John Fowler (1826-1864) was famous for his invention of the steam powered plough. In 1858 he won the prize from the Royal Agricultural Society of England (John Fowler and the A7 Traction Engine, http://www.gooch.org.uk/steam/history/fowler.htm) for his creation. In the Society’s explanation for why they gave him the prize, they wrote, "It is beyond question that Mr. Fowler’s machine is able to turn over the soil and in an efficient manner at a saving compared with horse labour; while in all cases it is left in a far more desirable condition and better adapted for all the purposes of husbandry..." Not only was Fowler’s steam powered plow able to turn as much earth as a horse, it was also useful for draining swamplands—the furrows it dug were deep enough to act as drainage ditches, making unusable land cultivable (Today in Science History,
).
The economic case for… …steam cultivation was given…by David Greig in September 1867:
All treading and compression of the soil and sub-soil associated with horse cultivation is…entirely avoided and the implement is driven at a much more rapid pace, throwing up the soil to a greater depth and in a loose state enabling it to derive full benefit from the influences of the atmosphere (History of Steam Plowing, http://www.steamploughclub.org.uk/history.htm)
When he died in 1864, he left an invention which eventually changed the way agriculture had been done for thousands of years. The horse was replaced by the machine.
Remember!
3-5 Sources cited.
As close to 200 words as possible.
Focuses on on topic (a social change on Day 1, and an inventor on Day 2)
Quotes/Citations used.
No grammatical errors.
