,,contributions ,,from  ,,the ,,museum  
,,of ,,history ,,and ,,technology3      
,,paper #b   ,,john ,,deere',s ,,steel  
,,plow  ,edward ,c4 ,kendall            
,,deere ,,and ,,andrus      #ag         
,,the ,,first ,,plow        #ai         
,,steel ,,or ,,iron         #ba         
,,why ,a ,,steel ,,plow      #bc        
,,reconstructions       #bd      ,,in   
,,summary--          #be     ,by ,edward
 ,c4 ,kendall  ,,john ,,deere',s ,,steel
 ,,plow       ,john ,deere in #ahcg     
invented a plow that could be used      
successfully in the sticky1 root-filled 
soil of the prairie4     ,it was called 
a steel plow4 ,actually1 it appears that
 only the     cutting edge1 the share1  
on the first ,deere plows was steel4    
,the moldboard was smoothly ground      
wrought iron4      ,deere's invention   
succeeded because1 as the durable steel 
share of the plow cut through the heavy 
earth1 the sticky soil     could find no
 place to cling on its polished         
surfaces4  ,americans moving westward in

 the beginning of the #aith century soon
 encountered the prairie lands of what  
we now call the ,middle ,west4 ,the dark
 fertile soils promised great rewards to
 the farmers settling in these regions1 
but also posed certain problems4 ,first 
was the breaking of the tough prairie   
sod4 ,the naturalist ,john ,muir        
describes the conditions facing prairie 
farmers when he was a boy in the early  
#ahej's as he tells of the use of the   
big prairie-breaking plows in the       
following words3#a      ,they were used 
only for the first ploughing1 in        
breaking up     the wild sod woven into 
a tough mass1 chiefly by the cord-like  
roots of perennial grasses1 reinforced  
by the tap roots of oak     and hickory 
bushes1 called grubs1 some of which were
 more     than a century old and four or
 five inches in diameter4444 ,if     in 
good trim1 the plough cut through and   
turned over these     grubs as if the   
century-old wood were soft like the     
flesh of     carrots and turnips2 but if

 not in good trim the grubs     promptly
 tossed the plough out of the ground4   
,the second and greater problem was that
 the richer lands of the prairie        
bottoms1 after a few years of continuous
 cultivation1 became so sticky that they
 clogged the moldboards of the plows4   
,clogging was such a factor in prairie  
plowing that farmers in these regions   
carried a wooden paddle solely for      
cleaning off the moldboard1 a task which
 had to be repeated so frequently that  
it seriously interfered with plowing    
efficiency4 ,it seems probable that by  
the #ahcj's blacksmiths in the prairie  
country were beginning to solve the     
problem of continuous cultivation of    
sticky prairie soil by nailing strips of
 saw steel to the face of wooden        
moldboard of the traditional plows4     
,figure #a is a photograph of an #ahth  
century ,new ,england plow in the       
collection of the ,u4 ,s4 ,national     
,museum4 ,this is one type of plow which
 was brought west by the settlers4 ,it  

contributed to the development of the   
prairie breaker shown in figure #b4 ,the
 first plow on record with strips of    
steel on the moldboard is attributed to 
,john ,lane in ,chicago in #ahcc4b      
,steel presented a smoother surface     
which shed the sticky loam better than  
the conventional wooden moldboards      
covered with wrought iron1 or the cast  
iron moldboards of the newer            
factory-made plows then coming into use4
  ,it is generally accepted as          
historical fact that ,john ,deere made  
his first steel plow in #ahcg at ,grand 
,detour1 ,illinois4 ,the details of the 
construction of this plow have been     
variously given by different writers4   
,ardrey#c and ,davidson#d describe      
,deere's original plow as having a      
wooden moldboard covered with strips of 
steel cut from a saw1 in the manner of  
the ,john ,lane plow4  ,sidebar3 ,,the  
,,author3  ,edward ,c4 ,kendall is      
curator of agriculture1 ,museum of      
,history and ,technology1 in the        

,smithsonian ,institution's ,united     
,states ,national ,museum4  ,in recent  
years the #ahcg ,deere plow has been    
pictured quite differently4 ,this has   
apparently come about as the result of  
the discovery of an old plow identified 
as one made by ,john ,deere at ,grand   
,detour in #ahch and sold to ,joseph    
,brierton from whose farm it was        
obtained in #aija by the maker's son1   
,charles ,h4 ,deere4 ,he brought it to  
the office of ,deere  ,company at       
,moline1 ,illinois1 for preservation and
 display4 ,this plow is shown in figures
 #g and #i4 ,in #aich ,deere  ,company  
presented it to the ,u4 ,s4 ,national   
,museum1 where it is on display4 ,it can
 be seen that the moldboard is made of  
one curved diamond-shaped metal slab4   
,this plow bottom conforms to the       
description of the diamond plows        
manufactured by ,deere in the #ahdj's4#e
 ,the ,company states that according to 
its records1 this was one of three plows
 made by ,deere in #ahch and that it was

