THE PARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



157 



It will be apparent that, as the work advances, both 

 the engine and anchor require to be moved slightly for- 

 ward for every turn of the plough, so as to keep them 

 always in the proper line of traction. This motion in 

 the case of the anchor is ingeniously effected by means of 

 a small capstan or crab attached to the framine:, and 

 driven by wheel-work from the large sheave. The en- 

 gine is provided with a similar apparatus, but it is driven 

 by a direct communication with the gear of the engine. 

 These crabs give motion to their respective macliinos by 

 slowly coiling up two small wire ropes, the other ends of 

 whi";!! are fixed to pawls driven in at suitable points in 

 advance of the machines along the ends of the field. 



It may be proper to remark that the engine can be 

 made locomotive, so as to be able to move itself along a 

 road or about the farm without any assistance, and that 

 it can also be so made as to be available as a power for 

 thrashing, or any other work about the farm requiring 

 power, as well as for ploughing. At the same time it is 

 considered that the circumstance of Mr. Fowler's engine 

 not being required to travel the land to be ploughed is a 

 most important feature ; and, in the progress of im- 

 provement, it may not be far distant when the engine 

 will be enabled to do its work efficiently without the ne- 

 cessity of leaving a corner of the field, and thereby 

 obviate the disadvantage of moving over it. 



The trial, as already stated, commenced on t!ie 20th 

 of October, on a grass field consisting of a very stiff 

 tenacious clay, and in a very unfavourable state for 

 ploughing. A considerable extent of ploughing was ac- 

 complished, but the greater part of the time was spent 

 in the examinatijn of the various parts of the machinery, 

 and of the mode in which each portion performed its 

 part ; and the result of that examination was, that 

 although the judges were of opinion that in one or two 

 minor points the machinery might be improved, the main 

 principle of the apparatus brought forward by Mr. Fow- 

 ler is correct, and calculated to perform its work in a 

 satisfactory manner. On the 21st of October they had 

 the plough put in operation with tUe view of testing its 

 power in accomplishing work, and of determiniig the 

 character of the work itself. The operations were carried 

 on in the same tenacious clay-field, and, upon an experi- 

 ment of several hours, they found that they might assume 

 the work performed in such time to be about 7 impe- 

 rial acres in a day of 10 hours : the furrow was in 

 length 330 yards, and about G inches deep, and each 

 10 inches broad, or taking the four plough-heads, 

 the breadth turned over at each operation was 

 3 feet 4 inches, and the work was very satisfac- 

 torily don '. The cost appears to be the following : ISIr. 

 Fowler states that four men and a boy are required for 

 his apparatus : that the judges found to be sufficient; 

 indeed they think the work might be done by three men 

 and two boys ; the daily wages may therefore be as- 

 sumed at from 133. to 15s., according to the rale of 

 wages, but say that it is 15s. A horse and cart are re- 

 quired to sujjply the engine with water, unless ia cases 

 where the water may be had in the field ; they have, 

 however, to assume this cost in the mean time, and they 

 put it down at Gs. per day. The engine is worked with 

 raw coal, and consumes in the 10 hours wh^>t can be ob- 

 tained at Stirling for Gs., taking the coals at 12s. per 

 ton ; oil, and other incidentals, they take at 3s. — making, 

 in all, a daily cost of 30s., exclusive of the tear and 

 wear of the machinery and interest on capital. The 

 judges have not had sufficient experience of the ma- 

 chinery to estimate the cost of the tear and wear, but 

 they think that were they to say 20s. per day it would be 

 sufficient to cover these two items. The total day's cost 

 would in this way be 50s., and assuming the work per- 

 formed to be 7 acres per day of such land as they found it, 

 the cost would be a little more than 7s. per acre. With 



the view of testing this as against horse-power ploughing, 

 Mr. Forrester was kind enough to put at the disposal of 

 the judges a plough and pair of horses, but they found that 

 two horses were not equal to the work of a furrow such 

 as Mr. Fowler's plough was turning ; according to their 

 own estimate, and that of farmers well acquainted with 

 the working of such land, and with whom they consulted, 

 they are of opinion that such land as they had to do 

 with, and at such a season, could not be turned over by 

 horse-labour under a cost of 15s. per acre. Accord- 

 ing to this, therefore, there is a clear saving of fully half 

 the cost by Fowler's plough, and the work performed is 

 fully equal to, if not better than, what could be done by 

 horse-labour. 



It may by some be apprehended that the allowance 

 (or wear and tear is insufficient, in consequence of the 

 liability of the wire-rope to injury from friction on 

 sharp soils ; but the risk of this is in a great measure 

 obviated by the facilities for preventing the rope I'rom 

 coming into contact with the ground at all. These fa- 

 cilities are afTorded by means of friction-sheaves mounted 

 on small moveable carriages, and these sheaves are in 

 number proportioned to the length of the furrow or un- 

 dulations of the ground. 



The judges having satisfied themselves as to the effi- 

 ciency of Fowler's steam-plough for the ploughing of 

 stiff tenacious clay-land, they had the whole apparatus 

 removed to another farm, " BoU-for-nought," also in 

 the postession of Mr. Forrester, and on the 22nd of 

 October had the plough tried on a stubble-field of deep 

 alluvial soil. The furrow on this fietd was considerably 

 shorter than that on the other field, being only 220 

 yards long ; its depth was 7 inches and its breadth 

 10 inches. In this experiment the quantity turned over 

 was at the rate of nearly 10 acres in the day of 10 

 hours. The judges evpected that the engine would have 

 done more work than that, and probably it could when 

 in continuous operation ; but they have stated the quan- 

 tity as they found it, and it will be kept in view that the 

 short furrow tends to diminish the quantity performed. 

 Assuming the cost per day at 50s., as formerly, the rate 

 per aere would be about 5s. ; but, on the other hand, 

 the cost of ploughing the sam^ land with horse power 

 would not greatly exceed, if at all, 8s. per acre. Th^ 

 saving, therefore, on light land cannot be so great as it 

 would be on heavy land— or even steep laiul, where 

 power is so much required. The ploughiug was very 

 well done. 



On this field the judges had the apparatus applied fo 

 trench-ploughing, and the work performed gave the 

 greatest satisfaction, surpassing anything that could 

 be done with horse-labour. Mr. Fowler, in treneh- 

 ploughing, did not use the same plough-frame as he did 

 in the ordinary ploughing ; the one employed was fitted 

 up to turn two trench-furrows at each operation—each 

 furrow was turned in two lifts, the upper lift in each 

 case being turned into the bottom of the furrow, and 

 the bottom lift being laid over all; and from the spfcd 

 at which the plough travels, the subsoil is so completely 

 thrown up anJ broken, that nothing executed by horse- 

 labour can exce', or perhaps equal it. The trenching, 

 12^ inches deep, was performed at the rate of about; 

 5j acres per day of ten hours, and at a cost, assuming 

 as formerly, of abuut 9s. per acre. 



The experiments, in so far as the judges were con- 

 cerned, were completed in tiie afternoon of the 22nd of 

 October, having occupied a period of three days. On 

 the 23rd and 21th the trials were continued for the 

 satisfaction of the public, and it is believed that those 

 who witnessed them were very generally pleased with 

 the result. The agriculturists in the Lothians having 

 expressed a wish to have an opportunity of witnessing 

 the operations, the whole apparatus was removed to the 



