386 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



Fowler has already plouglied by contract, say that, if 

 the plough returned this autumn, he could find as much 

 work for it as it could go ihrough, so well pleased was 

 he with its performance. As many of our readers may 

 not be aware of its peculiarities, and as those who do 

 know of them will be glad to hear of the recent improve- 

 ments introduced by the inventor, it may not be amiss 

 to sketch briefly an outline of it principal features. The 

 following diagram will illustrate the disposition of the 

 mechanism in the field, with the mode of its operation. 



Fig. 1. 



!9 



A 



The engine and windlass combined are placed at a a, 

 and are moved at intervals along the field in the direc- 

 tion of the arrov\s, a distance equal to the breadth of 4 

 furrows. There are two drums or windlasses worked by 

 the engine, which alternately wind up the wire rope ; 

 while one is being driven by the engine, the other runs 

 free, and is giving out its rope — the rope passes round 

 a pulley or sheave in the anchor c. The fixed anchor is 



at d, and serves as a point of resistance, by which the 

 engine winds itself forward. The " self-adjusting" an- 

 chor c is placed opposite the engine a a, at the extremity 

 of the furrow -line. This is moved along the field coin- 

 cidently with the engine as the ploughing progresses. 

 This self-adjustment of the anchor c is a recent improve- 

 ment, and is effected by the passing of the wire rope// 

 over the drum of the anchor, working a barrel, round 

 which a second wire rope is coiled, the extremity of this 

 being fixed in the ground at e to afford a point of re- 

 sistance. The anchor is mounted on sharp-edged discs 

 or wheels, which cut their way slowly along the ground. 

 The plough- carriage h traverses the space between the 

 engine a a and the anchor c. The whole arrangement 

 forms a parallelogram, the breadth of which is equal to 

 the distance between the engine a and anchor c, which 

 are placed at the headlands — and the length equal to 

 the distance between the engine and the fixed anchor d. 

 For want of space the diagram shows a square. The 

 wire rope //is prevented from dragging over the land 

 by being placed over a series of grooved pulleys or 

 wheels, placed at intervals along the line of draught. 

 Each pulley is supported in a light wooden frame fur- 

 nished with handles ; and as the plough frame b ap- 

 proaches one of these light wheel-frames, a boy removes 

 it out of the path of the plough ; and after it has passed, 

 he places the return rope, which is attached to the hinder 

 end of the plough-frame, over the wheel or pulley. On 

 the plough-frame reaching the headland, it is moved a 

 little beyond the end of the furrow, and tilted up, thus 

 taking the ploughs which have been last in action out 

 of the soil, and placing the others in contact with it. 

 The engine a a and anchor c have at this point been 

 moved along the field a distance equal to 4 furrows — and 

 the wire rope// being already placed in the pulleys of 

 the light wooden frames above mentioned, the engine is 

 started, and the drum which previously was giving out 

 the wire rope now winds it up, and the plough-frame b 

 is drawn across the field — eight furrow-slices have thus 

 been ploughed over in two journeys of the plough-frame. 

 The plough-frame is shown in fig. 2. 



The trial of the reaping and mowing machines resulted 

 in bringingout what was undoubtedly the principal novelty 

 of the Show — namely, the American Eagle Reaping and 

 Mowing Machine. This is the invention of A. H. Caryl 

 of Sandusky, Ohio, and was exhibited by the English 



agent, Mr. H. Clayton of the Atlas Works, Dorset- 

 square, London. This machine took the first prize as a 

 grass-mower ;'[and [from the [simplicity of, its moving 

 parts, its light draught, and easy adjustment in over- 

 coming obstacles, it attracted great attention. The 