 probably substantially identical with  
the first one made in #ahcg4f ,it may be
 difficult to prove that the ,museum's  
specimen was made in #ahch1 but a       
comparison of this plow 7fig4 #g7 with  
the #ahdg moldboard 7fig4 #e7 and the   
#ahee plow 7fig4 #f7 suggests that the  
,museum's plow is the earliest of the   
three1 since there is particularly      
evident an evolution of the shape of the
 moldboard from a simple1 almost crude  
form to a more sophisticated shape4     
,illustration3 ,figure #a4--,,new       
,,england ,,strong ,,plow1 ,,mid-#ah,,th
 ,,century4 ,colter locked into heavy1  
broad share2 wooden moldboard covered   
with iron strips4 7,cat4 no4 ,f#ajia2   
,smithsonian photo #acbad47   ,,deere   
,,and ,,andrus  ,writers of the #bjth   
century describing the making of the    
first ,john ,deere steel plow have in   
mind the #ahch plow4 ,one#g has ,john   
,deere pondering the local plowing      
problem and getting an idea from the    
polished surface of a broken steel mill 

saw4 ,another#h claims that ,leonard    
,andrus1 the founder and leading figure 
of ,grand ,detour and part owner of the 
sawmill1 conceived the design of the    
plow and employed ,deere1 the blacksmith
 newly arrived from ,vermont1 to build  
it4 ,this idea may have originated with 
and was certainly promoted by the late  
,fred ,a4 ,wirt1 as advertising manager 
of the ,j4 ,i4 ,case ,company4 ,it is   
difficult1 at this distance1 to         
determine the parts played at the       
beginning by ,deere and ,andrus4        
,illustration3 ,figure #b4--,,large     
,,prairie-,,breaking ,,plow1            
,,mid-#ai,,th ,,century4 ,wheels        
underneath the beam regulate the depth  
of plowing2 large wheel runs in the     
furrow1 small wheel on the land4 ,the   
colter is braced at the bottom as well  
as at the top4 ,the share cuts a broad1 
shallow strip of sod which the long1    
gently curving moldboard turns over     
unbroken4  ,the earliest existing       
partnership agreement involving ,andrus 

and ,deere is dated ,march #bj1 #ahdc4i 
,the existing copy is unsigned1 but its 
conditions are the same as those in the 
agreements executed during the next few 
years4 ,it began by stating that ,deere 
and ,andrus had agreed to become        
copartners together in the art and trade
 of ,blacksmithing1 ploughmaking and all
 things thereto belonging at the said   
,grand ,detour1 and all other business  
that the said parties may hereafter deem
 necessary for their mutual interest and
 benefit 444 ,one of the terms was that 
the copartnership should continue from  
the date of the agreement under the name
 and firm of ,leonard ,andrus4  ,a      
second agreement dated ,october #bf1    
#ahdd1aj which brought in a third       
partner1 ,horace ,paine1 described the  
business as the art and trade of        
,blacksmithing ,plough ,making ,iron    
,castings and all things thereto        
belonging 444 and stated that the       
copartnership should be conducted under 
the name and firm of ,l4 ,andrus and    

,co4 ,the third agreement1 dated        
,october #bj1 #ahdf1 in which another   
man appeared in place of ,paine1 gave   
the name of the firm as ,andrus1 ,deere1
 and ,lathrop4#aa ,this carried an      
addendum dated ,june #bb1 #ahdg1 in     
which ,andrus and ,deere bought out     
,lathrop's interest in the business and 
agreed to continue under the name of    
,andrus and ,deere4 ,this is the only   
mention of the firm of ,andrus and      
,deere4 ,it could only have lasted a few
 months because it was in #ahdg that    
,deere moved to ,moline and established 
his plow factory there4  ,illustration3 
,figure #c4--,,reconstructions ,,of     
,,john ,,deere',s #ahcg ,,plow4 ,for a  
discussion of the position and          
attachment of the handles see p4 #bd4   
7,deere  ,company photo47  ,these       
agreements suggest that ,leonard ,andrus
 was the capitalist of the young        
community of ,grand ,detour1 as well as 
its founder4 ,the dominance of the name 
,andrus tends to back up the opinion    

