Since man first dragged a stick through the dirt in an effort to primitively till the soil, he has striven to master this basic, yet all-important function of agriculture.

The simple definition of agriculture is farming. Farming refers to raising livestock and growing crops, without which a civilized society is impossible to maintain. The development of agriculture, and the understandable desire to make it easier, have been the priority of the farmer since the beginning.

Of the many implements created for agricultural use, the plough (or modernly-termed "plow") is among the simplest...and perhaps the most timeless. Comparing a modern multi-row, tractor-drawn plow to some of the earliest iron plow patents, one is struck by the basic similarities of form and function: Most plow patents are simply improvements of earlier plows.

Plowing evolved from the simple dragging of a stick through dirt for the cultivation thereof, to the scratch plow, with which a frame holding a vertical wooden stick was dragged through the soil. Sharpened, forked sticks were then introduced, then the covering of a wooden blade with early metals, to reduce wear on the plow.

The first modern plows were cast in iron which, though a definite improvement over wood, were still relatively soft and wore out fairly quickly with regular use. Manufacturers soon learned to produce and sell interchangeable plow parts, which could be easily switched out by farmers as workload demanded. Finally came the chilled steel plows that are still used today.

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The inventors and manufacturers featured on this website are, with a few exceptions, native Virginians who invented, patented and manufactured agricultural implements, primarily plows. Some of them are:

George Watt: born and raised in Hanover County, Virginia, company in Richmond, Virginia: Was instrumental in the founding of the Richmond SPCA Manfred Call: born and raised in Newcastle, Maine. Moved to Richmond, Virginia in 1869, partnership in 1870 with father-in-law George Watt as Watt - Call Patrick Henry (P.H) Starke: born in Hanover County, raised in Richmond, company in Richmond, Virginia Cealy Billups: born in Matthews County, company in Norfolk, Virginia Silas R. White: born in Matthews County, company in Norfolk, Virginia Seth March: born Virginia, company in Norfolk, Virginia Caldwell: born in Connecticut, company/foundry in Aylett, King William, Virginia