13d. 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



attached could only indicate up to 10 cwt., and conse- 

 quently the draught, which was of course considerably 

 higher, was not ascertained. To do as much work in a 

 day, it would require two implements, twelve horses^ 

 two men, and two boys, the cost being about Gs. per 

 acre. According to this comparison, there would seem 

 to be no saving in the steam over the horse-power opera- 

 tion ; but the fact is, that horses could not produce the 

 same efficiency of result, seeing that the quicker pace 

 travelled, and the freedom from trampling, cause the 

 ground to be so much better torn up, and laid in a 

 better posture for after-treatment. 



On Friday Mr. Howard crossed his work with the 

 5-tined cultivator, taking 5 feet breadth, and so divided 

 and uplifted the pieces left by the first process, and also 

 broke up every portion that had escaped the other im- 

 plement, that common ploughing and cross- ploughing 

 and then dragging could not have left the ground in a 

 better state. Adding the cost of this second operation, 

 namely, some 3s. Gd. to 4s. per acre (the quantity 

 being about 10 to 12 acres per day), to that of the first, 

 we have about 10s. or 10s. Gd. as the expense of accom- 

 plishing tillage worth, on stubbles for cleaning, at least 

 the price of two ploughings; and the advantage in the 

 heavy spring tillage saved, and the fertilizing effect of 

 early breaking-up, still far outweigh the comparative 

 pecuniary estimate. 



On the same day, also, Mr. Fowler worked his ad- 

 mirable trenching-plough, which took two furrows' 

 breadth at a time, and went 12 inches deep, breaking up 

 the amazingly hard subsoil, and laying it upon the 

 sward-slice turned down. His common plough frame 

 is fitted with cross-bars for carrying cultivator tines ; 

 but the first attempt to work them in this firm-baked 

 soil was not successful. However, it is exceedingly de- 

 sirable that scarifying or grubbing should be within 

 the compass of the engine's ability, as well as turning 

 over furrows. Indeed, it is precisely the beautiful adap- 

 tation of Howard's cultivating implement to this process 

 of "smashing-up" without inversion, that has achieved 

 for the Woolston system of tackle so large a measure of 

 success. 



Mr. Rickett's machine is a locomotive engine, with 

 flue-and-tube boiler, propelling itself slowly by means 

 of pinions, spurwheels, and cage-teeth on the inside of 

 one of the broad-bellied travelling wheels ; and at the 

 same time driving with pitch-chains from pinions on 

 each end of the engine crank-shaft a revolving digger 

 hung transversely behind. This digger consists of a 

 strong shaft of 2 \ inches square and about 7 feet long, 

 on which are slided a number of curved arms carrying 

 prongs or spade-shaped cutters or shares of chilled cast- 

 iron. It is hung upon two radial arms, so as to be 

 capable of being raised or depressed, and the short 

 pieces of pitch-chain driving it at each end gear with 

 pinions only 5 inches diameter, which are certainly too 

 small. The circle described by the cutters is 2 feet in 

 diameter, and the digger rotates in the opposite direction 

 to that of the carriage-wheels, so that the blades enter 

 the hard ground from below, carry over the loosened soil, 

 Rnd deposit the pieces mostly in an inverted position. 



The digger makes say about 60 revolutions per minute, 

 while the engine advances 45 feet in the same time; and 

 as there are two cutters in one ring (at opposite diame- 

 ter.^), each cutter takes 4 1 inches "bite." And shares 

 of all varieties of form and breadth may be employed. 

 Three men are required to work the machine. Going 

 5 inches and sometimes 7 or 8 inches deep, it made very 

 fair work, good enough to show that on light land in 

 dry weather it might be a valuable tool. The engine, a 

 10-horse power, worked up to 90 or 951bs. pressure, 

 and when choking did not occur (from the confined and 

 defective construction of the machine), proceeded at the 

 rate of nearly six acres a-day, at an estimated cost (in- 

 cluding interest on ,£440) of about Gs. an acre. All 

 readers of " Talpa's Chronicles of a Clay Farm" will 

 appreciate this invention, although the revolution of the 

 digger is in the opposite direction to that with which 

 their imagination is famihar. 



Mr. Crawley's set of three one-way ploughs, each 

 consisting of two plough-bodies fixed heel to heel, for 

 working up and down the field without turning at the 

 ends, and yoked to a lever whippletree that of its own 

 accord alters the succession in which the ploughs follow 

 one another for the up and return journeys, were hauled 

 a little way on Wednesday by Fowler's tackle, but 

 could not be made to work properly. Each plough 

 should have had a means of independent steerage; but 

 as they tore their way sideways into the unploughed land, 

 after proceeding a few yards with some large furrows, a 

 bystander remarked that " they wanted ringing." 



We have now given the facts of the steam-plough 

 trials as far as we could ascertain them from our own 

 observation ; but doubtless the prolonged experiments of 

 the judges in weighing coal and measuring the work done, 

 besides the careful testing of the implement draughts 

 with the dynamometer, expected to be carried out on 

 Monday, will prove most valuable and interesting to the 

 agricultural public, when the next " part" of the 

 Society's journal comes out. We refrain from express- 

 ing an opinion upon the comparative merits of the two 

 systems of applying steam-power to tillage, which 

 appear to be, so far, the only likely competitors for the 

 £bO0 : both are '" economical" — both make good work; 

 and seeing that a baulk-plough is used, as well as mere 

 grubbers, by the one which docs not " plough," we sup- 

 pose that both comply with the condition of " turning- 

 over" the land. The judges have to give in their award 

 on Tuesday night ; and we have no hesitation in saying 

 that they have taken far better and more satisfactory 

 means for investigating the capabilities of these inven- 

 tions than have ever been employed at previous meetings. 

 Our readers may safely venture to Chester, without fear 

 of a second Salisbury imposition. 



But so long have we been dwelling upon this all- 

 absorbing subject, that we are forgetting the equally 

 exciting operations in the spacious trial-yard, where 

 Messrs. Barker, Shackel, and Jno. Clark are trying the 

 thrashing-machines ; Messrs. Druce and Professor Wil- 

 son are examining the chaff-cutters, pulpers, mills, &c. ; 

 Messrs. Higgins and Wilshere are hunting out miscella- 

 neous improvements ; Messrs. Owen, Wood, C.E., and 



