Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1867-07-04
RUTLAND HERALD.
MONDAY, JULY |, 1867.
The Implements of Agriculture.

labor of the farm and the househ old
have been saved have been among the
happiest products of American skill.
The successful application OF the me-
chanics of agriculture, has supplement
ed TIE rapid displacement OF 8 la rye
amount of country labor also the in
ddstry of manufactures and mines and
has itself In turn been stimulated by the
high prices OF produce consequent upon
increased demand for home and foreign
consumption.
The recent letter OF Professor Hsger,
our foreign correspondent giving q
description Of the use Of the pillow in
Italy, has brought them in contrast with
those used by our own agricu lturalists,
aud leads us to examine the history of
this useful implement OF farm labor. The
plow is the type and pioneer OF all other
implements of husbandry, and could its
history be traced from it's origin, it
would probably be found that few agri-
cultural utensils have undergone greater
notifications, or been more slowly i'm
proved than the plough.
Originally nothing more than the rude
branch OF a tree, with It's cleft and
curved end sharpened t o scratch q fur
row for the seed possibly, in imitation
OF the tillage effected by swine, the in
strument appears at this time to have
been brought as nearly to perfection as
it is possible to attain. The primitive
plough, mere wedge with short
beam and crooked handle became in
time fitted with movable share Of
wood, stone, copper or IRON wrought to
suitable shape, as it was found in the
hands of our Saxon ancestors. To this
was afterwards added s rude wooden
mouldboard to turn the furrOw, and
this with various imprOveme nts in
shape has continued Ia use until near TO
the present time. It's evident that this
useful implement of labor was hundred s
OF years in reaching the imperfect state
we have described, and several huud red
years more in approximating its prese mt
improved condition. In the middle OF
the last century the ploughs of southern
Europe had been little improved, and
were still destitute of Golfer or fore
iron with sharp edge, as in the old
Roman ploughs of the days of Virgil.
Even in England, at that period, it was
rude and cumbersome affair compared
with the best now in use Travellers in
form US that in parts OF England thirty
years ago it was no uncommon thing to
see from three to five horses in light
soils, and as many as seven in heavy,
which turned about three-q quarters of an
acre per day.
This instrument has received many
improvements at the hands of Ameri.
cans, and has become an article OF fire.
quent expectation, while even in Great
Britain the ploughs now used are gen.
orally made after American models. The
year 1917 marked the first introduction
into Virginia, and in 1925 it first appeared
upon the banks of the Hudson, and in
1887 there were OILY thirty in use in
Massach usetts. Nevertheless the same
year a resident OF Salem, was promised
an addition OF twenty acres TO his origi-
nal grant If he would "set up plough.
ing" The distinctive features In Amer
lean inventions OF this instrument, is
their great simplicity, lightness of draft
neatness and Cheapness, which is often
in striking contrast with those of for
eign make, showing a great economy Of
power in their use.
In the early part OF this century the
manufacturers of piou2hs in the United
States were few and small in extent. It
has since become an important branch
OF the Agricultural implement business.
Several attempts were made in 1858 and
the following years, to introduce steam
ploughs, for which the Illinois central
Railroad offered a premium Of So 900.
They have been employed with success
in Great Britain. English steam ploughs
are operated by stationary engines placed
at one side of the field and draw the
plough from one side to the other by
means of wire chains. Our inventions
have employed traction engines of sew
eral tons weight, which on hard ground
worked well, but on cultivated or moist
soil were found to bury themselves in.
exitcably in the ground, and have been
abandoned. 1t is we'll for US occasionally
to take a survey Of the Improvements
made In the implements of Agriculture.
Washington Items.