Horse-drawn Plow - Waldo, FL
N 29° 49.127 W 082° 10.041
17R E 387203 N 3299276
A horse-drawn plow located in front of Waldo's Antique Village in Waldo, Florida, USA.
Waymark Code: WM4W5A
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 10/04/2008
Views: 16
This horse-drawn plow is one of several pieces of old agricultural equipment on display in front of Waldo's Antique Village. It's very eye-catching and helps to encourage travelers driving along Highway 301 to stop and check the place out.
This plow is a Le Roy No. 35 manufactured by the Le Roy Plow Co. The plow was patented in 1901. This particular plow was produced in 1902.
According to
Wikipedia: "The plough (American spelling: plow) is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture. The primary purpose of ploughing is to turn over the upper layer of the soil, bringing fresh nutrients to the surface, while burying weeds and the remains of previous crops, allowing them to break down. It also aerates the soil, and allows it to hold moisture better. In modern use, a ploughed field is typically left to dry out, and is then harrowed before planting."
"Ploughs were initially pulled by oxen, and later in many areas by horses. In industrialised countries, the first mechanical means of pulling a plough used steam-power (ploughing engines or steam tractors), but these were gradually superseded by internal-combustion-powered tractors. In the past two decades plough use has reduced in some areas (where soil damage and erosion are problems), in favour of shallower ploughing and other less invasive tillage techniques."
"Ploughs are even used under the sea, for the laying of cables, as well as preparing the earth for side-scan sonar[citation needed] in a process used in oil exploration."