,illustration3 ,,jethro ,,wood4         
,,jethro ,,wood1 ,,inventor ,,of ,,the  
,,modern ,,plow4        ,a ,,brief      
,,account ,,of ,,his ,,life1 ,,services1
 ,,and ,,trials2 ,,together ,,with      
,,facts ,,subsequent ,,to ,,his ,,death1
 ,,and ,,incident ,,to ,,his ,,great    
,,invention4        ,no citizen of the  
,united ,states has conferred greater   
economical benefits on his country than 
,jethro ,wood--none of her              
benefactors have been more inadequately 
rewarded4--,wm4 ,h4      ,seward4       
,,by ,,frank ,,gilbert4                 
,,chicago3      ,,rhodes  ,mc,c,l,u,r,e4
        #ahhb4          ,entered        
according to ,act of ,congress1 in the  
year #ahhb4      ,by ,i4 ,u4 ,,kirtland1
      ,in the ,office of the ,librarian 
of ,congress1 at ,washington4           
,,stereotyped ,,and ,,printed      ,,by 
,,the ,,chicago ,,legal ,,news ,,co4    
,illustration3 ,,fac-,,simile ,,of ,,the
 ,,original ,,wood ,,plow4              
,,explanation ,,of ,,the ,,foregoing    

,,fac-,,simile4    ,,side ,,view of     
,plough4 ,a ,mould-board1 the form of   
which is claimed as  new4 ,b ,share     
claimed4 ,c ,standard claimed4 ,,dd     
,screw-bolt1 and not  confining the beam
 to the ,standard4 a1 b1 c1 d1 e1 the   
#ast1  #b;d1 #c;d1 #dth and #eth sides  
mentioned in the specification4 g1 g4   
,excavation at the fore part of the     
mould-board to receive the share  which 
fills it up and forms an even surface4 h
 ,hole to receive the  knob or head cast
 on the under side of the share1 which1 
on being  shoved up to its place1 nooks 
under the mould-board at the upper side 
of the hole1 and is held in its place by
 a wooden wedge driven between  the knob
 and the lower side of the hole4 f      
,notches in the ,standard  to receive   
the latch i in elevating or depressing  
the beam4 s1 t1  v4 ,straight diagonal  
lines touching the mould-board the whole
  distance4 u ,vertical or plumb line   
touching the mould-board from top  to   
bottom4 ,h ,reverse side of the share4 x

 ,knob to hold it fast to  the          
mould-board4 y ,side view of knob4 zz   
,shiplaps fitting under  the point and  
edge of the mould-board4 k ,another form
 of standard  keyed on top of beam4     
,fig4 #b;d1 landside view3 ,e ,the      
landside4 ,f  part of landside cast with
 mould-board4 mm ,cast loops to hold the
  handles claimed4 n ,head of screw-bolt
 held by a shoulder made by a           
projection from the mould-board and     
standard1 through which the bolt  passes
 up to the beam4 o ,share claimed4 p    
,shiplap claimed4 ,g  ,inside view of   
landside4 r ,tennon at forward end to   
fit into a  dovetailed mortice on the   
inside of that part which is cast with  
the  mould-board4          ,,preface4   
,the immediate occasion of this little  
volume was a malignant                  
misrepresentation from the pen of ,ben3 
,perley ,poore4 ,with slight  variation 
from the original text1 the words of    
,thomas ,jefferson about  ,benjamin     
,franklin and his maligners1 quoted in  

the body of this  monograph1 apply to   
this case3 ,i have seen with extreme    
indignation  the blasphemies lately     
vended against the memory of the father 
of the  ,american plow4 ,but his memory 
will be venerated as long as furrows are
  turned and soil tilled4 ,the present  
object1 however1 is not so much to      
refute falsehood as to establish the    
truth1 and make it a part of the        
permanent knowledge of the public4 ,to  
the extent that this object  shall be   
attained1 will these labors be rewarded4
    ,it is not the design of this       
publication to disparage any one2 on the
  contrary1 it is desired to give ample 
credit to all who contributed to  the   
solution of the plow problem4 ,if only  
brief mention is made of  others1 it is 
because they really deserved but little 
credit1 or their  merits are forever    
buried in obscurity4 ,it is proposed to 
set forth  without exaggeration1 the    
claims of the supreme inventor in this  
line  to the grateful remembrance of the

 public4 ,and by the public is meant    
not only the ,american people1 but all  
who are fed from the ample  granaries of
 this country1 or share the benefits of 
the improved  tillage1 whether on this  
continent or in ,europe1 made possible  
and  actual by the inventive genius of  
,jethro ,wood4          ,,jethro ,,wood2
    ,,inventor ,,of ,,the ,,modern      
,,plow4      ,the last words ever penned
 by ,john ,quincy ,adams were these1    
written in  the peculiarly tremulous    
hand of the ,old ,man ,eloquent3 ,mr4   
,j4 ,q4  ,adams presents his compliments
 to the ,misses ,wood1 and will be happy
  to see them at his house1 at their    
convenience1 any morning between #aj    
and #aa o'clock4 ,this note was found   
upon his desk when he was  stricken down
 with paralysis1 ,february #ba1 #ahdh1  
in his seat in the  ,house of           
,representatives4 ,the ,misses ,wood    
here referred to were the  daughters of 
,jethro ,wood1 then deceased4 ,they were
 at that time  engaged in a labor of    

love1 and the venerable ,ex-,president  
was their  friend therein4 ,prompted    
more by filial affection than by hope of
  gain1 they were making a final effort 
to secure from ,congress a proper       
recognition of their father's claim as  
an inventor4 ,it is entirely  safe to   
say that if ,mr4 ,adams had been spared 
to the end of the  ,congress then in    
session1 that claim would have been then
 duly  recognized1 and the name1        
services and genius of ,jethro ,wood    
become  familiar to the ,american       
public4    ,jethro ,wood was born at    
,dartmouth1 ,massachusetts1 on the      
sixteenth day  of the third month of    
#aggd4 ,his parents were members of the 
,society of  ,friends4 ,his mother1     
,dinah ,hussey ,wood1 was a niece of    
,ann ,starbuck1 a  woman of remarkable  
ability and high standing in colonial   
annals4 ,ann  ,starbuck was virtually   
governor of ,nantucket4 ,the niece was a
 woman of  excellent intellect1 and most
 winsome character4 ,her conversation   

sparkled with genial wit and good cheer4
 ,her husband1 ,john ,wood1 was  a man  
of sterling worth1 calm1 self-poised1   
strong willed1 and  eminently           
influential4 ,jethro was their only son4
 ,on ,new ,years ,day1  #agic1 he was   
married to ,sylvia ,howland1 at ,white  
,creek1 ,washington  ,county1 ,new      
,york4 ,the fruit of this marriage1     
every way a happy one1  was a family of 
six children1 namely3 ,benjamin2 ,john2 
,maria1 wife of  ,jeremiah ,foote2      
,phoebe2 ,sarah1 wife of ,robert ,r4    
,underhill2 ,sylvia  ,ann1 wife of      
,benjamin ,gould4 ,of these children the
 only survivor is  ,mrs4 ,gould1 who    
with her sister1 ,phoebe1 were the      
,misses ,wood of the  ,adams note4 ,so  
much for the domestic setting of this   
diamond of  inventive genius4    ,even  
as a boy1 ,jethro ,wood showed plainly  
the drift and trend of his  mind4 ,the  
child was indeed father of the man1 and 
almost from the  cradle to the grave1 he
 was an inventor4 ,in his childish plays

 he  seemed busied with the idea which  
he ultimately perfected4 ,many  curious 
incidents and memories are treasured    
among the traditions of  his neighbors  
and friends4 ,when only a few years old1
 writes a  venerable man whose          
recollection spans two generations1 he  
moulded a  little plow from metal1 which
 he obtained by melting a pewter cup4   
,then1 cutting the buckles from a set of
 braces1 he made a miniature  harness   
with which he fastened the family cat to
 his tiny plow1 and  endeavored to drive
 her about the flower-garden4 ,the good 
old-fashioned whipping he received for  
this 'mischief1' was such as to  drive  
all desire for repeating the experiment 
out of his juvenile  head4    ,such     
innate and ruling passion might be      
suppressed1 but could not be  subdued4  
,as his mind matured1 his thoughts took 
definite shape4 ,his  home was always   
upon a farm1 but he was never a farmer1 
in the sense  of ,poor ,richard's homely
 couplet3        ,he who by the plow    

