work. in Grvat BritAin-IhOs- Of Bjl.
ton 4 Watt, Of B.ru,ng wsry founded
On the iuyyntion of TIE steam engine Coit''
Immense mauulaetory Of Gre arm. a, Hart.
ford. Conn originated IN the patent ~
yolyin. pistol. aud the extensive swing ma
chine manufactures. OF Wheeler 4 WIl.On
and Grover 4 Baker. the ire proof safe.
manufactured by Herring. the hat. BY Burr.
the printing press. BY Hoe Co. the sE'
tsns.ve INDIA r0bb.r manufacture. OF vAri
ous kinds Of goods, were al ioundei upon
PATENTED inyeution. We could instance
several other similar easc-, bg, the follow
log from the London lTVnmons,r r., Per
hAy-, one VI the most conspicuous Which
could - produced.
e. Fifty year. ago the only implements IN
common vs., for the tillsss Of the soil we're
the plo~. the harrow. and the roller. Thesc
vers Of mO-t primitive construction, and
had fe~ ieaisrrs In common with the mod
srn implements bearing the sane name. Ia
the barn the aAil still maintained its place
-iunosIng machines we're here and there to
be seen. but the thre-hlng machine, the
drill. the -cNrI6cr. now 10 b tVund upon
every sell cultivated iarm, ihOogh not ab
.olutely unknown. were rcgNrded generally
q, ohj.ct. Of curiosity rather than Of u-e.
lit ~as about the year l5sJ, when iaru'
ing much in ib. same condition as 4,
bad hs~n irOn time immstnor'al. sni when
,he state of the country and the hAhir. ot
the farmer forbade RAPID means Of eOmuu
n,rasion bs,~esn the inhAhitAni. OF one tis-
trict and those Of another. that Robert Ran.
some. then living At Yarmouth, oo1nenocd
de,0tins la. mcdaniel ability % the In'
pro,.n-ut oi plo~, The sr.s part Of isi'
Iurlepsui which claimed bis attention va.
the plow-,hare. Up TO 70 that period !!
bad been made ia wrought iron TOE no
method having been discovered Of making
cast iron sascicntly bard TO endure the
work. there Vas no alternative ~ t's iarmsr
but u u.. a material which, Il not harisr,
a, ls... admitted Of frequent Sharpening by
the blacksmith. IL VAS IN the year lIsj,
OF to ~hieh period there bad only been sew
en- pateni.s,er granted by the EnSl'sh gov
srnmeut for the manuiaeIure OF Plos' or
thsir Parts. that Robert RAn.oSne took ou'
his fret patent Tor method Of 'enPsring
cast iron plovsbar- and this wa. follow
ed by succession of Improvements, until
In the year 1905. be patented tie prOevss BY
which pluv share. IN cast iron are produced
with ihc undsr.iis y. hardened steel, and
the upper .ide % the original soiine-. o' the
iron. Thi. plo~-shAr-, in spite OF the d n
eults- Of transit. bycanie rapidly d'aased
l....k ...t a.. ....t.r,, r..f,ntt.. ..f Zealand
and subsequently spread Oyer the whole 10
land, saper--iiue. on aecoun' OF 10. cheap
ue-. aud advantage 70 the farmer, the Old
wrought lrou share. We have dssli riiheI
at length upon thi. paint. because u org
iu.l -ucc,-- Vas the foundation OF the s1b
.-qusnt hu,ine-. nos carried on 80 the Or
well works. Ipswich, which ha. inerea-eN
uutil the factory covers nsarly thirteen asr''
Of grouud ~ith It's workshops and yards
and siJr, continuous employment 10 %
ward Of 100 men and bJy-, OF whom NOR
than 900 are engaged "a the manufacture u
tl.~s ouly. 10 the year iSOS, Robert Ran
some took out third patent for the uhee
rliw tie leading feature of which Was
that tie working part, we're easily remoVa
be aud rrneWAols BY the plOsmsn IN ih'
field without r,quirins ib' intervention o
the blacksmith. PlUss made on thu
patent. and each pO--e--ins such p~euI'.i
mod,hcA,Jn. a. th. CUSTOM. aud usage. u
different localities demanded, rapidly .prs-C
throughout the kingdom; and 10 the yesi
1859. at Ibe hr'; meeting Of the Royal Ag,r
cultural society st oKiOri. although pC
prU,i.ion bad been made IN the early eonsti
tuition Of the SOci.,y Tor Promoting tie im
psuSnt manoiaetarv. VI the kingdom. anc
no iniueemeot IN the shape Of medal. OF
priIs. wa. offered. - the RAD.OGO., To u.,
ihs words rseUrdet IN the >Oc'sIy' JosrD.l
cent up their ~asIn. laden ~''h mn
than az tuns ol machinery and lmp1stHen''
the superior manufacture and tbs variety .
shich cOmuiani-i uBiSersAl approbaI'On
and am,us-s which w,rr q variety OF Plow
VlsgyefiOF construction"
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