which holds that ,andrus was the leading
 figure in the development of the       
successful prairie plow4 ,on the other  
hand1 the general tone of the agreements
 suggests that two or more people were  
participating in an enterprise in which 
each contributed to the business and    
shared in the results4 ,deere           
contributed his plow and his blacksmith 
shop1 tools1 and outbuildings2 ,andrus  
contributed money and business          
experience4 ,there is no indication that
 they were formally associated prior to 
the agreement of ,march #bj1 #ahdc4 ,an 
advertisement 7it is quoted later7 dated
 ,february #c1 #ahdc1 and appearing in  
the ,march #aj1 #ahdc1 issue of the     
,rock ,river ,register1 carries an      
announcement by ,john ,deere that he is 
ready to fill orders for plows1 which he
 then describes4 ,there is no mention of
 ,andrus or of an ,andrus and ,deere    
firm4 ,i am inclined by the evidence to 
the view that ,deere worked out his plow
 by himself1 began to manufacture it in 

small numbers1 needed money to enlarge  
and expand his operations1 and went to  
the logical source of capital in the    
community1 ,leonard ,andrus4  ,in       
support of this view ,i quote a         
statement by ,mr4 ,burton ,f4 ,peek#ab  
who has spent most of his life in ,deere
  ,company and who may now be the only  
person living who knew ,john ,deere3    
,andrus removed to ,grand de ,tour from 
some place in ,new ,york     ,rochester1
 though originally from ,vermont4 ,some 
years later     ,john ,deere came along 
from ,rutland1 ,vermont leaving his     
family     behind him4 ,whether ,deere  
ever heard of ,andrus or ,andrus of     
,deere no one knows4      ,having       
decided to remain in ,grand de ,tour1   
,deere sent for his     family asking my
 paternal grandfather1 ,william ,peek1  
to bring     them and also the ,peek    
family out to ,grand de ,tour4 ,this was
     done via covered wagon the journey 
occupying some six weeks4     ,my       
father1 ,henry ,c4 ,peek1 was then an   

infant age six weeks and     ,charles   
,deere1 the son of ,john1 an infant of  
about the same     age4 ,of course these
 infants came along sleeping in the feed
     box of the wagon4 ,my grandfather  
took up land adjacent to     ,grand de  
,tour and ,john ,deere continued in the 
manufacturing     business4             
,incidentally1 ,john ,deere and ,william
 ,peek were brothers-in-law     having  
married sisters and what ,i have said1  
and much more     that ,i might say to  
you1 is based upon what ,i have been    
told     by my grandfather1 by ,john    
,deere and by others who had a part     
in the early history of the company4 ,so
 far as ,i know1 ,i am     the only     
living person who ever knew or saw ,john
 ,deere4444      444 ,i joined the      
,deere ,company on ,october #a1 #ahhh1  
at the age     of #af and retired on the
 #bhth of ,april1 #aief--nearly #fh     
years4     ,c4 ,h4 ,deere was my great  
friend and benefactor4 ,i was educated  
at his expense as a lawyer and practiced

 for thirteen years4     ,during this   
time ,i was his personal attorney1 ,i   
drew his will1     was made trustee     
thereunder1 and probably was more       
intimate     with him than any living   
person4 ,i have seen and read the       
manuscript of an early history of the   
company which he wrote1     but never   
published and there was nothing in it to
 indicate     that ,andrus had any part 
in the manufacture of the first         
successful steel plow and it is my firm 
belief that he had no     part other    
than perhaps a friendly interest in it4 
,,the ,,first ,,plow  ,most writers     
describe ,deere cutting a diamond-shaped
 piece out of a broken steel mill saw4  
,there is usually no further            
identification of the type of saw beyond
 the statement that it came from the    
,andrus sawmill4 ,neil ,clark1 author of
 a brief biography of ,john ,deere1     
states that the diamond-shaped piece was
 cut out of a circular saw4#ac ,there is
 no evidence given to support this4     

,there are some powerful arguments      
against it4 ,the circular saw1          
especially of the larger size1 was      
probably not very common in ,america in 
the #ahcj's4 ,although an ,english      
patent for a circular saw was issued in 
#aggg the first circular saw in ,america
 is attributed to ,benjamin ,cummins of 
,bentonsville1 ,new ,york1 about        
#ahad4ad  ,illustration3 ,figure        
#d4--;,,how ,,deere ,,probably ,,cut    
,,and ,,bent ,,the ,,flat ,,plate of his
 #ahch plow to form the moldboard and   
landside4 ,because of the shape of the  
moldboard it became known as the diamond
 plow4  ,illustration3 ,figure          
#e4--,,moldboard ,,of #ahdg ,,john      
,,deere ,,plow1 showing how the diamond 
shape of the original design has been   
slightly modified4 7,deere  ,company    
photo #egaib-;,d47  ,in a small1 new1   
pioneering community it seems unlikely  
that the local sawmill would have been  
equipped with the newer circular saw    
rather than the familiar up and down saw