would thrive1      ,himself must either 
hold or drive4    ,born in comparative  
affluence1 blessed with a good          
education1 an ample  library and a well 
equipped workshop1 enjoying the         
correspondence of  such men as ,thomas  
,jefferson and ,david ,thomas1 he was   
unremitting in  his endeavor to realize 
his ideal4 ,his chief desire1 to quote  
further from our venerable              
correspondent1 was to invent a new      
mold-board1 which1 from its form1 should
 meet the least resistance  from the    
soil1 and which could be made with share
 and standard1  entirely of cast iron4  
,to hit upon the exact shape for the    
mold-board  he whittled away1 day after 
day1 until his neighbors1 who thought   
him  mad on the subject1 gave him the   
soubriquet of the whittling ,yankee4    
,his custom was to take a large oblong  
potato which was easy for the  knife1   
and cut it till he obtained what he     
fancied was the exact  curve4    ,the   
manhood home of ,jethro ,wood was at    

,scipio1 ,cayuga ,county1 ,new  ,york1 a
 purely agricultural town1 with nothing 
in its later history to  distinguish it2
 but in its palmier early days of the   
present century1  it must have been a   
nursery of invention4 ,roswell ,toulsby1
 ,horace  ,pease1 and ,john ,swan1 of   
that town1 each took out letters patent 
for  improvements in plows1 and that    
prior to the issuance of any patent to  
,mr4 ,wood4 ,their improvements were of 
no practical value1 and played no  part 
in the development of this branch of    
mechanism1 but their efforts  serve to  
show the state of the intellectual      
atmosphere breathed by the  man who was 
destined to solve the knotty problem    
which underlies the  very foundation of 
scientific agriculture4    ,of the      
cotemporaries of ,mr4 ,wood1 who wrought
 at the solution of this  problem1 the  
most illustrious was ,thomas ,jefferson1
 statesman1  philosopher and farmer4    
,in one of his letters to ,jethro ,wood1
 ,mr4 ,jefferson spoke of his own       

labors in that direction1 as the        
experiments of one whiling away a few   
idle hours1 but herein he did himself   
injustice4 ,his efforts1 however1  were 
far from exhaustive in their results1   
and it was with good reason  that he    
urged ,mr4 ,wood to go forward in his   
undertaking1 and no doubt  he was       
perfectly sincere in wishing him        
success4 ,his correspondence1  as       
published in nine large volumes1 attests
 his long and deep interest  in the     
problem1 which it was reserved for      
,jethro ,wood to solve4 ,having         
carefully examined those volumes1 to    
glean all there is in them on  this     
subject1 ,i herewith append the         
observations found1 for besides  being  
in themselves interesting1 in view of   
their authorship1 they  throw important 
light upon the general subject4         
,under date of ,july #c1 #agif1 ,mr4    
,jefferson wrote to ,jonathan ,williams3
  ,you wish me to present to the        
,philosophical ,society the result of my

  philosophical researches since my     
retirement4 ,but1 my good ,sir1 ,i have 
made researches into nothing but what is
 connected with agriculture4  ,in this  
way ,i have a little matter to          
communicate1 and will do it ere  long4  
,it is the form of a mould-board of     
least resistance4 ,i had  some years ago
 conceived the principle of it1 and ,i  
explained it then  to ,mr4 ,rittenhouse4
 ,i have since reduced the thing to     
practice1 and  have reason to believe   
the theory fully confirmed4 ,i only wish
 for one  of those instruments used in  
,england for measuring force exerted in 
the drafts of different ploughs1 etc41  
that ,i might compare the  resistance of
 my mould-board with that of others4    
,but these  instruments are not to be   
had here4 ,in a letter of this date to  
,mr4  ,rittenhouse ,i mention a         
discovery in animal history1 very signal
  indeed1 of which ,i shall lay before  
the society the best account ,i  can1 as
 soon as ,i shall have received some    

other materials collecting  for me4     
,i have seen1 with extreme indignation1 
the blasphemies lately vended  against  
the memory of the father of ,american   
philosophy4 ,but his  memory will be    
venerated as long as the thunder of     
heaven shall be  heard or feared4       
,march #bg1 #agih1 ,jefferson wrote to  
,mr4 ,patterson3 ,in the life time of   
,mr4 ,rittenhouse1 ,i communicated to   
him the description of a  mould-board of
 a plough1 which ,i had constructed1 and
 supposed to be  what we might term the 
mould-board of least resistance4 ,i     
asked not  only his opinion1 but that he
 would submit it to you also4 ,after he 
had considered it he gave me his own    
opinion that it was  demonstratively    
what ,i had supposed1 and ,i think he   
said he had  communicated it to you4 ,of
 that however1 ,i am not sure1 and      
therefore1  now take the liberty of     
sending you a description of it1 and a  
model  which ,i have prepared for the   
,board of ,agriculture of ,england1 at  

their request4 ,mr4 ,strickland1 one of 
their members1 had seen the  model1 also
 the thing itself in use on my farm1 and
 thinking favorably  of it1 had         
mentioned it to them4 ,my purpose in    
troubling you with it  is to ask you to 
examine the description rigorously1 and 
suggest to me  any corrections or       
alterations which you may think         
necessary4 ,i would  wish to have the   
idea go as correctly as possible out of 
my hands4 ,i  had sometimes thought of  
giving it into the ,philosophical       
,society1 but  ,i doubted whether it was
 worthy of their notice1 and supposed it
 not  exactly in the line of their      
publications4 ,i had therefore          
contemplated sending it to some of our  
agricultural societies1 in  whose way it
 was more particularly1 when ,i received
 the request of the  ,english board4    
,the papers ,i enclose you are the      
latter part of a  letter to ,sir ,john  
,sinclair1 their president4 ,it is to go
 off by  packett1 wherefore ,i wish to  

ask the favor of you to return them with
  the model in the course of the present
 week1 with any observations you  will  
be so good as to favor me with4         
,writing from ,washington1 ,july #ae1   
#ahjh1 to ,mr4 ,sylvestre1 in           
acknowledgment of a plow received from  
the ,agricultural ,society of the       
,seine 7,france71 he adds3 ,i shall with
 great pleasure attend to the           
construction and transmission to the    
society of a plough with my             
mould-board4 ,this is the only part of  
that useful instrument to which  ,i have
 paid any particular attention4 ,but    
knowing how much the  perfection of the 
plough must depend1 #ast1 on the line of
 traction2  #b;d1 on the direction of   
the share2 #c;d1 on the angle of the    
wing2 #dth1  on the form of the         
mould-board2 and persuaded that ,i shall
 find the  three first advantages       
eminently exemplified in that which the 
society  sends me1 ,i am anxious to see 
combined with these a mould-board of my 

form1 in the hope it will still advance 
the perfection of that  machine4 ,but   
for this ,i must ask time till ,i am    
relieved from the  cares which have more
 right to all my time--that is to say1  
till next  spring2 i4 e4 until after the
 expiration of his second term as       
,president of the ,united ,states4      
,the importance of any step in          
civilization can be understood only in  
its relations1 antecedent causes and    
actual results4    ,the ,scientific     
,american1 which is certainly good      
authority in such  matters1 ranks       
,jethro ,wood with ,benjamin ,franklin1 
,eli ,whitney1 ,robert  ,fulton1        
,charles ,goodyear1 ,samuel ,b4 ,morse1 
,elias ,howe1 and ,cyrus ,h4            
,mc,cormick1 and these are certainly the
 great names and this a just            
classification4 ,each in his way laid   
the foundation on which all  inventors  
in his respective line have built1 and  
must continue to  build1 and none of    
them all came so near perfecting his    

