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Of all the tools that man has used since the dawn of time to raise himself above the level of the brutes, there is none so great as the plow. Without the plow the cities would perish and the conquering grass and wilderness would overtake the haunts of man.
With his plow, the pioneer farmer conquered the woods, subdued the sods of centuries and converted the soils of virgin continents to the use of man. Upon the foundations made and maintained by the plow, and the man who holds it to its furrow. America has built the greatest civilization of all time. When the plow and his sublime faith, which leads him forth to turn the soils with renewed hope each springtime, the farmer makes possible all other industries of man; the plow and man who holds it feed and clothe the world.
The smoke of industry rises from a million plants. Railroads and the instruments of communication bind the world together. Ships sail the seas of the earth; great cities with inhabitants outnumbering the plowmen rear massive buildings at every natural trade center. But without that which the plowman obtains from his scratching of the earth's soil, all would become again as Nineveh and Tyre.
The story of "CORN", once the Indian's "MAZE", is almost the diary of the rural America. Corn was a barter or "Cash Crop", and one of the mainstay of the pioneer farmstead in Page County, Iowa. It provided food for the cold months and allowed the keeping of livestock. No family went completely hungry while a supply of yellow ears remained in the corn crib. This writers Grandfather always had a goal of getting the corn into the crib or shock by Thanksgiving Day, the mark of an conscientious man.
Prior to the Civil War (1862), production of farm tools of everyday life in the United States was principally a local matter, involving specialized craftsmen and local distribution. Comparison of "Farm Implements" themselves will show more differences than similarities. Geographical variations were common, and household crafts played an important role in what people used and consumed. Self-sufficient farmers on the Iowa prairie were particularly dependent upon locally produced tools.
In general, after the Civil War (1865), a "Mass-market" culture developed, and standardization of farm tools became more common and in some cases prevalent. Production companies became larger, more complex, and more impersonal, contrasting with earlier small-town factories and "Black-smith" shops.
Systems of marketing and distribution spread nationwide, aided by the growth of rail-road transportation and newspaper circulation. The early farmer was inclined to buy ready-made items, do to the fact of cost and the time of making them himself.
Just as the Iowa Territory served as the transition line between the eastern forest and the western prairie, Iowa settlers made the transition from locally produced to mass-produced tools in a way unique among the states. States that developed earlier than Iowa moved more gradually away from local manufactured toward the economy of mass-production; states that developed after Iowa new hardly anything but ready-made tools.
With this conversion from "labor-intensive" hand and horse- powered production to mechanization which caused an increased of crops he could sell, the Iowa farmer and his family were freed from chores like threshing grain by hand and churning their own butter. As a result of these changes, farm families had more time and money to enjoy mass-produced goods.
Iowa's transportation system speeded the conversion. Although Iowa already enjoyed better than average transportation in the "Steamboat" packet service on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, the coming of the railroad after the Civil War gave Iowa a highly efficient transportation network. Suppliers had no trouble delivering their goods to Iowa, and soon the state;s farmers enjoyed the same availability of new goods as people living in the eastern cities.
Prior to the JOHN DEERE & COMPANY, of Grand Detour, Illinois, discovery that a cast-iron "mouldboard" would not "scour" like steel, early settlers would shape a mouldboard of wood and fasten to the face of it broken saw blades. The vary first steel plow made by the "Grand Detour Plow Company" in 1837, it was cut out of steel from a saw blade. Then hammered one out of steel and was on its way to success.
Three years later in 1840 the "Breaker Plow", sometimes called the "Sod-breaker" or a "Prairie-Breaker" it was made for gently turning a shallow cut in virgin sod.
In 1846 LEONARD ANDRUS and JOHN DEERE, split up. JOHN DEERE moved to Moline, Illinois, and formed the JOHN DEERE & COMPANY. The next year 1847, he produced over 1,000 "singing" plows at $16.00 each.
