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-- ZebulunJohnson - 12 Jan 2017 | | |
Breaking the Soil | |
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< | Until the mid-19th century, the plow, the basic tool of soil preparation, remained remarkably similar to the plow used in ancient times. The plow is seen as far back as ancient Egypt: Egyptian bas-reliefs show a slave guiding two oxen drawing a wooden pronged implement, the longer prong attached to the oxen and the shorter prong digging in the soil. The wooden lower prong—now called a share—often broke, so the Egyptians covered the share in a hard cover made of flint. This technique of hardening the shares spread, and the plows mentioned biblically, as well as by the Greek poets Herodotus and Homer, were made of iron. The largest innovation in the plow before the 18th century came from the ancient Romans, who added a flat board to the plow to move the disturbed soil in one direction. This flat board is known today as the moldboard. | >
> | The initial task performed by farmers in the course of cultivating crops is preparation of a field utilizing a plow. A plow is composed of a hard object called a share which is stuck into the earth and then dragged through the field to create trenches in the soil called furrows. Also attached to the plow are flat boards called moldboards which overturn the soil. By overturning the soil, fresh nutrients are brought to the surface, and decomposable detritus such as weeds or previous crop remains are buried. Plows are attached to a form of power through a mechanism called a coupling. Today, tractors perform the task of plowing, but until the mid-19th century, the plow remained remarkably similar to the plow used in ancient times. (MoL? 752). | | | | |
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< | This Roman plow was the basic plow design used in the Western World until 1730, when English inventors created moldboards which would fully flip the disturbed soil, rather than simply moving it. After 1730, although the size and shape of the plow varied depending on the area being developed and the crop to be sown, and although plows were sometimes reinforced with strips of iron, the fundamental design of the plow remained remarkably similar until the end of the century, when Charles Newbold patented the first cast-iron moldboard. Although this new moldboard created a huge gain in productivity, it proved too expensive to repair, as it was cast in one piece and any damage would result in the necessity of a new moldboard. | >
> | The plow dates as far back as ancient Egypt: Egyptian bas-reliefs show a slave guiding two oxen drawing a wooden pronged implement, the longer prong attached to the oxen and the shorter prong digging in the soil. (MoL? 752). The wooden lower prong, the share, often broke, so the Egyptians began covering it in a hard cover made of flint. (AA 5). Over time, this technique of hardening the shares spread, and the plows mentioned biblically and by the Greek poets Herodotus and Homer were made of iron. (MoL? 752). The largest innovation to the plow before the 18th century came from the ancient Romans, who added a primitive moldboard to move the disturbed soil. (AA 5). This Roman plow was the basic plow design used in the Western World until 1730, when English inventors created moldboards which would fully flip the disturbed soil, rather than simply moving it. (AA 5). | | | | |
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< | Over the next two decades, American inventors tinkered with the design of the plow, and in 1814 the plows gain curved moldboards similar to those used today. In 1829, the defect in the Newbold plow of expensive repairs was fixed when Jethro Wood patented a plow which was cast in sections, allowing replacement of worn parts. After Wood’s sectional plow, an avalanche of different plow designs followed, with 186 plow patents being issued by 1870. It was also during this period that John Deere first entered the agricultural spotlight by patenting a plow with a steel share made of mill blades. The steel share easily scoured the dirt, and this feature of teel became crucial for plowing the sticky soil of the Midwest. | >
> | After 1730, the fundamental design of the plow remained remarkably similar until the end of the century [Footnote 1], when Charles Newbold patented the first cast-iron moldboard. Although this new moldboard created a huge gain in productivity [Footnote 2], because it was cast in one piece it proved too expensive to repair; any damage to the moldboard would require a complete replacement. (MoL? 754). Over the next three decades, American inventors tinkered with the design of the plow [Footnote 3], and Jethro Wood fixed the defect in the Newbold plow by patenting a plow cast in sections, which allowed replacement of worn parts. After Wood’s sectional plow, an avalanche of different plow designs followed, with 186 plow patents being issued by 1870. (MoL? 754). [Footnote 4]. | | | | |
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< | However, by 1855 the patents shifted focus from the design of the plow itself to the design of the “hook-up” of the plow to a power source. At this point in time, the primary labor savings came from the ability to increase the amount of power, allowing for multiple plows to be pulled at once, at the same time. For example, Iowa, which represented the median labor requirement of the US, required 4.1 man-hours per acre with a three-horse plow; 3.1 man-hours with a 4-horse plow; and 1.6 man-hours with a 5-horse plow. Western states such as Washington saw further economy of labor, whereas New England states such as New York saw less. The largest of these hook-ups allowed for twenty-horse outfits which could plow a strip of land with a width of up to 60 feet. | >
> | By 1855 the patents shifted focus from the design of the plow itself to the design of the coupling, improving the “hook-up” of the plow to a power source. At this point in time, the primary labor savings came from the ability to increase the amount of power, allowing for multiple plows to be pulled at once, at the same time.(754). The largest of these hook-ups allowed for twenty-horse outfits which could plow a strip of land with a width of up to 60 feet. (MoL? 755).
//[Transition from Ox plowing to Horse plowing. The transition became noticeable ~post-civil war. Is this because horses proved more adaptable to these types of couplings? Were the primary patents for horses? Which were the most popular patents? Did they work well for both horses & oxen, but some other form(s) of mechanized labor increase horse utility? Did something happen to the ox population during the civil war?]
[Footnote 1 - Although the size and shape of the plow varied depending on the area being developed and the crop to be sown, and although plows were sometimes reinforced with strips of iron,]
[Footnote 2 – Metal moldboards increased the amount of dirt which could be moved, the depth at which it could be moved, and required less effort for low-quality/hard soil. This was particularly useful in the Northeast]
[Footnote 3 - In 1814 the plows gain the curved moldboards , the design of which is still used today to those used today]
[Footnote 4 - It was also during this period that John Deere first entered the agricultural spotlight by patenting a plow with a steel share made of mill blades. (AmAg? 6). The steel share easily scoured the dirt, and this feature of teel became crucial for plowing the sticky soil of the Midwest. (AmAg? 6).]
[Footnote 5 - Iowa, representing the median labor requirement, required 4.1 man-hours per acre with a three-horse plow; 3.1 man-hours with a 4-horse plow; and 1.6 man-hours with a 5-horse plow. Western states such as Washington saw further economy of labor, whereas New England states such as New York saw less. (MoL754? -755)] | | |
Planting Drills |
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