John Killefer
John Killefer (May 24, 1833 – July 1926) was a businessman and inventor. He apprenticed for two years as a blacksmith beginning in 1850, then moved to southern California and bought an orange grove. He soon noticed the phenomenon referred to as hardpan (the creation of a water resistant soil layer).[1] Sometime in 1892 he designed and created the chisel plough for land tilling to prevent or defeat hardpanning.[2][3] He founded Killefer Manufacturing Company in 1893 in San Bernardino, California.[4] He relocated his company to Palmetto Street, Los Angeles, California in 1895 to lower overhead costs for the production of his plow.[citation needed] His son took over the company before it was sold to Deere & Company in 1937.[5]
References
- ^ Pacific Rural Press. Dewey & Company. July 15, 1922. p. 59. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
- ^ "Deep Cultivation and Plowing". California Cultivator. 19: 289. November 7, 1902. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
- ^ The Associated Grower. Cornell University. 1922. p. 4. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
- ^ Hardware: A Review of the American Hardware Market (24 ed.). 1901. p. 38.
- ^ Moody's Industrial Manual. Moody's Investors Service. 1950. p. 858. Retrieved March 6, 2021.