grand idea as  ,mr4 ,wood4 ,his now     
venerable daughter stated the exact     
truth when she  remarked in a letter not
 designed for publication3 ,my father   
patented  the shape and construction of 
the plow4 ,he took the iron and shaped  
the plow that turns the furrow for every
 product of the soil in  ,america4 ,his 
plow has never been improved4 ,it came  
from his hand  simple and perfect1 as it
 now is1 and there is no other plow now 
in  use4 ,it was not the use of cast    
iron that he invented1 although the  use
 of pot metal by him occasioned a great 
deal of hostility to the  original ,wood
 plow4    ,jethro ,wood took out two    
plow patents1 and those who wish to     
belittle  his work1 descant upon the    
first as if it were his only claim to   
credit4 ,that first patent was issued in
 #ahad4 ,it fell far short of           
satisfying the patentee's ambition4 ,the
 plows made under it must have  been a  
great improvement on any then in use1   
for although he  abandoned it almost    

from the first1 a great many of them    
were sold  during the period between the
 first and the second patents4 ,the     
second  patent dates from #ahai4 ,the   
natal day of the modern plow may be     
fairly  set down as ,september #a1      
#ahai4 ,the original specifications in  
this  plow deserve to be given in full1 
and may well be inserted in this        
connection4 ,the document was the       
handiwork of ,mr4 ,wood himself1 and    
runs thus3    ,the ,schedule referred to
 in these ,letters ,patent1 and making  
part of  the same1 containing a         
description in the words of the said    
,jethro  ,wood himself of his           
improvement in the construction of      
,ploughs4    ,considering the manifold  
errors and defects in the construction  
of  ,ploughs1 and the inconveniences    
experienced in the use of them1 the     
petitioner and inventor hath applied the
 powers of his mind to the  improvement 
of this noble utensil1 and produced a   
,plough so far  superior to those in    

common use1 that he asks an exclusive   
privilege  for the same from the        
government of his country4    ,the      
principal matters for which he solicits 
,letters ,patent1 he now  reduces to    
writing1 and explains in words and      
sentences as appropriate  and           
significant as he possibly can4 ,but1   
being perfectly aware of the  feebleness
 and insufficiency of language to convey
 precise and  adequate ideas of         
complicated forms and proportions1 the  
said ,jethro  ,wood annexes to these    
presents1 a delineation upon paper of   
his said  new and improved ,plough1 with
 full and explanatory notes2 urging with
  earnestness and respect that the      
delineation and notes may be  considered
 as a part of this communication4 ,the  
said petitioner and  inventor also1     
being perfectly convinced1 as a         
practical man1 that a  model of his     
inventions and improvements will convey 
and preserve the  most exact and durable
 impressions of the matters to which he 

lays  claim1 he sends herewith a model  
of the due form and proportion of  each1
 as a just exhibition of his principle  
and of its application to  the          
construction and improvement of the     
,plough1 requesting that the  same may  
be kept in the ,patent ,office1 as a    
perpetual memorial of the  invention and
 its use4    ,in the first place1 the   
said ,jethro ,wood claims an exclusive  
privilege for constructing the part of  
the ,plough1 heretofore1 and to  this   
day1 generally called the mould-board1  
in the manner hereinafter  mentioned4   
,this mould-board may be termed a       
plano-curvilinear figure1  not defined  
nor described in any of the elementary  
books of geometry  or mathematics4 ,but 
an idea may be conceived of it thus3    
,the land-side of the ,plough1 measuring
 from the point of the  mould-board1 is 
two feet and two inches long4 ,it is a  
strait-lined  surface1 from four to five
 and one-half inches wide1 and half an  
inch  thick4 ,its more particular       

description will be hereinafterwards    
given4  ,it is sufficient to observe    
here1 that of the twenty-six inches of  
length on the land-side1 eighteen inches
 belong to the part of the  ,plough     
strictly called the land-side1 and eight
 inches to the  mould-board4 ,the part  
of the mould-board comprehended by this 
space of  eight inches is very          
important1 affording weight and strength
 and  substance to the ,plough2 enabling
 it the better to sustain the           
cutting-edge for separating and         
elevating the soil or sward1 and        
likewise the standard for connecting the
 mould-board with the beam1 as  will    
hereinafter be described more at large4 
,the figure of the mould-board1 as      
observed from the furrow-side1 is a     
sort of irregular pentagon1 or          
five-sided plane1 though curved and     
inclined in a peculiar manner4 ,its two 
lower sides touch the ground1  or are   
intended to do so1 while the three other
 sides enter into the  composition of   

the oblique1 or slanting mould-board1   
over-hanging  behind1 vertical midway1  
and projecting forward4 ,the angle of   
the  mould-board1 as it departs from the
 foremost point of1 or at1 the          
land-side1 is about forty-two degrees1  
and the length of it1 or1 in  other     
words1 of the first side1 is eleven     
inches4 ,the line of the  next1 or the  
second side1 is nearly1 but not exactly 
parallel with the  before-mentioned     
right-lined land-side1 for it widens or 
diverges from  the angle at which the   
first and second sides join towards its 
posterior or hindermost point1 as much  
as one inch4 ,hence1 the  distance from 
the hindermost point of the mould-board1
 at the angle of  the second and third  
sides1 directly across to the land-side1
 is one  inch more than it is from the  
angle of the first and second sides1    
directly across4 ,the length of this1   
the second side1 is eight inches4  ,the 
next side1 or what is here denominated  
the third side1 leaves the  ground or   

furrow in a slanting direction backward1
 and with an  over-hanging curve1       
exceeding the perpendicular outwards    
from three to  six inches1 according to 
the size of the ,plough4 ,the length of 
this  third side is fourteen inches and 
one-half4 ,the fourth side of this      
mould-board is horizontal1 or nearly so1
 extending from the uppermost  point of 
the third side1 to the fore part1 or    
pitch1 eighteen inches4  ,the fifth1 or 
last side1 descends or slopes from the  
last mentioned  mark1 spot1 or pitch1 to
 the place of beginning at the low and  
fore  point of the mould-board1 where it
 joins the land-side4 ,its length is    
thirteen inches4    ,besides these      
properties and proportions of his       
mould-board1 the said  ,jethro ,wood now
 explains other properties which it     
possesses1 and by  which it may be and  
is distinguished from every other       
invented thing4  ,the peculiar curve has
 been compared to that of the screw     
auger2 and  it has been likened to the  

prow of a ship4 ,neither of these       
similitudes conveys the fair and proper 
notion of the invention4    ,the        
mould-board1 which the said ,jethro     
,wood claims as his own1 and  which is  
the result of profound reflection and of
 numberless  experiments1 is a sort of  
plano-curvilinear surface1 as           
herein-before  stated1 having the       
following bearings and relations3 ,a    
right line1  drawn by a chalked string  
or cord1 or by a straight rule1         
diagonally  or obliquely upwards and    
backwards from a point two inches and a 
half  inch above the tip or extremity of
 the mould-board to the angle where  the
 third and fourth sides of the          
mould-board join1 touches the  surface  
the whole distance1 in an even and      
uniform application1 and  leaves no     
sinking1 depression1 hole1 cavity1      
rising1 lump1 or  protuberance1 in any  
part of the distance4 ,so1 at a distance
 half way  between the diagonal line    
just described1 and the angle between   

the  first and second sides1 a line     
drawn parallel to the diagonal line     
already mentioned will receive the      
chalked string or cord1 or the  straight
 rule1 as on an uniform and even surface
 without the smallest  bend1 sinuosity1 
or bunch1 whereby earth might adhere to 
the  mould-board1 and impede the motion 
and progress of the ,plough1 under1     
through and along the soil4    ,in like 
manner1 if a point be taken one inch    
behind the angle  connecting the second 
and third sides1 and a perpendicular be 
raised  upon it1 that perpendicular will
 coincide with the vertical portion of  
the mould-board in that place2 or1 in   
other words1 if a plumb line be  let    
fall so as to reach a point one inch    
behind the last mentioned  angle1 then  
such a plumb line will hang parallel    
with the mould-board  the whole way2 the
 line of the mould-board there1 neither 
projecting  nor receding but being both 
a right line and a perpendicular line4  
,moreover1 if a right line be drawn from

