Mason Vaugh (June 27, 1894 – October 7, 1978) was an American
agriculturalist who developed the first
agricultural engineering department outside
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
in 1921 at
Allahabad Agricultural Institute.
Early life
Mason Vaugh was born on June 27, 1894, in
Bonne Terre, Missouri. He graduated at the top of his class from grammar school and high school. He served in the
US Army during
World War I.
In 1919 he was given a B.Sc. in agriculture from the
University of Missouri and in 1928 earned the equivalent of a M.Sc. in
agricultural engineering in 1928.
Work in India
In 1921 he became a lay
missionary in India, teaching agricultural engineering at
Allahabad Agricultural Institute.
Vaugh adapted traditional Indian materials into modern agricultural implements. Among his innovations was the Shabash, an improved plow consisting of a
plowshare, a
moldboard, a few bolts and a wood beam. Improved implements such as the Shabash made it possible for farmers to
plow
A plough or plow ( US; both ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses, but in modern farms are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden, iron or ...
larger areas than previously possible.
[
Vaugh introduced several other implements, such as hoes, cultivators and the wheat threshers. He was the leader of the Agricultural Development Society (ADS), established in Naini to manufacture and sell improved implements developed by ADS and the institute. He retired in 1957 and returned to the United States.
He has often been called the father of agricultural engineering in India.]Pantnagar University
G. B. Pant University of Agriculture, also known as Pantnagar University, is the first agricultural university of India. It was inaugurated by Jawahar Lal Nehru on 17 November 1960 as the "Uttar Pradesh Agricultural University" (UPAU). Later the ...
(1962–64).
See also
* Vaugh School of Agricultural Engineering and Technology
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaughn, Mason
American agriculturalists
Agriculture in India
1894 births
1978 deaths
People from Bonne Terre, Missouri
University of Missouri alumni