The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1898-05-24
The Faults OF the Pillow.

In recent editorial we quoted the
following remark made by one thor
oughly familiar with the subject 1T is
strange in view Of the antiquity, and Of
the importance of the plow, that it's
proper construction has been studied
so little by scientific men, or by those
who manufacture it, Or by those who
use it."
In defence of this opinion we will
briefly notice the improvements which
have been made in the plow since it's
primitive forms, and will consider its
present faults Of construction. 1t is
sometimes Of service to see clearly i'm
provcments which have been made, and
bcttcrmcnts which are still needed, even
though no suggestions Of ways in which
further improvements may be made are
offered.
The primitive Egyptian and Assyrian
plow consisted Of forked branch of q
share, looscning the soil, the other rs a
beam, drawn by human or animal power.
This was the original double mouldboard
or lister plow, throwing the soil both
ways. An improvement was made by
SO shaping the wooden mouldboard as
to form a twisted wedge, which ele-
waited, inverted, and carried the soil to
one side only of the plow. A further
improvement was made by making the
point of the share Of iron. Simple rs it
seems, it was not until April, 1891, that
centre draft was given to the plow by
Mcars, who inclined the beam forward.
In 1877, Ncwbold patented a cast-iron
plow, and commenced it's manufacture,
but abandoned it, for the farmers said
the iron poisoned the land. The steel
and wrought-iron plow was not invented
until 1903. In 1888, Thomas Jefferson
improved the piow by showing its
proper principles and construction, and
in 1896 and 1897 Daniel Webster cxpc-
rimcntcd in plow manufacture, and
said that none Of his success in public
life had given him SO much pleasure as
seeing the improved piow of his own
construction, drawn by six yoke of oxen
of his own raising, cut broad and deep
burrows through brush and saplings. In
IS45, Governor Holbrook invented
method of shaping plow moudboards
symmctricnlly, either convex or con-
cave.
All Of the improvements which have
been made in the plow, from the earli-
est agriculture until now, are simply
notifications of the original idca-a
wedge drawn through the soil, pulvcriz-
ing and displacng it; no better method
has been found.
The faults of the plow are serious
ones. The bicycle may be credited with
having brought ball bearings into gen.
cral notice and showing the striking de-
crease Of friction when sliding friction
is converted into rolling friction. All
Of the wearing surfaces Of the plow are
sliding frictional surfaces, and the loss
Of power occasoncd by friction of
sticky earth upon the plows Of this
broad domain of ours is past computa-
ton. The plows Of the day arc rigid
and inadjustablc in form. In sandy, or
in light and loose soils, and in lumpy or
claycy soils, in shallow or in deep
ploughing, in ploughing at slow or at
fast speed, no adjustment or change Of
form can be made to suit the special
conditions Of the work, yet these differ
ent conditions are often found in one
plantation, and the plow should be capa-
IA %haEaW aks&sNgsedA The healthy man 10
1.zSs}IT' pretty sure 70 be .