2-i8 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



the rights of seniority, majorats, or estates in tail, will 

 know how to prevent the excessive sub-division of the 

 soil. To this class of men we may address the language 

 of M. de Lavergne ; for, precisely because it loves the 

 truth and disdains false complacency, because it desires 

 employment for the workmen and preaches by example, 

 there are none, who better than they, have the right of 

 not being suspected of a bad spirit, when they raise their 

 voice in favour of useful reforms, and point out certain 

 dangers to the citizens. M. de Lavergne has found an 

 echo in this part of the population. It is, I think, an 

 excellent proof that he has in his writings known how 

 to unite moderation of language with firmness of 

 opinion. Let us not, however, consider him exclu- 

 sively as the advocate of large culture : that would 

 be to forget all that he has justly said in favour 

 of small culture, for which he professes, with 

 truth, a very particular esteem. So alsoin what 



regards manufacture, it is unnecessary to suppose 

 that he has placed it in antagonism with agricul- 

 ture : far from it. A man of profound views, he has 

 arrived through political economy at rural economy, 

 through the whole to the part. That is to say, he is 

 not exclusive, and loves all the branches of human 

 labour. He has been, I repeat, struck with the depo- 

 pulation of our country districts ; he seeks by the light 

 of science, and in the domain of individual energjC rather 

 than in the intervention of the State, a remedy for this 

 public danger. In short, M. de Lavergne has made 

 once more one of those good books, which displays to 

 us all the grandeur and utility of the part that agricul- 

 ture is called upon to play in France, and that to the 

 advantage of our population, whom it behoves to pre-, 

 serve its rural character, E. Lecouteux, 



Former Director of the Cultures of the 

 Agronomic Institute of Versailles. 



THE LATEST PATENTS FOR PLOUGHING BY STEAM. 



The next patent machine for tilling and preparing 

 and, adapted to " steam traction," which we have to 

 notice, is that of William Smith, of Little Woolstone, 

 Bucks. (Patent dated September 7th, 1853. No. of 

 patent, 2,121. Price of speciBcation, 6id.) The in- 

 vention claimed in the patent is the manner of com- 

 bining implements, such as the patentee has before used 

 as subsoil ploughs, into one. The implement repre- 

 sented in the drawing is in general appearance like the 

 cultivator or grubber. The tines, or " implements" as 

 they are designated in the specification, are three in 

 number. Of these, the central is the only one pro- 

 vided with handles ; the frames or bodies of the other 

 two are in all respects similar to this central implement. 

 Two cross-beams {a a) are provided for combining the 

 three into one. The fore parts of the beams or bodies 

 of the implements are connected with a bar (ft) which 

 runs parallel to, and some distance before, the cross- 

 beams (a a). At each end of the bar (b) a vertical 

 screw, with an eye at its upper end, is placed ; through 

 the eyes of these rods the draft chains fixed to the stems 

 of the cutting implements are passed, and extended 

 forward and attached to the whippletree connected with 

 the bar {b). The whippletree is inclined, as required, 

 to either side, by chains attached to each end : these 

 are taken up and hooked at points in the handle of the 

 central implement, so as to be within reach of the at- 

 tendant. Wheels are provided, one to each of the two 

 outer implements ; and in some cases, on stiff land, the 

 patentee states that each implement has its own wheel. 

 The height of the wheel and of the implements are ad- 

 justed in the frame in manner similar to the coulter 

 and wheels of the plough. The tine, or cutting part of 

 the implement, resembles in form the tine of the ordi- 

 nary grubber or cultivator. 



The patent next in chronological order which we 

 propose to notice under the present division of our sub- 

 ject, is that granted to John Allen Williams, of Bay- 

 don, Wilts^. (Patent dated 17th of June, 1854. No. of 

 patent, 1,325. Price of specification, Is. 6d.) This 

 invention relates to an arrangement of plough or culti- 

 vating apparatus for working land, " Whereby," says 

 the specification, " a much superior cultivating effect 

 is obtainable than is possible with the common or other 

 existing forms of ploughs or cultivators." The culti- 

 vating implements represented in the drawings attached 

 to the specification resemble closely in arrangement and 

 detail the ordinary plough, with its share, mouldboard, 

 and coulter. The peculiar feature of the arrangement 



is the method by which various adjustments can be 

 given to these ploughs : they can, for instance, be lifted 

 vertically out of or adjusted to any distance from the 

 soil in which they work, the ploughshares being at- 

 tached to a series of horizontal bars («) running from 

 end to end of the framing of the machine ; these bars 

 being provided with eyes sliding up and down on verti- 

 cal guide-bars {b) fitted to the back of the framing. 

 Three of these plough bars or beams («) are stated by 

 the patentee to be a convenient number. To the front 

 of the framing, vertical guides (c), corresponding to (ft), 

 are fitted : these are provided with block pieces (rf) 

 which slide up and down. To projecting rings or ears 

 made on these block pieces (d) the extremities of the 

 horizontal plough bars («) are jointed, the ends of the 

 plough bars being furnished with a double eye or fork. 

 By this arrangement, if obstacles present themselves to 

 the ploughs while in operation, the ploughs give way 

 to the obstacles ; the plough bars (a) rising behind, 

 and turning on the jointed block pieces {d) sliding on 

 the front guide bars (c), the plough bars, with their 

 attached ploughs, are lifted simultaneously out of con- 

 tact with, or adjusted to any distance from, the soil by 

 the following means. At each end of the framing car- 

 rying the guide bars {b c) a set of loose pulleys (e) are 

 hung ; chains connected with the plough bars («) at 

 each end pass over these pulleys; the chains (/) at- 

 tached to the ends of the plough bars at the back of the 

 machine being at once connected to lever handles (g) 

 placed within the reach of the attendant. The chains 

 attached to the front end of the plough bars (a) pass 

 over their corresponding pulleys, and are connected 

 with rods or links which extend along the framing, and 

 are connected at their opposite ends to the chains (f) 

 connected with the lever handles (g). By depressing 

 these handles (g) both ends of the plough bars are 

 raised simultaneously. The lever handles (g) work in 

 segmental slides provided with holes, through which 

 pins pass, and are made to regulate the extent of " Mil" 

 of the plough bars («). Each plough bar is also capa- 

 ble of being lifted up independently of the others, by 

 means of a small handle fixed to the back end of the 

 bar. The vertical guide bars (c) are capable of being 

 slightly inclined, so as to give a corresponding lateral 

 inclination to the coulters and turn-furrows of the 

 ploughs, and to enable them " to turn the furrows more 

 efficiently when ploughing a hill-side or sidelong 

 ground." The lateral traverse of the frame which gives 

 the inclination to the guide bars (c) above referred to, 