 a point on the just described          
perpendicular1 an inch1 or thereabouts1 
above the upper margin of the  fourth   
side1 and from the point to which the   
said perpendicular1 if  continued1 would
 reach2 if1 the said ,jethro ,wood      
repeats1 a right line  be drawn downward
 and forward1 not exactly parallel to   
the diagonal  herein already described1 
but so diverging from the same that it  
is  one inch more distant or further    
apart1 at its termination on the  fifth 
side of the mould-board1 than at its    
origin or place of  beginning2 such     
line1 so beginning1 continued1 and      
ended1 is a right  line parallel to the 
mould-board along its whole course and  
direction1  and the space over which it 
passes has no inequality1 hill1 or      
hollow  thereabout4    ,furthermore1 an 
additional property of his mould-board  
is1 that1 if  it be measured and proved 
various ways1 vertically and obliquely1 
by  the saw in fashioning it1 by the    
rule in meeting it1 and by the          

chalk-line in determining it1 the       
capital and distinguishing character  of
 right lines existing on1 over and along
 the peculiar curve which  his          
mould-board describes1 is always and    
inseparably present4 ,this  grand and   
discriminating feature of his           
mould-board1 he considers as  of the    
utmost importance4    ,he therefore     
craves the aid and elucidation of his   
drawing1 and of  his model1 in their    
totality and in their several parts1 to 
render  plain and sure whatever there   
may be1 from the abstruse and recondite 
nature of the subject1 uncertain or     
dubious in the language of his          
specification4    ,in the second place1 
the said ,jethro ,wood claims an        
exclusive right  and privilege in the   
construction of a standard of cast iron1
 like the  rest of the work already     
described1 for connecting the           
mould-board  with the beam4 ,this       
standard is broad1 stout1 strong2 and   
rises from  the fore and upper part of  

the mould-board1 being cast with it1 and
  being a projection or continuation of 
the same from where the fourth  and     
fifth sides meet4 ,its figure1 strength1
 and arrangement are such  as best to   
secure the connexion1 and to enable the 
standard thus  associated with the beam1
 to bear the pull1 tug1 and brunt of    
service4  ,by a screw bolt and nut      
properly adjusted above the top of the  
standard and acting along its side1     
assisted1 if need require1 by a  wedge  
for tightening and loosening1 the beam  
may be raised and  lowered2 and the     
mould-board1 with its cutting edge1     
enabled to make a  furrow of greater or 
smaller depth1 as the ploughman may     
desire1 and a  latch and key fixed to   
the beam1 and capable of being turned   
into  notches1 grooves1 or depressions  
on one edge or narrow side of the       
standard1 serves to keep the beam from  
settling or descending4 ,by  means of   
these screw bolts1 wedges1 latches1 and 
keys1 with their  appropriate notches1  

teeth1 and joggles1 the ,plough may be  
deepened or  shallowed most exactly4    
,in the third place1 the said ,jethro   
,wood claims an exclusive  privilege in 
the inventions and improvements made by 
him in the  construction of the cutting 
edge of the mould-board1 or what may be 
called1 in plain language1 the          
plough-share4 ,the cutting edge consists
  of cast iron1 as do the mould-board   
and land-side themselves4 ,it is  about 
twelve inches and one half of one inch  
long1 four inches and one  half of one  
inch broad1 and in the thickest part    
three quarters of an  inch thick4 ,it is
 so fashioned and cast1 that it fits    
snugly and  nicely into a corresponding 
excavation or depression at the low and 
fore edge of the mould-board1 along the 
side herein before termed the  first    
side4 ,when properly adapted1 the       
cutting edge seems1 by its  uniformity  
of surface and evenness of connextion1  
to be an elongation  of the mould-board1
 or1 as it were1 an extension or        

continuation of  the same4 ,to give the 
cutting edge firm coherence and         
connexion1 it is  secured to the        
mould-board by one or more knobs1 pins  
or heads in the  inner and higher side1 
which are received into one or more     
holes in  the fore and lower part of the
 mould-board4 ,by this mechanism1 the   
edge is lapped on and kept fast and     
true1 without the employment of  screws4
 ,that the cutting edge may be the more 
securely and immovably  kept in its     
place1 it has a groove1 or ship-lap of  
one inch in length1  below1 or at its   
under side1 near the angle between the  
first and  second sides1 for the purpose
 of holding it1 and for the further     
accomplishment of the same object1      
another groove or ship-lap1 stouter  and
 stronger than the preceding1 is also   
cast in the iron1 at or near  the point 
of the mould-board1 so as to cover1     
encase1 and protect it  effectually1 on 
the upper and lower sides1 but not on   
the land side4    ,after the cutting    

edge is thus adapted and adjusted to the
  mould-board by means of the           
indentations1 pins1 holes1 ship-laps1   
and  fastenings1 it is fixed to its     
place and prevented from slipping back1 
or working off1 by wedges or pins of    
wood1 or other material1 driven  into   
the holes from the inner and under side1
 and forced tight home by  a hammer4    
,in the fourth place1 the said ,jethro  
,wood claims the exclusive right  of    
securing the handles of his plough to   
the mould-board and land-side  of the   
plough by means of notches1 ears1 loops1
 or holders1 cast with  the mould-board 
and land-side respectively1 and serving 
to receive and  contain the handles1    
without the use of nuts and screws4 ,for
 this  purpose one or more ears or      
loops1 or one or more pairs of notches  
or  holders are cast on the inner side  
of the mould-board and land side1       
toward their hinder or back parts1 or   
near their after margins1 for  the      
reception of the handles of the ,plough4

 ,and these1 when duly  entered and     
fitted1 are wedged in1 instead of being 
fastened by  screws4    ,in the fifth   
place1 the said ,jethro ,wood claims an 
exclusive right to  his invention and   
improvement in the mode of fitting1     
adapting and  adjusting the cast iron   
landside to the cast iron mould-board4  
,their  junction is after the manner of 
tenon and mortice2 the tenon being at   
the fore end of the land-side and the   
mortice being at the inside of  the     
mould-board and near its point4 ,the    
tenon and mortice are joggled1  or      
dove-tailed together in the casting     
operation1 so as to make them  hold     
fast4 ,the fore end of the tendon is    
additionally secured by a  cast         
projection from the inside of the       
mould-board for its reception2  and if  
any other tightening or bracing should  
be requisite1 a wooden  wedge1 well     
driven in1 will bind every part         
effectually1 and all this  is           
accomplished without the assistance or  

instrumentality of screws4    ,the said 
inventor and petitioner wishes it to be 
understood1 that the  principal metallic
 material of his ,plough is cast iron4  
,he has very  little use for wrought    
iron1 and by adapting the former to the 
extent  he has done1 and by             
discontinuing the latter1 he is enabled 
to make  the ,plough stronger and       
better1 as well as more lasting and     
cheap4    ,he also claims1 and hereby   
asserts the right1 of varying the       
dimensions and proportions of his       
,plough1 and of its several sections    
and parts1 in the relations of somewhat 
more and somewhat less of  length1      
breadth1 thickness1 and composition1    
according to his judgment  or fancy1 so 
that all the while he adheres to his    
principle and  departs not from it4     
,regarding each and every of the matters
 submitted as very conducive  to the    
reputation and emolument of the said    
,jethro ,wood1 he relies  confidently   
upon a benign and favorable construction

 of his petition  and specification1 by 
the constituted authorities of his      
country4    ,given under his hand1 at   
the city of ,new ,york1 this fourteenth 
day of  ,august1 one thousand eight     
hundred and nineteen 7#ahai71 in the    
presence of two witnesses1 to wit3      
,,sam',l ,l4 ,,mitchell1       ,j4 ,g4  
,,bogert4       ,,jethro ,,wood4        
,this patent expired by its own         
limitation in fourteen years1 when it   
was renewed or continued for another    
term of fourteen years4 ,in view  of the
 comparative ease and speediness with   
which the inventors of the  present day1
 or their assigns1 utilize really       
valuable patents1 it  would be inferred1
 in the absence of specific knowledge to
 the  contrary1 that twenty-eight years 
constituted a sufficiently long  period 
for the enjoyment by ,mr4 ,wood1 of the 
full and exclusive right  and liberty of
 making1 constructing1 using and vending
 to others to  be used1 the plow which  
he had invented4 ,no doubt some members 