In 1850 a "Side-Hill" plow came out, this plow was used on steep hillsides. At the end of the field it could just be flipped over and go the opposite way in the same furrow. In 1890 this plow cost $7.50.
In 1852, "A new kind of plow" was introduced that turned the soil "with circular curved cast iron wheels". It was not until in the 1870's that it proved practical, when the "discs" were stamped out of steel that would scour. It did not come into general use until after 1900. Large "Discs Plows" appeared in the 1930's with an 18 inch diameter disc, to stop wind erosion by dust storms on the plains. It allowed a portion of the turned stubbles to stick out of the ground, thus preventing the wind from picking up soil and also allowed stubble stops to catch winter snow that went sailing across barren fields.
In 1857 the finest "Walking-Gang" plow was introduced by DEERE. It cost $16.00.
In 1860, the Double "A" "Harrow" was introduced. This was a hinged in the middle with steel teeth in a wooden "A" frame, it could be easily lifted to remove trash or while passing over obstacles.
In 1861 the first plow to bear a seat was made by JOHN DEERE. It was pulled by two or three horses and commenced appearing on the scene about 1885. It was called the "Gilpin-Sulky" and sold for $50.00.
The last team plow to come out before the "Tractor-Plow" in 1913, was the was JOHN DEERE's 1890-Gang Plow. This was a riding gang plow, which 6 good horses could pull on hills, or 4 good horses pull on level land. It could plow over 6 acres per day, and was universally used for the next 30 years.
In 1900, with the advent of all-steel lever, adjusted HARROW came the lightweight Harrow Cart. It had wide flanged wheels to avoid cutting deep in soft dirt. These did not become popular until after 1900 and disappeared with the advent of the tractor.
In 1905, when huge wheat fields commenced appearing in the Western Plains, 6,8 and 10 bottom gang plows were built, these were pulled by steam traction engines at about 4 miles per hour. These large plows were later (1911) pulled by large kerosene tractors, such as the "Oil-Pull Rumley" a two-cylinder twin horizontal engine, 30-60 H.P. at 450 RPM.
The next year 1914 an improved Model R was introduced and the sold 118. In 1915, a two speed "Waterloo Boy Model N , it operated on low cost kerosene, which was started on gasoline, this was just what the farmers wanted, by 1918 there had been 8, 076 "Water Boy" tractors sold for $1,200, primarily for pulling 2 bottom plows.
The JOHN DEERE PLOW COMPANY, of Moline, Illinois decided in 1918 that they wanted the leading "Waterloo Boy" to get into the tractor business, so the merged with the "Waterloo Gasoline Equipment Company" By 1923 the JOHN DEERE TRACTOR COMPANY was formed to replace the "Waterloo Gasoline Equipment Company". They came out that same year with the first JOHN DEERE Model D tractor which replaced the successful "Waterloo Boy". The Model D was destined to become one of the company's chief products and subsequent models were modernized in keeping with progressive engineering.
In 1864, the very first implement made for planting corn mechanically was introduced. This was two pieces of wood hinged together with a "V" shape, a "Rotary" can was on one side, which when pulled apart at the top, the rotary wheel dropped 4 to 6 kernels into the ground. Its cost $5.00. The Manufacture claimed one man could plant 7 acres of corn per day, with this single row hand planter.
Following invention of the "Hand Corn Planter", a method had to be developed to get the corn rows straight in rows and at "regular intervals". With such "checkerboard" corn spacing, the corn plants could be cultivated in four directions. So by 1865, a "Corn Planting Marker", was introduced. This devise had spikes on it, and was dragged through the field one way until the entire field was covered. Then the farmer repeated the same operation at right angels. Where the marks crossed in the field the corn kernels were planted. The guide marker was shifted from one side to the other at each side of the field and then the rope supporting it was tied to the horse's hame.
That same year 1865, the first corn planter to bear a seat, was introduced as the "CHECK ROW PLANTER", "the only self-operating machine known capable of planting a field with accuracy, so as to admit the desired cross cultivation". (It "desired" two men to plant the "desired" corn at "desired" intervals.)
