Plows, but why?

My neighbor Elmer passed away on Wednesday, July 8, 2022, one month before his 88th birthday. His collection of plows has been shared or visited by people from around the world. I am going to miss seeing him drive by or stop in for a visit or ask what in the world we are up to next.

Below is a excerpt from an article I published last year in the Red Power Magazine- where I featured Elmer and his collection for the whole world to read. We set out the plows of ours as a tribute to Elmer - because that is what he would have wanted. I’m missing him already.

Plows are not all created equal. Well, they are actually - if you choose the right style for your land type, and tractor, and understand how to ‘set’ the plow – or is it plough?

What are the differences between a sulky, walking, gang, disc, lister, middle breaker, hillside, blackland, sugarland, vineyard, riceland, and all the others I’ve forgotten?  

The difference is the soil being worked.

Plows themselves, are all used for the same purpose – to loosen and turn the soil over. On the pumpkin farm, we like to plow in the fall, after harvest and before the ground freezes, which is a very narrow window some years.

My neighbor, Elmer, collects the plows these days instead of using them to turn over the cover crops. Over 100 years ago, the most popular plow in our area was the No. 8 Little Genius two bottom plow. He has a few of them displayed, as well as many others. I asked how many last time we visited, and the answer was 672. Tomorrow he might answer about 760. It all depends on which farm is in question, as there are a few places about town that showcase the collection. Many of them were ‘saved’ from the scrap yard, either private sale, donated, or bought at an auction.

To see thirteen plows on a thirty-two-foot gooseneck, handles and shares piled every way possible, is a sight. Studying it in the farmyard, it was a work of art. Dad kept only two, unloadingthem all at their new home, challenging or improving the skills of a forklift operator, depending on who you asked.  

Plows are one of the oldest implements in the world, used by every civilization. The early plows were wood and stayed that way for centuries. In 1797, the first patent showed that plows were an art form, and useful.

In 1819, Stephen McCormick, a distant relative of Cyrus McCormick, patented a cast-iron moldboard plow, which was used throughout Virginia for many years. On June 13, 1831, Cyrus received a patent for his cast and wrought iron hill-side plow. The moldboard was designed to reverse, keeping the share stationary, and effectively terracing the hillsides to reduce erosion.  His first plow was sold to his friend William Massie, for seven dollars, in September. Cyrus then spent the next year unsuccessfully selling hemp-breakers in Kentucky for his father, Robert.

Returning to Virginia in late 1832, Cyrus improved his plow, made it self-sharpening, and increased the price to nine dollars in 1833. The operator could turn over the share at the end of the furrow, wearing the points equally at the top and bottom.  In 1835, the father and son team entered the iron smelting business, setting aside the manufacture of the hill side plow until 1839.

The failure of Cotopaxi, as the iron foundry business was called, was a lesson in business. The closure of the iron sales in 1846 gave Cyrus the knowledge and experience in iron, marketing, people management, business ethics, law, and court procedure.

When Cyrus moved the Reaper business to Chicago in 1847, he also mentioned he would start making the hill-side plow again, but by that time, a steel plow was becoming popular. Cyrus McCormick would not make another plow for many years, instead acquiring the companies that had excelled in the line of business.

The plows found at my neighbors are a great example of all the different styles and options available throughout the country. McCormick offered plows with the names like Little Genius, Little Wonder, Little Chief, Super Chief. Many of which are viewed in person at tractor shows and plow days, which usually are in fields free of rocks.

Names like Chattanooga, P&O, or Oliver Chilled Plows were once familiar in the McCormick line of implements. Today, they are names in a history that forever changed farming life. Plowing today is less common, many favoring they way of ‘no-till’ or a reduced and modified tilling practice to reduce the compaction of the soil.

The art of plowing can still be found in areas where the soil demands it necessary, the fine grains settling and compacting on their own, thanks to the varied weather around the world.  New ground, or places that have sat idle for years benefit by being disturbed.

Many clubs with a willing member offer a day to remember the old ways, with plow or tillage days for everyone. Those are the days I enjoy the best. Watching one generation pass the knowledge to the next, offering encouragement and help to anyone who asks. As for my farm? The rocks are abundant, and I have yet to find another that offers a higher level of challenge.