of  ,congress in refusing to continue   
the patent for a third term1 acted  from
 conscientious motives4 ,but in point of
 fact1 the period was  occupied in a    
series of struggles calamitous to the   
inventor1 to the  history of which we   
must now turn4 ,these struggles were    
unlike those  in the lives of some other
 great inventors1 notably1 ,goodyear and
  ,howe4 ,it was not a warfare for      
existence1 the wolf of poverty staring  
him in the face4 ,the broad fields which
 he had inherited from his  father were 
adequate immunity from the sad fate too 
frequently  allotted to inventors4 ,but 
no benefactor of mankind in the domain  
of  mechanism ever experienced more     
iniquitous treatment than ,jethro ,wood 
did4    ,before the year #ahai closed1  
his mission as an inventor was an       
accomplished fact4 ,the popular name    
given his implement1 ,the ,cast  ,iron  
,plow1 from its entire abandonment of   
wrought iron in its  construction1      
needed no change to be the noblest gift 

ever made to  agriculture4 ,in the      
ideal1 hope had ripened into full       
fruition4 ,and  now1 at this day1       
looking at the matter in the light of   
the past1  seeing the absolutely        
incalculable benefits of the invention1 
it seems  almost incredible that the    
,american people1 then even more than   
now1 a  nation of farmers1 should not   
have hailed the new plow as an          
unspeakable boon1 especially the        
community in which he dwelt1 for        
,cayuga county then1 as now1 under a    
high state of cultivation1 was and  is  
peopled by a population of much more    
than average intelligence4 ,but  an     
inventor1 like a prophet1 is not without
 honor save in his own  country4 ,his   
neighbors gravely shook their heads at  
,jethro's folly4  ,with almost entire   
unanimity they agreed that the new      
contrivance  would never work4 ,his     
trials and difficulties at this stage of
  progress are told as follows1 by one  
who wrote largely from personal         

recollection3    ,he immediately began  
to manufacture his plows1 and introduce 
them to  the farmers in his             
neighborhood4 ,the difficulties which he
 now  encountered would have daunted any
 man without extraordinary  perseverance
 and a firm belief in the inestimable   
benefit to  agriculture sure to result  
from his invention4 ,he was obliged to  
manufacture all the patterns1 and to    
have the plow cast under the            
disadvantages usual with new machinery4 
,the nearest furnace was thirty  miles  
from his home1 and1 baffled by obstacles
 which unskillful and  disobliging      
workmen threw in his way1 he visited it1
 day after day1  directing the making of
 his patterns1 standing by the furnaces 
while  the metal was melting1 and often 
with his own hands aiding in the        
casting4    ,when1 at length1 samples of
 his plow were ready for use1 he met    
with  another difficulty in the         
unwillingness of the farmers to accept  
them4  ',what1' they cried1 in contempt1

 'a plow made of pot metal8 ,you might  
as well attempt to turn up the earth    
with a glass plowshare4 ,it would       
hardly be more brittle4'    ,one day he 
induced one of the most skeptical       
neighbors to make a  public trial of the
 plow4 ,a large concourse gathered to   
see how it  would work4 ,the field      
selected for the test was thickly strewn
 with  stones1 many of them firmly      
imbedded in the soil1 and jutting up    
from  the surface4 ,all predicted that  
the plow would break at the outset4 ,to 
their astonishment and ,wood's          
satisfaction1 it went around the field1 
running easily and smoothly1 and turning
 up the most perfect furrow  which had  
ever been seen4 ,the small stones       
against which the farmer  maliciously   
guided it1 to test the 'brittle' metal1 
moved out of the  way as if they were   
grains of sand1 and it slid around the  
immovable  rocks as if they were        
icebergs4 ,incensed at the              
non-fulfillment of  his prophecy1 the   

farmer finally drove the plow with all  
force upon a  large bowlder1 and found  
to his amazement that it was uninjured  
by the  collision4 ,it proved a day of  
triumph for ,jethro ,wood1 and from that
  time he heard few taunts about the    
pot-metal4    ,it was soon discovered   
that his plow turned up the soil with so
 much  ease that two horses could do the
 work for which a yoke of oxen and a    
span of horses had sometimes been       
insufficient before2 that it made a     
better furrow1 and that it could be     
bought for seven or eight dollars2  no  
more running to the blacksmith1 either1 
to have it sharpened4 ,it  was proved a 
thorough and valuable success4 ,thomas  
,jefferson1 from his  retirement at     
,monticello1 wrote ,wood a letter of    
congratulation1 and  although his theory
 of the construction of mould-boards had
 differed  entirely from the inventor's1
 gave his most hearty appreciation to   
the merits of the new plow4    ,in this 
connection may be told a curious        

episode1 one in itself worthy  of       
record1 and strikingly illustrative of  
the perversities of fortune  to ,mr4    
,wood in those gloomy days4 ,it is the  
story of a ,czar and a  ,citizen4       
,all uncertainty as to the feasibility  
of the new plow having been  removed1   
and actuated by that broad philanthropy 
which was one of the  peculiar charms in
 the character of ,mr4 ,wood1 he desired
 to extend as  widely as possible the   
area of his usefulness1 and concluded to
 make  the ,czar of ,russia1 so long the
 chief grain exporting country of the   
world1 the present of one of his plows4 
,during the ,revolutionary war1  then   
fresh in the ,american mind1 that great 
sovereign1 ,catherine of  ,russia1 had  
been the staunch friend of this country1
 and that1 too1  without being impelled 
by jealousy of ,great ,britain4 ,it     
seems to be a  peculiar trait in the    
,romanoff family to admire liberty in   
the  abstract1 however absolute in      
practice4 ,sharing the prevailing good  

will toward ,russia1 ,mr4 ,wood         
conceived this happy thought of making a
  truly substantial contribution to     
,cossack civilization1 a civilization   
ever ready1 with all its crudeness1 to  
adopt foreign improvements4  ,that gift1
 in one point of view slight1 proved of 
great benefit to  ,russian agriculture4 
,it is impossible to state the extent of
 actual  advantage derived by ,russia   
from that truly imperial gift4 ,it was  
in  effect giving to that country1      
second only to the ,united ,states in   
area of tillage1 in proportion to       
population1 the free use of the         
perfected plow4 ,in an old copy of the  
,new ,york ,tribune1 in its palmy  days 
of ,horace ,greeley and ,solon          
,robinson1 the tale of the ,plow and    
the ,ring is unfolded4 ,it runs thus3   
,during the year1 #ahbj1 ,jethro ,wood  
sent one of his plows to ,alexander  ,i1
 ,emperor of ,russia1 and the peculiar  
circumstances attending the  gift and   
its reception formed a large part of the

 newspaper gossip of  the day4 ,wood1   
though a man of cultivation1            
intellectually as well as               
agriculturally1 was not familiar with   
,french1 which was then as now  the     
diplomatic language4 ,so he requested   
his personal friend1 ,dr4  ,samuel      
,mitchill1 ,president of the ,new ,york 
,society of ,natural ,history  and      
,sciences1 to write a letter in ,french 
to accompany the gift4    ,the autocrat 
of all the ,russias received the plow   
and the letter1 and  sent back a diamond
 ring--which the newspapers declared to 
be worth  from #g1jjj to #ae1jjj--;in   
token of his appreciation4 ,by some     
indirection1 the ring was not delivered 
to the donor of the plow1 but  to the   
writer of the letter1 and ,dr4 ,mitchill
 instantly appropriated  it to his own  
use4 ,wood appealed to the ,russian     
,minister at ,washington  for redress4  
,the ,minister sent to ,his ,emperor and
 asked to whom the  ring belonged1 and  
,alexander replied that it was intended 

