Lifetime of Ferguson research culminates in new book on agricultural pioneer
After a lifetime spent studying the development of the Ferguson System, former Greenmount department head and agricultural engineer Bill Martin has published the story he has spent decades researching.
Ferguson: Evolution of the System 1916–1946 traces the development of the Ferguson System from its earliest experiments during the First World War through to the emergence of the post-war Ferguson T20 tractor.
The launch has been timed to coincide with Ferguson Tractor Day at the Ulster Folk Museum, Cultra, on Saturday 27 June, where the achievements of Harry Ferguson and the worldwide influence of the Ferguson System continue to be celebrated.
The book carries a foreword by Sally Fleming, granddaughter of Harry Ferguson, who writes:
"I was riveted throughout and can highly recommend it to all who are interested in tractors, their implements, and mechanised farming."
Now in his 92nd year, Bill brings together decades of research into one volume, drawing on patents, photographs, archives, surviving machinery and first-hand accounts connected with Ferguson's pioneering work.
Raised on a farm during the wartime years, Bill witnessed the transformation of agriculture from horse power to mechanisation. After studying at Greenmount Agricultural College and Queen's University Belfast, he established the machinery department at Greenmount and became one of Northern Ireland's leading authorities on agricultural mechanisation.
His interest in Harry Ferguson has spanned more than half a century. In 1984 he was an interviewee in a television documentary examining Ferguson's achievements and also authored a Ferguson booklet for the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. Over the years his knowledge has been recognised by historians and researchers internationally, and he has been acknowledged in numerous articles dealing with Ferguson and agricultural engineering history.
His enthusiasm for the subject even led him to portray Harry Ferguson himself in a Ferguson pageant organised by the Friends of Ferguson Heritage for their 1999 AGM at the former Hunday Museum.
Unlike many Ferguson publications, Bill’s new book concentrates not on the tractors alone but on the evolution of the engineering principles that made the Ferguson System possible. The work explores the Belfast ploughs, the Eros tractor, the Black Tractor, hydraulic draft control, weight transfer and the development of the famous three-point linkage that transformed farming worldwide.
"The Ferguson System did not appear fully formed," says Bill. "It was the result of thirty years of experimentation, testing and refinement. This book tells that story."
Richly illustrated and extensively researched, the book highlights Northern Ireland's role in one of the most significant developments in agricultural engineering.
Book details
Title: Ferguson: Evolution of the System 1916–1946
Author: Bill Martin
ISBN: 978-1-80645-282-8
Available to buy through ebay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/358706511810
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