In 1880, the "WIRE CHECK CORN PLANTER" was introduced. This sit down planter, had a Check Wire" behind the drive seat. When this wire is stretched across the field and staked down at each end, the equally spaced knobs tripped and turn the plate that drops the desired number of corn kernels at the proper time. At each end of the corn row the driver moves the stake over that holds the wire and he also swings the marker from one side of the planter to the other, to follow for even parallel spacing of corn rows.
Thus the extra man and cross field marking was eliminated, while the planting was being done more accurately. The two row check planter came into general use in the 1890's and early 1900's. Since 1940 it has been gradually been replaced by the 4 row and 6 row tractor drawn planters, without the check wire, because cultivation is done only in one direction. Several types of corn planters were introduced. There were hoe types, shoe types, roller or wheel packer types, and disc types, all developed in their successive order, similar to a wheel-barrow, with the drive wheel in front.
In 1852, a combined Walking and Riding Cultivator, was introduced by WILLIAM BEARD. This was a 2-horse drawn cultivator, that "Straddle" a row of corn. In 1870, they commenced making the Moline "Western" of which 175,000 were sold in the next few years at $27.00 each.
In 1872, the PATTEE PLOW COMPANY, was making 2 or 3 different styles of plows, but this year introduced the "New Departure Tongue-less Cultivator". It was invented and patent in 1872, by J. H. (Howard) PATTEE. The "Pattee" as it was called was a popular walking cultivator that would be inclined to "collapse", when turning around at the end of the row.
In 1890, the first riding "Single Row Cultivator" was introduced. This was quite an ovation over the "Pattee" which literally "fell apart" at the end of every row. The farmer would seat himself on the cast iron seat, used his feet in the metal stirrups to guide the wheels, while guiding the shovels with his hands on two hand levers. While he jerked on the lines, which were around his neck to make a pair of oxen, mules or horses behave.
Shortly after the 1900's the "Two Row Cultivator", pulled by 4 horses, was seen on the larger, more aggressive farms. They were operated exactly the same as the "Single Row Cultivator", except with more dexterity.
In 1930, the Front Shovel Tractor Cultivator was introduced. They were an attachment mounted on the Tractor between the front and back wheels, so the row was easily watched, and the tractor could be properly driven so as not to cover any corn. These have replaced the horse-drawn two row, and now take four rows at 10 miles per hour or more.
By the next year 1906, JOHN DEERE & COMPANY introduced the "Go- Devil" lister. It came in single or double row models, and operated like the first riding cultivators. It was very popular in the arid countries and JOHN DEERE & COMPANY made millions on the selling of these. An interesting note is that the original patent of the "Go-Devil" lister was issued to Mr.. EDWIN F. CHENEY, who had a blacksmith shop on his 480 acre "Kincaid Farm" homestead 9 miles southwest of Ainsworth, Nebraska. Mr. Cheney sold his "Go-Devil" patent to John Deere & Company for $300.00 in 1906 and used the money to fence in his homestead.
One - The cornstalk could be cut before fully ripe, and the foliage "Fodder" was chopped, stored and fed to the livestock. Cut dry late in the year, the cornstalk were chopped or shredded for bedding fodder, especially in cow-pins. Other uses included mulching plants and even laying bundles around building foundations for insulation.
Two- The removal of the ears of corn from the cornstalk. For convenience in handling, the ears were generally husked or "shucked". That is the farmer would walk through his corn field and ears were removed from the leaf-like coverings and twisted or snapped from the stalk. Two classes of tools were used for this purpose, the "Husking Hook" and the "Husking Peg or Pin".
The "Hook", of "U"-shaped metal, was secured to a stout leather piece which strapped to the back of the working hand. The "Peg" was a single or double pointed, with a thong attachment to several fingers. The corn ears were then thrown against the "bang-board" of the Corn Husking Wagon.