 which remained in use throughout the   
#aith century and1 in places1 well into 
the #bjth century4 ,the up and down saw 
was a broad strip of iron or steel with 
large teeth in one edge4 ,driven by     
water power it slowly cut large logs    
into boards4 ,it is doubtful that the   
circular saws of that period were large 
enough for this kind of mill work4 ,the 
second argument is the shape of the     
moldboard itself4 ,the photograph of the
 #ahch plow in figure #g shows that the 
shape of the moldboard is               
unconventional4 ,it is essentially a    
parallelogram curved to present a       
concave surface to the furrow slice and 
thus to make a simple1 small but        
workable plow4 ,a parallelogram or      
diamond would be an easy shape to cut   
out of a mill saw with the teeth        
removed4 ,the moldboard on the #ahch    
plow is from 4#bbh to 4#bch inches thick
 and its width is #ab inches4 ,these    
dimensions approximate those given in an
 #ahig ,disston catalog#ae which        

describes mulay saws1 a type of mill    
saw1 from #aj to #ab inches wide and    
from #d to #i gauge4 ,gauge number #d is
 the thickest and is 4#bch inches4      
,examination of the #ahch plow suggests 
that ,deere cut the moldboard and       
landside as one piece1 which was then   
heated and bent to the desired form4    
,the pattern of this piece is shown in  
figure #d4 ,some additional metal       
appears to be forged into the sharp bend
 at the junction of the moldboard and   
the landside apparently to strengthen   
this part1 which may have begun to open 
during the bending4 ,if1 however1 ,deere
 had used a large circular saw with     
plenty of room for cutting out a        
moldboard of the usual shape and size1  
it seems likely that he would have made 
a plow of more conventional appearance4 
,in any event his moldboard of one      
jointless piece of polished metal would 
scour better than one of wood covered   
with strips of steel since the nailheads
 and the joints between the strips would

 provide places for the earth to stick4 
,illustration3 ,figure #f4--,,the       
,,shape ,,of ,,the ,,moldboard continued
 to evolve1 as illustrated by this #ahee
 ,john ,deere plow4 7,deere  ,company   
photo #egaib-;,a47  ,a very great       
majority of writers describing ,john    
,deere and his plow attribute his fame  
to his development of a successful steel
 plow which made cultivation of rich    
prairie soil practical4 ,the emphasis is
 always on the development of a steel   
moldboard and the assumption is that    
from the #ahcg plow onward stretched an 
unbroken line of steel moldboard plows4 
,an advertisement for ,john ,deere plows
 in the ,march #aj1 #ahdc1 issue of the 
,rock ,river ,register1 published weekly
 in ,grand ,detour1 ,illinois1 gives a  
detailed description1 here presented in 
full3      ,john ,deere respectfully    
informs his friends and customers1 the  
agricultural community1 of this and     
adjoining counties1 and     dealers in  
,ploughs1 that he is now prepared to    

fill orders for     the same on         
presentation4      ,the ,moldboard of   
this well1 and so favorably known       
,,plough1 is     made of wrought iron1  
and the share of steel1 #e_/af of an    
inch     thick1 which carries a fine    
sharp edge4 ,the whole face of the      
moldboard and share is ground smooth1 so
 that it scours     perfectly bright in 
any soil1 and will not choke in the     
foulest of ground4 ,it will do more work
 in a day1 and do it     much better and
 with less labor1 to both team and      
holder1 than     the ordinary ploughs   
that do not scour1 and in consequence of
     the ground being better prepared1  
the agriculturalist obtains     a much  
heavier crop4      ,the price of        
,ploughs1 in consequence of hard times1 
will be     reduced from last year's    
prices4 ,grand ,detour1 ,feb4 #c1 #ahdc4
  ,this raised two questions3 ,why1 and 
for how long1 was wrought iron used for 
the moldboards of the ,deere plows8 ,of 
what material is the moldboard of the   

#ahch plow made8 ,during the first few  
years1 when production was very small1  
there were probably enough worn out mill
 saws available for the relatively few  
plows made4 ,as production increased    
this source must have become inadequate4
 ,ardrey gives the following figures for
 the production of plows by ,deere and  
,andrus3#af #ahci1 #aj plows2 #ahdj1 #dj
 plows2 #ahda1 #ge plows2 #ahdb1 #ajj   
plows2 #ahdc1 #djj plows4 ,ardrey states
 further that by this time the          
difficulty of obtaining steel in the    
quantity and quality needed had become a
 serious obstacle in the way of further 
development4 ,the statement1 quoted     
above1 that the moldboard was of wrought
 iron and the statistics on production  
of plows during the #ahdj's and #ahej's 
belie ,ardrey's claim that it was a     
serious obstacle1 nor is there any      
suggestion in the advertisement that    
wrought iron was being substituted for  
steel4  ,in #ahdg ,john ,deere amicably 
severed relations with the firm of      

