Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-12-01
From the Y. Y. Mercantile Journal
PJ.uNV9

Very few persons realize how brief is the
period within which so common and indispen-
s able implcmsnt as the pluw has received
nsarly every improvement which distinguishes
il from that in use many centuries ago. IL may
not be uninteresung or useless to turn back a
me mcnt to history and sec. In the time of He
siod eight hundred and filtyIyears before CHRIST,
we find plows described which consisted of the
beam inserted into an upright standard, the foot
of which was shod with metal, while into the
upper part were inserted handles 10 guide il.
But little later than this age, the Hebrew Proph-
cts lived who tell MS Of beating the swords in
to plow shares" " and the plows Of their nation
| and tme as well as those Of the Egyptians, are
described similarly to the Greek pluws mem
toned by HesiOd. Another five hundred years
pass, and we find Virgil, at the beginning Of the
| Christian ora, giving minute directions how to
bend the young elm SO that the branches shall
grow into the form Of the ''crOoked pOw." The
| Romans addSd to these branches, "grown into
| shane" two wooden mould boards so as to turn
| broken furrow each way; also, sometimes, tho
Golfer or knife, which was attached to the beam
to cut the sods and roots in advance OF tue share;
sometimes, too, the little wheel at the end ol the
beam for guide. But nothing more elaborate
| than these wooden mould boards, and "grown
handles" or pins inserted into the uprights for
| handles, was used anywhere in the world fur
almost eighteen hundred years subsequently 4,
| and in tue regions where were most skill and
enterprise, there was often a great scarcity of
even such rude implements. In 1871, iR the
colony Of Virginia, the GOTOrnor wrote =" We
did su!tsr for want Of skilful husbandmen, and
means to set their plOws on work; having as
good ground ms any man can desire, and about
| forty bulls and oxen, but they wdnt,d nvn IN
bring them to labor. aud iron for the plows, and
harness for the cattle Sume thirty or forty
acres we had sOwn with one piolo" More than
thirty years after this, resident gives the
whole number of 2lows owned by the colony as
only one hundred and fifty. The Secretary oI
the Massachusetts Board OF Agriculture, in a
historical sketch, says that twelve years after
; the landing of the Pilgrims the farmers about
Boston had no plows, and were compelled tO
break up the brushes and prepare for cultivation
with their hands, and with rude and clumsy
hoes or mattocks. In 1881 there were but thirty
seven plOws in the colony of Massa achussett.
Bay. 1t was the custom, even To much latsl
period. for any one owning pillow to go abou
and do the plOwing for the Inhabitants over
considerable extent of territory. A town often
paid bounty To any ono who would buy ant
keep pillow in repair for the purpose Of going
about in this way. Ii required three men to d,
i. the work; a driver, strong man to hold th'
plow aud another 10 press down the beam.
At the same period, the plOws used by the
French settlers of Illinois were even more rude
They were made OF wood, with a small point al
iron tod upon tho wood with straps of raw hide
: The beams rested on an axle and small wOodel
wheels, the whole drawn by oxen yoked to th
pows by the horns, a straight yoke attached b.
raw leather straps being used for the purpose
Few Of this generation probably have ever seen
this old French rig, yoke and all but many o
rs, who think ourselves yet young men, used T.
= be familiar with the old wooden mould boar
pows. They were made by nearly every blacl
smith about the country strips Of iron, or steel
, or pieces Of old SAWS, being nailed to the mould
. board and tue land side 10 prevent wearin,
away. The first patent for cast iron plov
, granted in this country was to Charles Newbold
: Of Burlington, New Jersey, in 1907. This com
bned the moud-board, land side aud share. al
, cast together. 1t could not, however, have bee
: the first iron plnw used here, for cast-irol
mnuld-board had been invented in Sc0tlan,
: some fifty years before, though wrought-irol
a shares were in exclusive use as late as 1888
, The introduction Of these improved iron plow
was very slow. MmyJdrmers claimed that hsl
, poisoned the kmd and spoiled their crops : One
l fairly started, however, they. spread rapidly
Results told Men formerly did not like mncl
! better than now tO throw away hard labor
Seine Of the best minds in the country CAV,
thought to the subject. j llsrson wrote snne
what elaborate treatise on the form of the mould
board. discussing 1t on scientific principles
0 Pra ctcal men and mechanics took il up, and al
, tie result we have now so great variety o
excellent patterns, adapted to all sorts Of soil.
and uses. that, so far as the common pow /.
3 concerned, there seems little chance OF furihe
impr0yement. Some fnur hundred patents have
been issued from the Office at Washington, FOL
various eyces and Improvements IN this one ar
tiele Ii is estimated on gOod authority, that NJ
less than ten million dollars a year in the work
Of teams, aud one million dollars in tho coat o.
plows and untod millions in the increased val.
ne of crops, have been saved to the country
through these imPro remen1S.