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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



days. 1 have seen many trials of steam ploughintr. I 

 witnessed tlie trials at Chelmsford, at Salisbury, at York, 

 aud elsewhere ; and I gave to them all the unbiassed and 

 unprejudiced attention of which I was master; and I 

 fearlessly assert that the work done was highly creditable 

 and business-like, and at a depth and with the uriform pre- 

 cision that uo common plough can attain to ; and if, Mr. 

 Editor, you will permit me, I desire, and will endeavour 

 in a subsequent paper, to point out what appears to me 

 their relative merits and capabilities to aid practical 

 agriculture in the department of ploughing. My chief 

 aim now is to disabuse the minds of my brother-farmers, 

 and beg of them to suspend their judgment upon what 

 has already transpired before them, as I am fully per- 

 suaded far better things are in store for them, and that 

 ultimately ploughing by steam will be no novelty, but 

 become as common as steam thrashing now is, and as 

 comparatively cheap. 

 That good economical ploughing by steam would be 



avast acquisition in farm practice, few will deny ; and the 

 same will apply to other modes of culture. It is no longer 

 a problematical question as to the draught-power of steam 

 over the soil, iiy traction engines carrying their own 

 rails and drawing their own burdens, by fixed engines 

 with wire ropes and anchorages, and by a combination 

 of fixed engines and horse aids, has this power been 

 respectively achieved, and can be carried out to any 

 extent. The implements of culture sought to be ap- 

 plied through the aid of steam to the soil are various. 

 The common plough, the turnrest plough, and the 

 various grubbers, are a^ applied and applicable to the 

 cultivation of the different varieties of soils, and all 

 efficacious according to soil and circumstances ; the 

 great desideratum now being cheap and effective 

 ploughing by steam. That this will be accomplished I 

 entertain the most confident hope, and I will in a future 

 paper endeavour to show how it may be attained. 



THE STEAM-PLOUGH AT STIRLING. 



Au important meeting of agriculturists has just been held 

 at Stirling to adjudicate the Highland and Agricultural Society's 

 premium for the best steam-plongh. Recently, as is well 

 known, steam-ploughing baa formed an attractive feature at 

 agricultural societies' gatherings, Mr. Boydell's locomotive 

 engine, with its " endless railway," Mr. Smith's cultivator, 

 and Mr. Fowler's plough (both hauled by wire ropes, windlass, 

 and anchored-pulleys), having been exhibited in work to 

 crowds of farmers and sight-seera ; but only on one occasion 

 has a prize been awarded, namely, at the Yorkshire Agricul- 

 tural Society's meeting, wheu Mr. Boydell's engine (the only 

 invention there competing) was thus honoured by the judges. 

 The Salisbury trials, unsatisfactory as they were, have not yet 

 been pronounced upon by the Royal Agricultural Society ; and 

 it is gratifying to find that the Scotch farmers, who adopted 

 the thrashiug-machine of Meikle, took the lead in the improve- 

 ment of ploughs, applied the discoveries of Deanston Smith, 

 and first found the advantage of every farmstead having its 

 steam-chimney, are foremost in giving their deliberate sanction 

 to the steam-plough as a means of better and more profitable 

 husbandry. 



Last year the Stirling General Agricultural Association 

 practically tested the capabilities of a method of steam culture 

 invented by Messrs. Fisken, of Auchterarder, by which a 

 common portable steam engine stationed in the field is em- 

 ployed to drive a travelling implement by means of a rapidly- 

 moving hemp cord suspended above the ground, and a fixed 

 wirerope, along which the ploughing machine winds its way. 

 In a remarkably fair and considerate report the committee 

 stated that, although defective in several mechanical details, 

 this ingenious apparatus fully demonstrated the value of its 

 principle of action, one of their chief grounds of approval 

 being its adaptation for working auy tillage implement beside 

 the plough, while the engine may be suitably employed in 

 thrashing, or auy farm millwork whatever, thus being really 

 calculated to dispense with one-third of the farmer's horses. 



This year a prize of £200 has been offered by the High- 

 land Society, leaving the committee of the Stirling Association 

 to conduct the trials and adjudication. The three days of 

 private trial began on Tuesday, followed by a public exhibition 



on Friday aud Saturday upon Mr. Forrester's farm at Stewart- 

 Hall, the judges being Mr. Henderson, of Banks ; Mr. Patter- 

 son, of Offers ; assisted by Mr. Miller, of Millfield, as en- 

 gineer; while Mr. Finnic, of Swanstcn, Mr. Gibson, of Wool- 

 met, and Mr. Hall Maxwell, the secretary, were present on hz- 

 half of the Highland Society. A considerable competition was 

 anticipateJ, especially as the three favourite classes of schemes, 

 represented by a locomotive traction-engine, a travelling engine 

 with rotary digger attached, and haulage by wire-ropes, are 

 now taken in hand by our most influential manufacturers. 

 However, owing to a variety of causes, Mr. Fowler's steam- 

 plough aloue made its appearance, — an unfortunate circum- 

 stance for the public, as in spite of the prolonged and 

 thorough testing to which the machine was subjected, the 

 element of simultaneous comparison has been entirely wanting. 

 This machine is similar in construction to that shown at Salis- 

 bury, though with minor improvements ; the combined 10- 

 horse engine and windlass at one end of the field, aud an 

 anchorage at the other, travelling very slowly, so as to keep 

 always opposite to the ploughing, and dragging the implement 

 to and fro by means of wire ropes. The ground under opera- 

 tion on Wednesday was a level clover lea, of tenacious coarse 

 land, in an unfit state for ploughing, until mellowed by frost, 

 before the usual ploughing season of February ; yet the quality 

 of the work was superior to that of ploughing done by horses 

 for the sake of comparison. At 5J inches deep two horses 

 were unable to work a common plough, three being required, 

 at an expense of at least 15s. per acre. Tried against time, first 

 for 2 hours and again for 1 hour, the steam plough drove 4 

 furrows at that depth at the average rate of 7 acres in a work- 

 ing day of 10 hours, stoppages included, the length of the 

 furrows being 330 yards. The total cost was computed not to 

 exceed 9s. per acre, and in order that this estimation may be 

 understood the following particulars are given : — Taking the 

 average size of the fields to be about 17 acres, there will be 

 2^- days' work and one removal of the machiuery for each field, 

 each removal occupying half a day ; so that two fields, or 34 

 acres, will be the amount of work for one week. The daily 

 expense of coal, oil, water, and labour is reckoned at 35s. ; the 

 two shiftings require four horses half a day each time,co3tiQg 