,andrus  ,deere and moved to ,moline1   
,illinois1 to continue plow             
manufacturing in a site that had better 
transportation facilities than ,grand   
,detour4 ,the new firm produced #gjj    
plows in the first year1 #afjj in #ahej1
 and #aj1jjj in #aheg4ag ,swank#ah      
states that the first slab of cast plow 
steel ever rolled in the ,united ,states
 was in #ahdf and that it was shipped to
 ,john ,deere of ,moline1 ,illinois4 ,a 
little later he says that it was not    
until the early #ahfj's in this country 
that several firms succeeded in making  
high grade crucible cast steel of       
uniform quality as a regular product4   
,illustration3 ,figure #g4--;,,john     
,,deere',s #ahch ,,plow1 ,,right ,,side1
 showing large iron staple used to      
fasten end of right handle to the       
standard4 ,note remains of wooden pin   
near rear end of plow beam4 7,cat4 no4  
,f#aaaa2 ,smithsonian photo #dbfci-;,a47
  ,based on a visit to ,deere's factory 
in #aheg the ,country ,gentleman#ai gave

 the yearly output as #ac1djj plows4 ,it
 pictured four of seven models and      
stated1 these are all made of cast      
steel1 and perfectly polished before    
they are sent out1 and are kept bright  
by use1 so that no soil adheres to them4
 ,the article then gives the tonnages of
 iron and steel used by the ,deere      
factory in a year4 ,they are as follows3
 #ej tons cast steel1 #dj tons ,german  
steel1 #ajj tons ,pittsburgh steel1 #ge 
tons castings1 #bjj tons wrought iron1  
#h tons malleable castings in clevises1 
etc4 ,in addition #ajj1jjj plow bolts   
and #bjj1jjj feet of oak plank were     
used4  ,these figures do not indicate   
what the different parts of the plows   
were made of but1 if approximately      
correct1 they do show that more than    
half the metal used was iron rather than
 steel4 ,steel accounts for #aij tons2  
wrought iron for #bjj4 ,although it is  
conceivable1 under this weight          
distribution1 that the shares and       
moldboards were made of steel while the 

landsides and standards were made of    
wrought iron1 other distributions are   
also possible1 and it is quite          
conceivable that at this period some of 
the plows had steel moldboards while    
others had wrought-iron ones4 ,an       
analysis of the metal in different parts
 of an #ahee ,john ,deere plow1 now at  
the factory in ,moline1 may shed some   
light on this1 but from these figures   
and dates it seems likely that most of  
,john ,deere's plows during the #ahdj's 
and #ahej's had wrought-iron moldboards 
with steel shares4 7,it should be borne 
in mind that the poorer grades of steel 
available at this time were probably no 
more satisfactory than cast iron as far 
as scouring clean in sticky soil was    
concerned47  ,illustration3 ,figure     
#h4--,,reconstruction ,,of ,,deere',s   
#ahch ,,plow1 right side1 with handles  
shown in what is believed to be their   
original position4 7,smithsonian photo  
#dbfdg47  ,the question of the material 
in the moldboard of the #ahch plow was  

answered when a spark-test analysis was 
made of the metal in the moldboard and  
share4 ,in this test the color1 shape1  
and pattern of the spark bursts produced
 by a high-speed grinding wheel indicate
 the type of iron or steel4 ,several    
spots along the edges and back surface  
of the moldboard were tested4 ,no carbon
 bursts were seen in the spark patterns1
 indicating that the material was       
wrought iron4 ,the share consists of a  
piece1 wedge shaped in cross section1   
welded on to the lower1 or front1 edge  
of the moldboard4 ,this was tested at   
several spots along its sharp edge1 all 
of which gave a pattern and color       
indicating that the material was medium 
high carbon steel4 ,this test was       
corroborated by a chemical analysis of  
filings from the moldboard and share in 
a metallurgical laboratory4 ,a small    
trace of carbon was found in the        
moldboard4 ,it may be present as the    
result of contamination from several    
sources1 a likely one being the charcoal

