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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



sight seem ridiculous to harness an engine to an imple- 

 ment, as though its strength, like that of a horse, lay in 

 its legs, yet we have the example of the railway locomo- 

 tive, which exerts all its power by means of its (rotary) 

 legs, yokes itself in front of a carriage, and pulls with 

 traces, as a horse does. Working on a level and smooth 

 roadway, the locomotive can drag a train of carriages 

 more economically than a stationary engine can haul it 

 with rope ; and, allowing for the difference between a 

 galloping railway speed and the sluggish pace required 

 on ail arable field, analogy would lead us to expect a 

 like superiority of the locomotive, whether in pulling 

 ploughs or vehicles. I need not enumerate all the at- 

 tempts at locomotive engines for traversing arable land, 

 but shall notice two only — one "theoretical," the 

 other practical. 



The great weight of a steam-engine, with its water 

 and coal, forms the chief obstacle to its transit over a 

 soft or rugged surface ; why not, therefore, employ a 

 pneumatic locomotive .' In 1839, Mr. Henry Pinkus 

 patented a most ingenious method of applying an atmos- 

 pheric vacuum, or else compressed air, as an auxiliary 

 for conveying motive-power from a stationary engine to 

 travelling implements. Now, without adopting his pro- 

 posal of laying down air main-pipes about an estate, and 

 distributing power (as Mr. Mechi does manure) from 

 steam-pumps at the central homestead, might we not 

 take his plan for connecting a light travelling pneumatic 

 engine with air-pumps attached to a stationary portable 

 steam-engine } A flexible tube, coiled on a cage-drum 

 upon the pneumatic locomotive, is paid out as the loco- 

 motive recedes from the steam-engine, and wound up as 

 it approaches. Hy passing and repassino; the sieam- 

 engine, a length of 200 yards may be ploughed with 

 only half that length of pipe ; and as this is merely laid 

 down and rolled up again, very little wear from friction 

 is incurred. 



All doubt as to the effectiveness of pneumatic power 

 applied in this way may now be considered as dispelled 

 by the success of a compressed air-engine at Govan col- 

 liery, near Glasgow, which has been working for more 

 than six years, without requiring any repairs or adjust- 

 ment. The air-engine is situated half-a-mile from the 

 steam-engine and corapressing-pump ; yet, as the pipe 

 conveying the air is of large diameter, viz., 10 inches, 

 the pressure of the air is diminished only lib. per square 

 inch in passing through it. However, there is so much 

 nicety and complication necessary in the compressing 

 machinery, and in the apparatus for neutralizing the 

 great development of heal occasioned by the process of 

 obtaining air at only 20lbs. pressure to the inch, that I 

 think the principle must be abandoned, and we must 

 give up, at any rate for a long time, the advantage of 

 possessing such an extremely light as well as powerful 

 locomotive power in our fields. 



For making the steam-engine itself an agricultural 

 locomotive, we have Mr. Boydell's "endless railway 

 engine." I need not describe in detail this admirable 

 working-out of an old idea By bridging over hollows 

 and forming inclined planes over obstacles ; by stepping, 

 88 it were, instead of rolling, and laying down smooth 

 even iron rails on which the wheels run ; and still further 

 by bearing with flat platforms instead of curved wheel- 

 tires upon soft ground, the shoes or rail-pieces mar- 

 vellously ease the progress of a ponderous machine. 

 And thus the "traction-engine" can climb considerable 

 gradients, as proved at the Salisbury Agricultural Meet- 

 ing ; and whether we adopt the particular form of engine 

 there exhibited, or Mr. Burrell's appliance of the rails 

 to common portable engines, or Messrs. Tuxford's 

 compact and oaanageable engine on three wheels, in 

 Which both the main travelling-wheels are driven, 

 TOetber turning a curve or proceeding in a straight line, 



or Mr. Collinson Hall's enormously high-pressure locomo- 

 tive, with its peculiarly-i-haped boiler and steam-chamber 

 maintaining the water-levels always above the tubes, 

 it is now clear that the farmer's engine may be indepen- 

 dent of his horses, that it can draw from farm to farm 

 the heavy thrashing-machine it works, and pull home 

 the harvest-sheaves or lead out those loads of farm- 

 manure which now tax the power of our teams so many 

 weeks in the year. From the many experiments made 

 and published, it is certain that the " steam-horse" can 

 drag implements on moderately level land at a very ex- 

 peditious and cheap rate, which is not surprising when 

 we consider that the engine brings the implements, and the 

 coal and water enough for the day's use, into the field 

 with it ; that no tackle has to be laid out and fixed, or 

 taken up and shifted ; that the amount of manual labour 

 required is very small, and the time lost in turning and • 

 removing comparatively trifling. 



How long a traction engine will last in constant field 

 ase I am unable to say ; but everybody knows how the 

 rough journeys of common portable engines tend to 

 damage and df teriorate them ; and though the rails pre- 

 vent much of the shock and strain which would be other- 

 wise felt, continual travelling over a hard and rugged 

 surface like arable land must have an injurious effect 

 upon a ponderous boiler and machinery. The wear of 

 the rails is also a very serious item. The objection that 

 the great weight is calculated to injure a strong soil by 

 undue consolidation, applies to the traction engine as 

 well as to horses, but not with greater force. For an 

 engine of 8 or 10 tons traversing a field weighs but little 

 more than the number of horses requisite to pull the 

 same implements; and their feet penetrate and injure 

 the ground more deeply than the broad platform rails. 



It appears that a momentary emergence of the tubes 

 above the water level in the boiler is not dangei ous ; but 

 for maintaining a nearly horizontal position upon long 

 inclines, might not ordinary boilers be supported about 

 the middle of their length, and raised or lowered at one 

 end by means of an adjusting screw ? 



I am very hopeful of the extensive adoption of the 

 traction engine upon very level land, lor ploughing or 

 scarifying whole ground ; but fear it would be impracti- 

 cable for working land already ploughed, so much of the 

 motive-power being wasted in carrying itself over rough 

 and yielding furrows or large clods. 



It is to be regretted that the adaptation of the ploughs 

 to the traction engine has hitherto been so unlorlunate 

 as to prevent the accomplishment of a high quality of 

 work. Mr. Smith, of VVoolston, has just patented an 

 improvement in the yoking of the implements. 



Before quitting the subject of locomotive engines for 

 traction, I ought to mention Mr. Halkett's recently- 

 proposed system of " guideways," or rails laid [)0 feet 

 apart over the entire surface of the land, for the convey- 

 ance of the engine and tilling machinery. The advan- 

 tages promised on clay soils are prodigious, but I believe 

 not the less reasonable and likely to be realized ; and I 

 would dwell longer upon the mechanical merits and 

 economy of the plan, did I not believe that the first 

 outlay, of £25 to £-30 an acre, effectually debars its em- 

 ployment to the tenant farmer, while there are but few 

 estates, I suppose, on which landowners are likely to apply 

 it, or on which a public company might obtain power 

 to operate. And I prefer to notice schemes of steam 

 culture for tillmg our fields as at present laid out, as 

 more immediately practicable and available than those 

 requiring the complete remodelling of estates. 



For ploughing, and scarifying, &c., in a hilly country, 

 we must have recourse to the windlass and rope as the 

 best means of transmitting power from the engine to the 

 implement ; and it is a question v^hether this or the 

 traction engine principle is best even for level districts, 



