Clarence Herbert Smith (10 August 1855 in

Alma Alma or ALMA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Alma'' (film), a 2009 Spanish short animated film * ''Alma'', an upcoming film by Sally Potter * ''Alma'' (Oswald de Andrade novel), 1922 * ''Alma'' (Le Clézio novel), 2017 * ''Alma'' ( ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

— 25 July 1901 in

Ardrossan Ardrossan (; ) is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in southwestern Scotland. The town has a population of 10,670 and forms part of a conurbation with Saltcoats and Stevenston known as the 'Three Towns#Scotland, Three Towns'. Ardrossan is loca ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

) was an Australian

agriculturalist An agriculturist, agriculturalist, agrologist, or agronomist (abbreviated as agr.) is a professional in the science, practice, and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada, India, the Philippines, the Uni ...

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

and

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

. He was a farmer at Kalkabury, north of

Arthurton, South Australia Arthurton is a town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia. Arthurton was established on 25 January 1877. It was named after Arthur, the son of South Australian Governor Anthony Musgrave, who insisted on this name after it had ...

, from around 1875. Under the direction of his brother, Richard Bowyer Smith, C. H. Smith created the first

stump-jump plough The stump-jump plough, also known as stump-jumping plough, is a kind of plough invented in South Australia by Richard Bowyer Smith and Clarence Herbert Smith to solve the particular problem of preparing mallee lands for cultivation. The probl ...

, entitled the ''Vixen'', in 1876. The South Australian government had offered a reward of £200 to anyone who could develop an effective mechanical stump puller due to frustration with lack of productivity efficiency on its

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

s with current equipment. The plough consisted of a number of hinged

shares In financial markets, a share (sometimes referred to as stock or equity) is a unit of equity ownership in the capital stock of a corporation. It can refer to units of mutual funds, limited partnerships, and real estate investment trusts. Sha ...

(originally three): when the blade encountered an underground obstacle, it would rise out of the ground. Attached weights forced the blade back into the ground after the root was passed, allowing as much of the ground to be furrowed as possible. Although unorthodox, it proved remarkably effective, and was dubbed the "stump-jump" plough. Stump-jump plough

C. H. Smith worked on improving the plough, and demonstrated the improved model at the Moonta Agricultural Show with much success. Both the single and triple plough model were awarded first prize. R. B. Smith took out a patent in 1877 for the design, he allowed it to lapse. C. H. Smith established a factory in

in 1880, and started producing ploughs. R. B. Smith was later credited as the inventor of the design by the

Parliament of South Australia The Parliament of South Australia is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of South Australia. It consists of the 47-seat South Australian House of Assembly, House of Assembly (lower house) and the 22-seat South Australian Legislati ...

in 1882, however C. H. continued manufacturing them because his brother had allowed the patent to lapse. R. B. Smith relocated to

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

two years later. C. H. Smith married Emma Sarah Beck in 1879. Upon his death in 1901, C. H. Smith's business was transferred to his two sons, C. Glen Smith and Alma O. Smith, who married Eva Alderman, also of Ardrossan, on 27 August 1907. The company, Clarence H. Smith Ltd, ceased operations in 1934, during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Clarence Herbert 1865 births 1901 deaths 19th-century Australian inventors 19th-century Australian engineers