for the  inventor of the plow4 ,armed   
with this authority1 ,wood again        
demanded  the ring of ,mitchill4 ,but   
there were no steamships or telegraphs  
in  those days1 and ,mitchill declared  
that in the long interval in which  they
 had been waiting to hear from ,russia1 
he had given it to the  cause of the    
,greeks1 who were then rising to throw  
off the yoke of  their ,turkish         
oppressors4 ,a newspaper of the time    
calls ,mitchill's  course 'an ingenious 
mode of quartering on the enemy1' and   
the  inventor's friends seem to have    
believed that the ring had been         
privately sold for his benefit4 ,at all 
events it never came to light  again1   
and ,wood1 a peaceful man1 a ,quaker by 
profession1 did not push  the matter    
further4    ,perhaps another and quite  
as potent a reason why ,friend ,wood did
 not  follow up this matter was that    
weightier affairs demanded his          
immediate and entire attention4 ,one    
difficulty was overcome only to  develop

 another4 ,no sooner had he silenced the
 cavils of the farmers  and demonstrated
 the value of his patent1 than          
infringements upon his  rights          
threatened to1 and actually did1 rob him
 of the fruits of his  invention4       
,uneasy rests the head that wears a     
crown of genius4    ,the patent laws of 
that day were very imperfect1 and there 
was a  strong prejudice against their   
enforcement4 ,the cry of no monopoly    
was raised4 ,mr4 ,wood had expended many
 thousands of dollars in  perfecting his
 patterns and getting ready to supply   
the demand which  he felt sure would    
arise for his plows1 many of which1     
during the  first few years1 he gave    
away1 that their value might be         
established  to the satisfaction of the 
public4 ,the stage of probation over1   
the  plow makers of the country1 defiant
 of patent law1 engaged in their        
manufacture4 ,his patent had fourteen   
years to run4 ,in an incredibly  short  
time their use by the farmers in all    

parts of the land became  almost        
universal1 and had he been allowed a    
royalty1 however small1 he  would have  
realized a vast fortune4 ,instead of    
that he very nearly  exhausted all his  
property in unavailing endeavors to     
establish  through the courts his rights
 as inventor and patentee4    ,in #ahcc1
 when his patent expired1 ,congress     
granted a renewal for  fourteen years4  
,he was now bowed with the burden of    
years1 and debts  incurred in trying to 
protect himself against infringers4 ,his
  remaining days were spent in vain     
efforts to maintain his rights4 ,his    
broad and kindly nature had conceived   
noble plans for the use of the  wealth  
which at one time seemed so nearly      
within his reach4 ,he had  always been  
deeply interested in education1 and had 
fortune smiled  upon him it is not too  
much to say that in spirit1 however     
different  in detail1 ,jethro ,wood     
would have anticipated ,stephen ,girard1
 ,ezra  ,cornell and ,john ,s4 ,hopkins1

 in nobly founding a great institution  
of  learning4    ,in private life       
,jethro ,wood was a model man4 ,if he   
had faults it is  impossible to         
ascertain them1 for it would seem1 from 
the concurrent  testimony of all who    
were acquainted with him1 that          
,none knew him but to love him1         
,none name him but to praise4           
,although a consistent member of the    
,society of ,friends1 ,mr4 ,wood was    
extremely liberal in his religious      
views1 and did not conform to the       
peculiar dress of the sect4 ,he had that
 truly ,catholic spirit so  admirably   
characteristic of the great             
,quaker-poet1 ,john ,g4 ,whittier4  ,not
 even the cruel wrongs he sustained at  
the hands of dishonest  infringers could
 turn the sweetness of his kindly       
temper4 ,nature had  endowed him richly 
in every way1 and no gift had been      
abused4  ,physically1 his was the       
highest type of manly beauty4 ,six feet 
and two  inches in height1 perfect in   

proportion1 courtly in manner1 his      
presence was worthy his character4      
,we will not linger over the closing    
scene of his eventful life4 ,that       
belongs to the sacred secrecy of private
 grief4 ,his death occurred at  the very
 threshold of a new conflict1 and upon  
it his son and  executor1 ,benjamin     
,wood1 entered with intelligent zeal4   
,the closing of  it being reserved for  
two of his daughters4    ,the story of  
these new labors was well told several  
years ago by a  journalist familiar with
 the facts1 and we cannot do better than
 to  unearth the record from its musty  
file1 and by transcribing it to  these  
pages1 give it a kind of resurrection   
worthy its importance4    ,after the    
death of ,jethro ,wood1 his son         
,benjamin1 who received the  invention  
as a legacy1 continued his efforts to   
wrest justice from the  unwilling hand  
of the law4 ,nearly all his father's    
failures had  proceeded from the        
inadequacy of the patent laws1 which    

were almost  worthless to protect the   
rights of the inventor4 ,even now a     
patent is  worth little until it has    
been fought through the ,supreme ,court 
of  the ,united ,states4 ,in those days 
so many obstacles were thrown in the    
way of inventors1 and the combinations  
against them were so  formidable1 that  
,eli ,whitney1 in trying to establish   
his right to the  cotton-gin in a       
,georgia court1 while his machine was   
doubling and  trebling the value of     
lands through the ,state1 had this      
experience1  which is given in his own  
words3 ,i had great difficulty in       
proving  that the machine had been used 
in ,georgia1 although at the same       
moment there were three separate sets of
 this machinery in motion  within fifty 
yards of the building in which the court
 sat1 and all  so near that the rattling
 of the wheels was distinctly heard on  
the  steps of the ,court ,house4        
,similar difficulties had met ,jethro   
,wood in his suits2 so his son  resolved

 to strike at the root of the evil by   
securing a reform in the  laws4 ,he     
accordingly went to ,washington1 where  
he remained through  several sessions1  
always working to this end4 ,clay1      
,webster1 and ,john  ,quincy ,adams1 all
 of whom had known ,jethro ,wood and his
 invention1  aided his son powerfully   
with their votes and counsel1 and he    
succeeded in securing several important 
changes in the patent laws4    ,then he 
returned to ,new ,york1 and commenced   
suit to resist  encroachments on his    
right1 and the wholesale manufacture of 
his plow  by those who refused to pay   
the premium to the inventor4 ,the       
',cast-,iron ,plow' was now used all    
over the country1 and formidable        
combinations of its manufacturers united
 their capital and influence  against   
,benjamin ,wood4 ,william ,h4 ,seward1  
then practicing law1 was  retained as   
,wood's counsel1 and the plow-makers    
engaged all the talent  they could      
muster to oppose him4    ,heretofore it 

had never been contradicted that ,jethro
 ,wood was the  originator of the plow  
in use1 but now his right to the        
invention was  denied1 and it was       
alleged that his improvements had been  
forestalled  by other makers4 ,again and
 again the case was adjourned1 and      
,europe  and ,america were ransacked for
 specimens of the different plows which 
were declared to include his patent4    
,mr4 ,wood also obtained from ,england  
samples of the plows of ,james  ,small  
and ,robert ,ransom4 ,he searched       
,new-,jersey to find the ,peacock  plow 
which was said to have a cast-iron      
mould-board of exactly similar  shape to
 his father's4 ,everywhere in that      
,state he found ',wood's plow'  in use1 
but he could hear nothing of the one he 
sought4 ,at length  riding near a       
farm-house he discovered one of the old 
',newbold-,peacock  plows' lying under a
 fence1 dilapidated and rust-eaten4 ',we
 don't use  it any more1' the farmer    
replied to his inquiries1 'we've got one

 a  good deal better4' ',will you sell  
this8' asked ,wood4 ',well1 yes4' ,and  
,wood1 glad to get it at almost any     
price1 paid the keen farmer1 who  took  
advantage of his evident anxiety1 two or
 three times the price of  a new plow1  
and added the old one to his specimens4 
,this motley collection of implements   
was brought into court and  exhibited to
 the judges4 ,at last1 after the case   
had dragged its slow  length along1     
through many terms1 and the plaintiff   
was nearly worn  out with the law's     
delay1 the time for final trial and     
decision  arrived4 ,the combination of  
plow-makers feared that the case would  
go  in ,wood's favor1 and made every    
effort to keep him out of court1 that   
he might lose it by default4 ,during his
 long entanglement in the law1  he had  
contracted many debts1 and one of his   
opponents had managed to  purchase      
several of these accounts4 ,just before 
the case was to be  heard for the last  
time1 this worthy plow manufacturer1    

