78 THE YEAR-BOOK OF AGRICULTURE. 



motion of the machine, a sort of spiral curve, a< the knives travel over the ridges. By this 

 means tl - all the plants in the intended interval) leaving nothing to do l>ut to 



le the pla&ta '"it by band, which is done with great ease and rapidity by a boy. Five or 

 six acres may be thus thinned out in a d 



Steam for Agricultural Purposes. 



At the late Fair of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, a premium of €200 (one 

 thousand dollars) was offered "for the steam-cultivator that shall in the most efficient munner 

 turn the snil, mid be an economical substitute for tin- plow or the spade." 



In view of the great attention which this subject i- exciting, the English Agricultural 

 G tette published the following article, addressed to the "Committee of Award." in which 

 are set forth the alleged advantages of the steam-cultivator or digger over the plow or 

 spade. We recommend the article to the attention of American inventors, as clearly setting 

 forth the requisite cods which must be obtained to render any such invention practical and 

 successful. — Editor. 



•■'I'm th' soil.'' Mark this expression; for the whole character and efficiency of the 

 machine depends on this point. Breakup, loosen and commingle the soil as mnch as you 

 please, in preparing a seed-bed for any crop, but if weeds and grasses be left still green on 

 the BUrface, if the seeds of our annual infesting enemies remain in favorable exposure to the 

 vivifying sunshine and feeding dews, your tillage will be utterly abortive. On the other 

 hand, if the ground be a stubble, bury every weed and withering stalk, and you promot 

 decomposition in the soil, making manure of what would otherwise injure as well as encum- 

 ber; if it 1><- a .-ward or a lea, still more urgently must you inter every blade and plant 

 that might spring up among your intended crop. In the fundamental operation of til 

 the destruction of all remnants of old crops, and the loosening up of the staple for B BUCC 

 ing one, you mu-t '-turn the soil." Was it not for this very purpose of burying obnoxious 

 id opening up a fresh surface of earth, that plows with mould-hoards super- 

 seded the imperfect scratching instruments of yore? Is not the chief fault of the plow itself 

 that it doc- not completely hide 'all surface vegetation, but too often (especially when the 

 plowman is blamable) leaves grass or other living growth to sheet up among I is of 



it- Furrows, and defy the weeder of the coming crop? For many tillage purposes, rach ai 

 autumn cleansing or spring grubbing, no such inversion is needed; but in the first and 

 foundation-work of breaking up after a crop, and to the full depth of the intended Bta 



you must •■turn the Boil." Perhaps mii instrument able tO stir and mix every | ortion Of a 



deep staple might le to bring up repeated instalments of earth long buried, and thrust 



down the Ion ■■ to take its place, :it the same time forking out root-weeds and 



rubbish. \ far as fertilization i- concerned, perhaps a freanent commixing of Boil and sub- 

 soil might suffice, instead of alternate exposure of each upon the surface; but the oonaidi 

 tion of weeds alone inculcate! the necessity of "turning the soil." Therefore we maintain 

 the first condition of the soc for is well chosen, and thai the premium will be 



misappropriated, in the opinion of practical men, if .given to ■ machine (no matter how expert 

 imminution) that cannot entirely bury the surface. 

 Then it must be also "an economical substitute for the plow or the spade." If there shall 



be an engine that turn- OTCr fui ' 'han the plow, (first I 



included,) although it may be incapable of any other labor, give it the prize. And should 

 there be a machine unable to plow at all, but able to dig In as perfect a manner u men 

 with spa les, if it will perform this work alone more cheaply than men, it i to the 



pri? P iving ought to be accomplished for less money than by no Nigh 



this of course id a more expensive operation) ■<■ it than by men. 



The judges bare not to determine whether or not digging <> la spade will be osive 



f.r the far r, although isable to the market gardener; whether or not a cheaply- 



digging engine would not inaugurate miracles upon the days \ but, i useful or not, i according to 



the term* Of tht offer, they mu-t award the premium either tO an engim- that dig- more econo- 

 mically than the spade, or that plows more economically than our present horse-plow. 



