4 November 18

Born on this date, Henry George "Harry" Ferguson (1884-1960) is credited as the inventor of the modern tractor. Ferguson's major contribution was the "three-point linkage" plow hitch, first marketed in 1922 and commercially successful around 1938. His company, in Great Britain, eventually became Massey-Ferguson. "Harry" had contentious relations with Henry Ford and his sons, who wanted to produce his tractors in the United States. My tie celebrates tractors, showing the green paint familiar for John Deere. (I learned that John Deere (1804-1886) never was directly involved with tractors -- his company got into the tractor business in 1918.)