. The story of agriculture in the United States. ze. Agricultural implements were few and very were generally used for plowing. They werestronger and steadier than horses and were less injuredby the exposure and hard work of the colonial were no iron plows in the colonies. The frame andmoldboard were of wood; on the latter were nailed piecesof scrap iron, old horseshoes, or any bit of metal thatcame handy. The point and share were, indeed, of iron,and cost as much as the rest of the plow. Some farmersused a one-handed plow, which was guided by one hand,while in the other
. The story of agriculture in the United States. ze. Agricultural implements were few and very were generally used for plowing. They werestronger and steadier than horses and were less injuredby the exposure and hard work of the colonial were no iron plows in the colonies. The frame andmoldboard were of wood; on the latter were nailed piecesof scrap iron, old horseshoes, or any bit of metal thatcame handy. The point and share were, indeed, of iron,and cost as much as the rest of the plow. Some farmersused a one-handed plow, which was guided by one hand,while in the other was held a stick with which the dirtwas constantly scraped from the moldboard. One canreadily understand that under the circumstances deepplowing was impossible. Some farmers comforted them-selves with the beHef that deep plowing ruined the soilanyhow! GENERAL FEATURES OF COLONIAL AGRICULTURE 53 Sickles and scythes cut all the colonial grain. Theshort, heavy English scythe was improved by JosephJenckes of Lynn, Massachusetts, who made the blade. Farming Tools of Later Colonial Times longer and thinner, and strengthened it by welding abar of iron on the back. The plow, the wagon or sled,and a rude harrow, generally with wooden teeth, werethe only farm implements drawn by horses or oxen; allother work was done by hand. It has been stated that the presence of so much richland, almost free to everybody, made colonial agriculturedifferent from that of the Old World with respect toownership and methods of cultivation. There wereother great differences. Here there was more land thanthe people could use, while in Europe there were morepeople than the land (as it was then cultivated) couldsustain. Consequently, while farm laborers were plenti-ful abroad, they were scarce and often could not behired at any price in America. Why should a farmlaborer continue to work for hire when he could earnenough in a few years to buy himself a farm? Even the 54 AGRICULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES indentu
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectagriculture, bookyear
