THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



193 



A A Position of digging-blades on entering and on rising out of the soil, cutting a spit say 8 inches thick and 9 inches wide, 



with the trench 15 inches deep. 

 B B The stems or arms supporting the blades are sharp at their edges, so as to act as coulters, for severing the side of the 



spit from the whole ground. The blades are set diagonally across the plane of the circle there described, so as not to 



track after each other; and are turned round in sockets C C, when required to point the other way, for the return 



course. 

 D Size of the wheel by wh".ch the digger ia driven. 



rope, supported upon friction rollers, in connexion with 

 a stationary engine, or an engine shifted along one end 

 of the field — a modification, in fact, of Mr. Atkins' 

 and Messrs. Fisken's method. For a single digging- 

 disc, perhaps there would not be too great a resistance 

 to be driven by wheel-work from the travelling-wheels 

 of the carriage-frame, on the principle of Hanson's po- 

 tato-digger : the wheel having teeth or cogs upon its 

 felloe to give it a firm hold of the ground, might travel 

 along the bottom of the trench, and so partially operate 

 also as a sub -pulverizer, breaking up the hard bottom ; 

 and as the digging-disc is adapted to a pace of two miles 

 per hour, horses might work it if required. I would 

 suggest, however, that in case the bite and resistance 

 thus obtained were found insufficient for very deep work, 

 a couple of wire-ropes wound upon the drums of the 

 machine, and fastened down at both ends of the field by 

 shifting archors, would cause the drums and connected 

 gear-work to revolve by the simple advance of the ma- 

 chine ; though this travelling windlass would involve 

 considerable weight and complexity. 



My description of this rotary digger is very general 

 and devoid of details, the rather rude drawings accom- 

 panying this paper merely giving some idea of the cir- 

 cular cutting and inverting of a movement I advocate, 

 and, in fact, it is not the particular form, but the dis- 

 tinctive principle of action involved, that I wish to 

 bring before you. 



In conclusion, let me hope that at least some of my 

 suggestions with respect to working traction implements 

 by steam-power, and the constructioa of new tillage 



machines, will prove useful to some gentlemen who may 

 be practically grappling with the mechanical difficulties 

 in the field, and that the principle I have introduced to 

 your notice for deep-digging and perfectly inverting the 

 soil, with the least possible waste of power in raising the 

 cut pieces, will meet with your consideration and ap- 

 proval. 



On the conclusion of Mr. Clarke's paper the Secre- 

 tary read the following letter : 



Sir, — In the Journal of this Society for February, 1856, 

 are a few remarks I then made on the subject of ploughing 

 or land cultivation by steam-power. These impressions were 

 arrived at, and forced upon my miud by the importance of the 

 subject, and by frequently witnessing the various methods 

 (ingenious and persevering) by which the desideratum was 

 sought to be accomplished. I would now frankly have re- 

 nounced my ideas, and cordially have congratulated any in- 

 ventor who had, by this time, made the progress then hoped 

 for, and which their great efforts have really deserved ; but 

 feeling, as I do, that so little improvement has been made in 

 the art by any of the methods during these two years, I am 

 more convinced we are not yet in the right path to the 

 possession of an implement such as would generally supersede 

 the good horse plough, and which the enterprising agriculturist 

 would hail with pleasure and readily adopt. Sincerely feeling, as 

 I do, hose very ungenerous and hard it may seem to these ener- 

 getic pioneers to dwell on their unrewarded efforts, I would gladly 

 adopt any course of remarks or argument which would avoid 

 allusion to a failure or touch a disappointed hope, and would 

 therefore briefly state that from all I have yet seen or heard 

 of improvements and trials of the now existing means, I am 

 forced back to the conclusion I had arrived at in February, 