 fire in the forge when it was heated   
for bending and shaping4#bj  ,these     
tests agree perfectly with the          
description in the #ahdc advertisement4 
,it seems1 therefore1 that ,deere's     
success in making plows that worked well
 in prairie bottom lands depended as    
much on the smooth surface he produced  
by grinding and polishing as on the     
material used4  ,the filing of the edge 
of the moldboard for the metallurgical  
test disclosed that the wrought-iron    
slab consisted of five thin laminations 
apparently forged together but with     
separations visible4 ,the length and    
regularity of the lines of separation   
seem to preclude their being striations 
resulting from the fibrous structure of 
wrought iron4 ,this calls into question 
the theory that the moldboard and       
landside were cut from a mill saw1 since
 it hardly seems likely that a saw would
 be made of laminated material4 ,the    
possibility exists that the body of the 
mill saw might have been made this way1 

with a tooth-bearing steel edge welded  
on1 but there seems little reason for   
making a saw out of thin laminations4   
,it is also possible that this laminated
 iron originally had been intended for  
some other purpose1 such as boiler      
plate1 and may have been available in   
rectangular pieces4 ,in making the #ahch
 plow ,deere followed a pattern 7fig4   
#d71 which suggests that he cut it out  
of such a piece4  ,illustration3 ,figure
 #i4--;,,john ,,deere',s #ahch ,,plow1  
,,left ,,side1 showing details of       
construction and relationship of        
landside to moldboard4 7,cat4 no4       
,f#aaaa2 ,smithsonian photo #dbfci47    
,since the moldboard of the #ahch plow  
is of wrought iron1 and since this plow 
is thought to be essentially identical  
with the first one ,deere made in #ahcg1
 it is highly probable that the #ahcg   
plow also had a wrought-iron moldboard1 
a condition which appears to have been  
the basic pattern for ,john ,deere plows
 until the middle #ahej's4   ,,why ,a   

,,steel ,,plow  ,in view of the facts   
and the probabilities based on them1 how
 is the legend of the ,john ,deere steel
 plow to be explained8 ,there are       
several likely reasons4 ,it is possible 
that the first plow1 in #ahcg1 was made 
from a broken steel mill saw4 ,it is    
also possible that within a few years   
puddled iron came to be used for the    
moldboards because of the scarcity of   
suitable steel1 either in the form of   
broken mill saws or as plates ordered   
from foundries in ,america 7the high    
price of steel imported from ,england   
made this an impractical source74       
,however1 it seems more likely that it  
became known as a steel plow owing to   
the importance ,deere attached to his   
plows having steel shares1 as shown in  
his advertisement in #ahdc4 ,a steel    
share1 tougher than cast iron1 would    
hold an edge much better than wrought   
iron1 and ,john ,muir's description of  
prairie plowing1 quoted earlier1        
substantiates the importance of a tough1

 sharp share4  ,deere's plows1 probably 
distinctive by reason of their steel    
shares1 may have been called steel      
plows1 in the regions where they were   
used1 to distinguish them from the      
standard wooden plows and from the newer
 cast-iron implements4 ,the term wooden 
plow has a similar history4 ,for well   
over #bjjj years in ,europe some plows  
have been made with iron shares and the 
rest of the structure wood4 ,plows in   
#ahth-century ,america were made        
principally of wood with iron shares1   
colters1 and clevises1 and with strips  
of iron frequently covering the wooden  
moldboard4 ,these implements were       
called1 simply1 plows of various        
regional types4 ,not until the          
development and spread of the           
factory-made plows with cast-iron       
moldboards1 landsides1 and standards did
 the term wooden plow come into use to  
differentiate all these plows from the  
newer ones4 ,subsequently writers have  
been led to assume that wooden plow     

meant a plow with no iron parts and     
consequently to make unwarranted        
statements about the primitiveness of   
the #ahth-century implements4  ,a second
 reason for use of the term steel plow  
may have developed from the supposition 
that the moldboards of the first ,john  
,deere plows were made of diamond-shaped
 sections cut from old mill saws1 which 
later writers seem to have assumed were 
made of steel4 7,it is probable that    
from the late #ahej's on ,deere plows   
had steel moldboards47 ,however1 mill   
saws of the early #aith century were not
 necessarily made of steel1 which was   
then relatively expensive4 ,i have been 
told of an old mill saw made of wrought 
iron on which was welded a steel edge   
that carried the teeth4#ba ,rees'       
,cyclopaedia#bb describes saws as being 
made of either wrought iron or steel1   
the latter being preferable4 ,therefore1
 it seems most likely that ,deere's     
plows1 from his first until the middle  
#ahej's were made with highly polished  