Three - Corn "Shellers" were on every farm. Early types consisted of nails driven into a wood block, heads left exposed, the nails arranged to strip the kernels from the ear. Corn ears could also be shelled with a twisting motion by hand, but this was slow and time-consuming.
If the entire ear of corn is fed to the cow, many of the kernels usually drop to the ground while the corn is being chewed from the cob. The cow cannot pick corn kernels off the ground, or bite grass off like a horse, sheep or hog, for it has no front teeth. The cow must wrap its tongue around the blades of grass and pull, causing the grass to separate at the joint. For this reason conservative farmers would brake corn ears in two by hand before feeding them to their cattle.
So corn "Shellers" were on every farm. Early types consisted of nails driven into a wood block, heads left exposed, the nails arranged to strip the kernels from the ear. Or a corn shelling board, which consisted of two board nailed together with ridge end gap between them. The corn ear would be drawn lengthwise, against the ridges on the board, shelling off the kernels. Corn ears could also be shelled with a twisting motion by hand, but this was slow and time-consuming.
In 1850, the first mechanical corn shellers, was used for over 70 years. One was a small, cast-iron, secured by a turnscrew or clamped to a board. It had a crank-driven angled toothed disc that whirled against an ear placed in the slot. Later the same principle was used in the much-larger wooden frame boxed types that stood on legs with cross-braced footers. Aided by a large 36 inch flywheel, these could be brought up to speed and strip of the corn in a few seconds per ear. The shelled corn sprayed from one opening, while cobs emerged from another. It also had a blower to get rid of the "corn feathers". As a youngster I helped earn my keep, many a time, by turning the crank on this hand operated corn sheller.
In 1854, a patent was granted for a machine the "breaks down and cuts cornstalks in pieces." The chopped stalks could then be easily plowed under rather than be harvest for fodder or burned, which had been a wasteful practice. This cutter was pulled by two horses.
Although the first corn "Binder" was patented by Mr. MASON in 1863, it did not come into general use for another 25 years (1888).
In corn-stalk harvesting, they were often cut at the base with a hand scythe and bundled into individual groupings of several dozen stalks, tied with binder twine or hemp cord. These in-turn were leaned together, much in the manner of wheat sheaves. Set up in this manner, they were called "shocks" or Stooks". To hold the larger bundles or even loose stalks together, a unique device called a "corn-wrapper" or "shock-rope" weight was needed.
The "Shock-rope-weight", was a section of wooden plank, the weight had a hole, a slanting triangular end opening, and a rope. One end was knotted in the hole, and the device was whirled and thrown around the shock. This allowed one operator to pull tight the huge bundle, using the weight's opening for rope leverage. When gathered and held, the shock was tied with twine or hemp cord. The weight and rope were then removed for the next shock. "Shock-rope-weights" remain today unknown farm pieces, objects of curiosity and confusion to the un-informed.
In 1885, an Corn-Stalk Harvester was introduced. Some were factory made, but many were home-made, using a scythe blade mounted at a cutting angle on the side of a sled. As the implement went down the row, drawn by one or two horses, the farmer gathered in the cut stalks until he had an armful, then stopped the horses, carried the armful to a "Corn-Stock". This first "Corn-Stalk Harvester was a very dangerous machine, for the exposed scythe knives could easily cut a leg of man or horse, and many did.
In 1904, International Harvester Company (IHC) but production soon ceased because few were sold. In 1918, they introduced a 7 horse, single row corn picker. 3 horses were evenly attached to the tongue just in-front of the driver, with two horses hitched out in front. Alongside, on a wagon, was another driver and two horses. In 1918 they sold 2,358 of these corn pickers, by 1941 they had produced 83,000 pickers of all types.
Source: 1.
Page Co., Iowa
Some Early Marriages 1850 to 1899
Compiled by Paul R. Sarrett, 7117 E. Clydesdale Ave.,
Orange Co., CA. 92667, Phone 714-771-8410
Copyrighted 1983-1989
Source & Reference: Section 8.
E-Mail:
Paul R. Sarrett, Jr. Page Co., Coordinator