attended by a  sheriff1 and armed with a
 warrant to arrest ,wood for debt1      
appeared at  the front door of his      
house4 ,fortunately ,wood had had a few 
minutes  warning1 and slipping out at   
the back door1 he made his way under    
cover of approaching darkness to a house
 of a friendly neighbor4 ,there  he     
procured a horse and started for        
,albany1 #aej miles distant1 hearing    
every moment in fancy the clattering of 
hoofs at his heels4    ,as if fortune   
could not be sufficiently ill-natured1  
his horse proved  vicious and           
unmanageable1 and thrice in the tedious 
journey threw the  rider from his saddle
 upon the frozen earth1 so injuring him1
 that he  was barely able to go on4     
,on arriving at ,albany he found himself
 not a moment too soon4 ,the  case had  
an immediate hearing1 and after three   
days' trial the ,circuit  ,court decided
 unequivocally that the plow now in     
general use over the  country was unlike
 any other which had been produced2 that

 the  improvements which rendered it so 
effective were due to ,jethro ,wood1    
and that all manufacturers must pay his 
heirs for the privilege of  making it4  
,this was a great triumph2 but it was   
now the late autumn of #ahde1 and  the  
last grant of the patent had little more
 than a year to run4 ,wood  again       
repaired to ,washington to apply for a  
new extension1 but the  excitements of  
so long a contest had been too much for 
him4 ,just as he  had recommenced his   
efforts they were forever ended4 ,while 
talking  with one of his friends1 he    
suddenly fell dead from heart disease1  
and  the patent expired without renewal4
    ,the last male heir to the invention
 was no more4 ,on settling the  estate1 
it was found that while not a vestige   
remained of the large  fortune owned by 
,jethro ,wood when he began his career1 
less than five  hundred and fifty       
dollars had ever been received from his 
invention4    ,the after history of the 
case is a brief one4 ,four daughters of 

,jethro  ,wood alone remained to        
represent the family4 ,in the winter of 
#ahdh the  two younger sisters went to  
,washington to petition ,congress that a
  bill might be passed for their relief1
 in view of the inestimable  services of
 their father to the agricultural       
interests of the country4  ,webster     
declared that he regarded their father  
as a 'public  benefactor1' and gave them
 his most efficient aid2 ,clay warmly   
espoused their cause1 and the venerable 
,john ,quincy ,adams1 with his          
trembling hand--then so enfeebled by age
 that he rarely used the  pen--wrote    
them kind notes1 heartily sympathizing  
with them4 ,on one  memorable day1 while
 they were in the ,house gallery1 ,mr4  
,adams1 at his  desk on the floor1 wrote
 them briefly in relation to their case4
 ,a few  minutes later he was struck    
with the fatal attack under which he    
exclaimed1 ',this is the last of earth2 
,i am content1' and was borne  dying to 
the ,speaker's room4 ,the tremulous     

lines1 the last his hand  ever traced1  
were found on his desk and delivered to 
,miss ,wood4    ,a bill providing that  
in these four heirs should rest for     
seven years  the exclusive right of     
making and vending the improvements in  
the  construction of the cast-iron plow2
 and that twenty-five cents on each     
plow might be exacted from all who      
manufactured it1 passed the ,senate     
unanimously4 ,but ,washington already   
swarmed with plow manufacturers4  ,the  
city of ,pittsburgh alone sent five to  
look after their interests4  ,money was 
freely used1 and the members of the     
,house ,committee who  were to report on
 the bill were assured that during the  
#bh years of  the patent1 ,wood's family
 had reaped immense wealth1 and wished  
to  keep up a monopoly4 ,the two quiet  
ladies1 fresh from the retirement of  a 
,quaker home1 where they had learned    
little of the world1 were even  accused 
of attempting to secure its extention   
through bribery4 ,it was  the wolf      

charging the lamb with roiling the      
water4 ,so ignorant were  they of such  
means1 that1 though the ,chairman of the
 ,committee plainly  told the younger   
lady in a few words of private          
conversation that a  very few thousand  
dollars would give her a favorable      
verdict1 she did  not understand the    
suggestion till after an unfavorable    
report was  presented1 and the bill     
killed in the ,house4    ,when they were
 about to leave ,washington1 some       
friendly members of  ,congress advised  
them to deposit the valuable documents  
which had been  used in their suit1     
including the letter from ,thomas       
,jefferson to  ,jethro ,wood1 in the    
archives of the ,house1 where they could
 only be  withdrawn on the motion of    
some member4 ,they did so1 and left them
 for  some years uncalled for4 ,when at 
last they applied for them they could   
not be found4 ,nor from that time to the
 present has any trace of them  been    
discovered by any of the family4 ,thus  

perished the last vestige  of proof     
relating to this ill-fated invention4   
,this is a fair and candid statement1   
one fully sustained by  unimpeachable   
documentary evidence4 ,especially by the
 somewhat  voluminous pamphlet entitled 
,documents relating to the improvements 
of ,jethro ,wood in the ,construction of
 the ,plough4 ,a careful  examination of
 the testimony therein embodied1 and of 
the  ,congressional ,reports on the     
subject1 warrant the foregoing          
statements4    ,it is not strange that  
in an early annual report of the ,united
 ,states  ,commissioner of ,agriculture1
 that official should have remarked with
  some bitterness that ,although ,wood  
was one of the greatest  benefactors to 
mankind by this admirable invention1 he 
never received1  for all his thought1   
anxiety and expense1 a sum of money     
sufficient to  defray the expenses of   
his decent burial4 ,the time long since 
passed  forever to seek pecuniary       
indemnity2 but a debt of gratitude never

  outlaws1 and it is due to the great   
inventor that his countrymen  should    
gratefully cherish his memory4 ,every   
year adds to the debt we  all owe him4  
,as the area of cultivation widens1 the 
obligation  deepens4 ,already ,america  
is the foremost nation of all the earth 
in  the production of wheat and         
provisions1 the latter being in reality 
corn in meat form4 ,in exchange for our 
food supplies1 the ,united  ,states is  
draining ,europe of its gold at an      
enormous rate1 and the  fundamental     
element in the production of ,american  
wealth1 is our great  implement of      
tillage4 ,american prosperity is the    
monumental glory of  ,jethro ,wood and  
his plow4    ,the ,balance ,sheet of the
 ,world shows that the ,united ,states  
can  boast more acres of tillage1 in    
proportion to population1 than any      
other country on the globe2 and in grain
 production1 outstrips all  competitors4
 ,of such a record every ,american      
citizen may well be  proud1 and it      

should be remembered that without the   
genius of ,wood  such a record could not
 have been made1 even approximately4    
,but in  order to a just appreciation of
 the importance of the modern plow and  
the usefulness of the inventor of it1   
one should take a retrospective  glance1
 tracing1 as best we may without tedious
 details1 the steps  which led from the 
use of a forked stick to the present    
implement for  fallowing the ground4    
,the ,scientific ,american1 which ought 
to be  good authority on such a subject1
 in speaking of the ,wood patent1  says3
 ,previously the plow was a stick of    
wood plated with iron4 ,if  this does   
sound like an exaggeration1 but is      
really a plain statement  of fact1      
consider for a moment what the plow     
really is in its relation  to           
civilization4    ,the savage lives by   
the chase and upon the bounty of        
untilled nature4  ,the first steps      
toward civilization are to domesticate  
animals1 and  cultivate the soil with a 

rude kind of hoe4 ,both are alike       
primitive4  ,the next step is to press  
the beast into service by supplementing 
the  hoe with a plow4 ,in that implement
 we see what might be called the        
original strand in the mighty cord which
 binds in co-operation man1  brute and  
earth4 ,by means of this agency of      
agriculture the beast of  the field is  
made to toil1 and purchases the benefits
 of human  kindness at the expense of   
idleness and industry4 ,it is not too   
much1  then1 to say that the plow is at 
once the tie that binds1 and the        
tap-root which nourishes the world4 ,if 
by some miraculous calamity  this one   
implement were forever swept away1      
universal and unappeasable  famine would
 be inevitable4 ,and that occasional    
famines of a local  character are       
disappearing from the civilized world1  
is very largely1  if not chiefly1 due to
 the improved tillage resulting from    
improved  plows4    ,we might well say1 
in paraphrase of a familiar saying      