wrought-iron moldboards and steel       
shares4   ,,reconstructions  ,the       
remains of the #ahch plow are shown in  
figures #g and #i4 ,one's curiosity is  
aroused as to what the plow looked like 
in its original state1 complete with    
handles4 ,several full-scale            
#c-;dimensional reconstructions and a   
number of sketches of the #ahcg plow    
have been made4 ,the reconstructions all
 must have been based on the remains of 
the #ahch plow1 since they resemble it  
closely and it is the only surviving    
plow of this type known4  ,recently ,i  
received a photograph 7fig4 #c1 right7  
of a plow which has been boxed and in   
storage for many years at ,deere        
,company which may be an early ,deere   
plow4 ,as it appears in the photograph1 
the plow looks unconvincing4 ,the       
handles are fastened by bolts and nuts1 
a manner uncommon in ,american plow     
making in the early #aith century4 ,the 
shape of the handles is that of stock   
handles available for small plows and   

cultivators in such a catalog as        
,belknap's4 ,the plow seems very high   
and weakly braced4 ,there is no logical 
reason for curving the end of the beam  
down and cutting it off at a slant if   
the handles are attached in the manner  
shown4 ,the edges of the tenon on the   
upper end of the standard where it goes 
through the mortise in the beam have    
been neatly beveled in a manner ,i have 
never seen before on any other plow4    
,all of this leads me to think that this
 is an early reconstruction based on the
 remains of the #ahch plow which it only
 roughly approximates in proportion and 
design4  ,another of these              
reconstructions is shown in figure #c1  
left4 ,although superficially like the  
#ahch plow it varies considerably in its
 proportions1 in the angular relations  
of its parts1 and in other details such 
as the use of iron bolts and nuts in    
place of wooden pins4 ,all these        
reconstructions agree in one thing4     
,they show a plow with handles fastened 

to both sides of the plow beam and      
standard4  ,during an examination of the
 #ahch plow it occurred to me that there
 was no indication of an attachment of a
 handle on the landside in the same     
manner as on the furrow side4 ,the      
position and attachment of the handle in
 figure #g is clearly indicated by the  
remains of a wooden pin in the side of  
the plow beam near the rear end and by  
the large iron staple1 in the side of   
the standard1 which must have held the  
tapered lower end of the handle4 ,figure
 #h is a sketch showing this handle in  
position4 ,the landside view of this    
plow in figure #i shows that the pin did
 not extend through the beam nor are    
there marks on the standard to indicate 
the position of a staple like that on   
the furrow side4 ,the four holes        
approximately in line on the standard   
and beam show where a piece of sheet    
metal had been nailed to hold the beam  
and standard in about the right         
position4 ,the outline of the sheet     

metal can be seen on the side of the    
beam4 ,this was removed at the time this
 examination was made4  ,how was the    
landside handle attached8 ,w4 ,e4       
,bridges of the ,national ,museum       
suggests that it might have been        
attached to the lower side of the       
standard and the rear end of the plow   
beam4 ,this seems1 beyond doubt1 to be  
correct4 ,the wood has deteriorated     
considerably over the years and the     
joints are loose1 but1 within the limits
 of the existing structure1 the plow    
beam can easily be set in such a        
position that its sloping rear end lines
 up with the slope of the underside of  
the standard4 ,furthermore1 a long bolt 
runs from the upper part of the         
moldboard through the standard and      
projects quite far beyond its lower     
surface1 as can be seen in figure #g4   
,the end of the bolt is threaded only   
part way and it has been necessary to   
put a cylindrical metal spacer on it in 
order to draw up the nut snugly4 ,this  

long bolt must originally have passed   
through the lower end of the handle1    
which1 in turn1 was fastened to the end 
of the plow beam by a tenon on the end  
of the beam1 now broken off1 passing    
through a mortise in the handle4 ,this  
was the common method of fastening the  
handle to the beam4 ,the square hole in 
the plow's iron landside 7fig4 #g71     
which at first might seem meant for     
another bolt passing through the lower  
end of the handle at right angles to the
 long bolt1 seems too close to the other
 bolt and to the edges of the handle4   
,it may simply be a first try for the   
bolt through the bottom of the standard4
 ,in this manner the handle would have  
been strongly attached to the plow frame
 and1 at the same time1 would have      
materially helped to make it rigid by   
forming one side of a triangular        
structure4 ,figures #h and #aj show what
 ,i believe to be the correct           
reconstruction of the #ahch ,deere plow 
along the lines just described and1     

therefore1 the probable appearance of   
the #ahcg plow4  ,illustration3 ,figure 
#aj4--,,reconstruction ,,of ,,deere',s  
#ahch ,,plow1 left side1 showing how    
left handle is believed to have been    
attached4 7,smithsonian photo #dbfcg47  
,it should also be noted that it was    
general practice in making fixed        
moldboard plows to have the plow beam1  
standard1 handle1 and landside 7or      
sharebeam1 on the old plows7 in the same
 plane4 ,symmetrical handles branching  
from both sides of the beam are found on
 cultivators1 shovel plows1 middle      
busters1 and sidehill plows where the   
moldboard is turned alternately to each 
side4   ,,in ,,summary--  ,the existing 
evidence1 ,i believe1 indicates that3   
#a4 ,the successful prairie plow with a 
smooth one-piece moldboard and steel    
share was basically ,deere's idea4  #b4 
,the moldboards of practically all of   
his plows1 from #ahcg and for about #ae 
years1 were made of wrought iron rather 
than steel4  #c4 ,the success of his    