attributed to  ,napoleon3 ,let me make  
the plows of a nation1 and ,i care not  
who makes  their laws4    ,the primitive
 plow was and is 7for the barbarian of  
to-day is  substantially the same in his
 agricultural methods as the barbarian  
of  antiquity7 simply a forked stick1 to
 which is attached by a strip of        
rawhide or a wisp of grass1 a beast1    
often the patient cow4 ,as the  prong   
passes over the ground1 held down by the
 bowed form of the poor  tiller1 it     
barely scratches the face of the earth4 
,the first improvement was to reverse   
the stick and notch the forward  end4   
,by that means the animal could be more 
securely fastened to the  plow1 the     
thong being tied around the crotch of   
the stick4 ,the shorter  limb ran along 
the surface of the ground1 the notch in 
front being the  only reliance for      
stirring the soil4 ,in the absence of a 
compact turf1  such plowing would do a  
little good in rendering the ground     
fallow1  and would at least have the    

merit of not being so difficult to      
operate  as its predecessor4    ,the    
third plow had three parts4 ,it         
consisted of a beam1 a handle and a     
share1 all constructed by simply        
trimming the natural wood selected  for 
that purpose4 ,in the first plow the    
prong which served as a share  was      
slanting1 while in the third it rested  
flatly upon the ground1  projecting     
forward1 instead of backward1 as in the 
second plow4 ,it  could have required no
 very difficult search to have found    
small  trees and broken limbs1 needing  
no mechanical skill in fashioning1 to   
render them serviceable for such crude  
uses4 ,they may be termed  nature's     
contribution to the art of plow-making4 
,without going further into details1 it 
may be stated that a standard  authority
 on the history of mechanism asserts    
that the ancient  ,egyptian1 ,etruscan1 
,syrian1 and ,greek plows1 were equal to
 the modern  plows of the south of      
,france1 part of ,austria1 ,poland1     

,sweden1 ,spain1  ,turkey1 ,persia1     
,arabia1 ,india1 ,ceylon and ,china2 at 
least such was the  case until the      
middle of the present century4 ,the     
,roman and ,gallic  plows were better   
than those of the modern countries      
named4 ,the ,gauls  had mould-board     
plows4 ,pliny is our authority for this 
statement4 ,that  eminent ,latin author 
of eighteen centuries ago1 in speaking  
on the  general subject1 says3    ,plows
 are of various kinds4 ,the colter is   
the iron part which cuts  the thick sod 
before it is broken into pieces and     
traces beforehand by  its incision the  
future furrows1 which the share1        
reversed1 is to open  with its teeth4   
,another kind1 the common plowshare1 is 
nothing more  than a lever furnished    
with a pointed beak2 while another      
variety1  which is used in light1 easy  
soils1 does not present an edge         
projecting from the share-beam          
throughout1 but only a small point at   
the extremity4 ,in a fourth kind1 again1

 this point is larger and  formed with a
 cutting edge by the agency of which it 
cleaves the  ground1 and by the sharp   
edges at the side cuts up the weeds by  
the  roots4    ,pliny adds that the     
broader the plowshare the better it is  
for turning  up the soil4 ,these        
excerpts from the great ,roman may serve
 to show the  utmost reach of invention 
in that line1 until a new impulse1 begun
 in  the ,netherlands in the eighteenth 
century1 was brought to perfect         
development in the next century by an   
,american citizen who died the  poorer  
for his invention4    ,the highest of   
all authorities upon this and cognate   
subjects is  ,knight's ,american        
,mechanical ,dictionary1 and ,knight    
says of ,jethro  ,wood1 ,he made the    
best plows up to date4 ,he adds1 ,he met
 with great  opposition1 and then with  
much injustice1 losing a competency in  
introducing his plow and fighting       
infringers4 ,the same writer defines    
the peculiarities of the ,wood plow with

 remarkable clearness and  brevity3 ,it 
consisted in the mode of securing the   
cast-iron portions  together by lugs and
 locking pieces1 doing away with        
screw-bolts1 and  much weight1          
complexity and expense4 ,it was the     
first plow in which  the parts most     
exposed to wear could be renewed in the 
field by the  substitution of cast      
pieces4 ,considering the source of this 
passage1  it may be said that literature
 could hardly pay a nobler tribute to   
the memory of ,jethro ,wood than this4  
,it is doubly significant1 from  the    
fact that ,knight's publishers1         
,houghton1 ,osgood  ,co41 are also  the 
publishers of the ,atlantic ,monthly1 in
 the ,may number of which  magazine a   
habitue of the ,national ,capital tried 
to belittle the  invention of ,jethro   
,wood1 and malign as iniquitous the     
attempt of his  daughters1 championed by
 ,john ,quincy ,adams1 to secure for    
that  invention proper recognition4 ,it 
would be quite superfluous to follow    

this maligner in the details of this1   
and a subsequent attack in an           
agricultural journal4 ,he disclaims any 
design to defame the claimants1  but    
insists that other and earlier inventors
 deserve the credit for  the modern     
plow4 ,the opinion of ,knight's         
,dictionary upon the ,wood  patent has  
just been given1 and the following      
extract from the same  great work sets  
forth in their proper relations to the  
modern plow the  inventions of those for
 whom this habitue makes preposterous   
claims3    ,the modern plow1 says       
,knight1 originated in the low          
countries1  so-called4 ,flanders and    
,holland gave to ,england much of her   
husbandry  and gardening knowledge1     
field1 kitchen and ornamental4 ,blythe's
  ',improver ,improved1' published in   
#afeb1 has allusions to the subject4    
,lummis1 in #agbj1 imported plows from  
,holland4 ,james ,small1 of             
,berwickshire1 ,scotland1 made plows and
 wrote treatises on the subject1  #aghd4

 ,he made cast-iron mold-boards and     
wrought-iron shares1 and  introduced the
 draft-chain4 ,he made shares of        
cast-iron in #aghe4 ,the  importation of
 what was known as the ',rotherham' plow
 was the  immediate cause of the        
improvement in plows which dates from   
the  middle of the last century4        
,whether the name is derived from       
,rotterdam  cannot be determined4       
,the ,american plow1 during the colonial
 period1 was of wood1 the  mold-board   
being covered with sheet-iron1 or plates
 made by hammering  out old horseshoes4 
,jefferson studied and wrote on the     
subject1 to  determine the proper shape 
of the mold-board4 ,he treated it as    
consisting of a lifting and an upsetting
 wedge1 with an easy  connecting curve4 
,newbold1 of ,new ,jersey1 in #agig1    
patented a plow  with a mold-board1     
share and land side all cast together4  
,peacock1 in  his patent of #ahjg1 cast 
his plow in three pieces1 the point of  
the  colter entering a notch in the     

breast of the share4    ,it will be     
observed that the credit given these    
improvers of the plow  is very          
considerable1 without at all trenching  
upon the exceptional  credit due to     
,jethro ,wood4 ,with such an            
authoritative refutation1 the  slander  
may well be dismissed as beneath further
 notice4    ,in no way more             
appropriately can final leave be taken  
of the subject  in hand than by         
presenting the apostrophe to ,jethro    
,wood from the pen  of ,edward ,webster1
 formerly associated editor of the      
,rural ,new  ,yorker3        ,no jeweled
 diadem or crown        ,e'er glittered 
on thy manly brow--      ,no slave would
 tremble at thy frown1        ,nor at   
thy footstool bow2      ,for thou wert  
pure in heart and mind1      ,and strove
 to raise--not crush mankind6        ,as
 famed ,prometheus of yore1        ,in  
aid of our lost1 wretched sires1        
,stole from the flaming-sun1 and bore   
,down to the earth those fires          

,that fill with light and life all      
space1      ,and mark the ,day ,god's   
glorious race--        ,so thy inventive
 genius found        ,for man the bright
 and polished share1      ,that bids the
 willing fields abound        ,with     
fruits beyond compare2      ,and from   
the seed that falls like rain           
,crowds full our barns with bearded     
grain6        ,eternal may the honors   
shine1        ,we yield with grateful   
hearts to thee2      ,may children's    
children round thy shrine--        ,sons
 of the brave and free--      ,with     
reverent lips pronounce thy name1       
,and build for thee a deathless fame6