plows in the prairie soils depended on a
 steel share which held a sharp edge and
 a highly polished moldboard to which   
the sticky soils could not cling4  #d4  
,the importance attached to the steel   
share led to the plows being identified 
as steel plows4  #e4 ,the correct       
reconstruction of the #ahch plow1 and1  
by inference1 the #ahcg plow1 is shown  
in figures #h and #aj1 previous         
reconstructions being wrong primarily in
 the position and attachment of the     
handles4  #f4 ,the ,museum's ,john      
,deere plow 7,cat4 ,no4 ,f#aaaa71 shown 
in figures #g and #i1 is a very early   
specimen1 on the basis of a comparison  
of it with ,deere moldboards of #ahdg   
and #ahee and its conformity to ,deere's
 description of his plows in an #ahdc   
advertisement2 and the #ahch date       
associated with it is plausible4        
,,footnotes3  #a ,john ,muir            
7#ahch-aiad71 ,the story of my boyhood  
and youth1 ,boston1 #aiac1 pp4 #bbg1    
#bbh4  #b ,r4 ,l4 ,ardrey1 ,american    

agricultural implements1 ,chicago1      
#ahid1 p4 #ad4  #c ,ibid41 p4 #af4  #d  
,j4 ,b4 ,davidson1 ,tillage machinery1  
in ,l4 ,h4 ,bailey's ,cyclopedia of     
,american agriculture1 ,new ,york1      
#aijg1 vol4 #a1 p4 #chi4  #e ,leo       
,rogin1 ,the introduction of farm       
machinery in its relation to the        
productivity of labor in the agriculture
 of the ,united ,states during the      
nineteenth century1 ,berkeley1 #aica1 p4
 #cc4  #f ,u4 ,s4 ,national ,museum     
records under accession #adhijd4  #g    
,neil ,m4 ,clark1 ,john ,deere1 ,moline1
 #aicg1 pp4 #cd1 #ce4  #h ,stewart ,h4  
,holbrook1 ,machines of plenty1 ,new    
,york1 #aiee1 pp4 #agh1 #agi4 ,to an    
inquiry by this author1 ,mr4 ,holbrook  
replied that most if not all of the     
material about ,andrus came from the    
files of the ,j4 ,i4 ,case ,company4  #i
 ,photographic copies of partnership    
agreements between ,andrus1 ,deere1 and 
others are in ,u4 ,s4 ,national ,museum 
records under accession #adhijd4  #aj   

,ibid4  #aa ,ibid4  #ab ,letter from    
,burton ,f4 ,peek to ,m4 ,l4 ,putnam1   
,december #ah1 #aieg1 in ,u4 ,s4        
,national ,museum records under         
accession #adhijd4  #ac ,clark1 op4 cit4
 7footnote #g71 p4 #cd4  #ad ,e4 ,h4    
,knight1 ,american mechanical           
dictionary1 ,boston1 #ahhd1 vol4 #c1 p4 
#bjcc4  #ae ,henry ,disston  ,sons1     
,price list1 ,philadelphia1 #ahig1 p4   
#bh4  #af ,ardrey1 op4 cit4 7footnote   
#b71 p4 #aff4  #ag ,ibid41 p4 #aff4  #ah
 ,james ,m4 ,swank1 ,history of the     
manufacture of iron in all ages4441     
,philadelphia1 #ahib1 pp4 #cij1 #cic4   
#ai ,country ,gentleman1 #aheg1 vol4    
#aj1 p4 #abi4  #bj ,reports on spark    
test by ,e4 ,a4 ,battison1 ,u4 ,s4      
,national ,museum1 and on metallurgical 
investigation by ,a4 ,h4 ,valentine1    
,metallographic ,laboratory of the      
,bethlehem ,steel ,company's ,sparrows  
,point ,plant4  #ba ,for this           
information ,i am indebted to ,mr4 ,e4  
,a4 ,battison of the ,u4 ,s4 ,national  

,museum staff4  #bb ,abraham ,rees1 ,the
 cyclopaedia2 or universal dictionary of
 arts1 sciences1 and literature1        
,philadelphia1 #ahaj-ahdb1 vol4 #cc1    
under saw4