532 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



horse may puU to his full strength, but he will require 

 nearly the bulk of a cart-horse to draw as much weight. 

 I believe it to be a parallel case with traction engines- 

 there must be a great weight in the engine to stand a 

 tremendous pull. A little horse, though of greatest 

 mettle, cannot compete with a heavy draft-horse. Mr. 

 Hall exceeds Mr. Boydell in price— i, 700. 



Mr. Smith shall next have my notice, as he has been 

 indefatigable in the introduction of steam-power to cul- 

 tivation, and also lays claim to being the originator of 

 the modern improvements in steam-ploughing. Mr. 

 Smith does not plough in the strict sense of the word 

 plough : he breaks up the soil by a peculiar grubber of 

 his own invention, which he works with engine, windlass, 

 snatchblocks, wire rope, turn-tables, &c. The engine, 

 being stationary, requires a great length of rope, which 

 is led out to opposite anchorages, where the implement 

 is turned by "a patent hook," his own invention, 

 which is of considerable value, as so few can turn at the 

 headland. The grubber does its work well ; and if cul- 

 tivation by grubbers is to supersede ploughing, Mr. 

 Smith's implement is well calculated to do it. Mr. 

 Williams employs an engine at each end of the work. 

 This is cleverly contrived. The windlass consists of one 

 drum, on travelling-wheels, attached to the engine 

 (which is self-moving) by a frame of timber, so as to 

 constitute one machine ; which, with tank, coal, &c., 

 forms one very effective anchorage. The drum is driven 

 by a cog-wheel pinion, chain- wheel, and a short pitch- 

 chain gearing, with a pinion on the engine-crank shaft. 

 By an anchorage a-head, it is also, by similar gearing, 

 made to progress along the headland as required. The 

 engines are of seven, and six-horse power, respectively; 

 and as they alternately pull, their weight resists the side- 

 strain. The ploughs are badly arrranged. He has a 

 large triangular frame of wood, upon which are hung, 

 independently, six ploughs on a lever, with the usual 

 addenda of chains, barrels, joints, slots, handles, guides, 

 draft-rods, &c. : by this means each plough can be 

 lifted out of work at the headland, &c. This frame is 

 guided by a horse attached to shafts, and is turned by 

 it at the ends. A scarifier is arranged to be worked in 

 a similar way : I saw this at Salisbury, in work ; the 

 great defect was in the arrangement of ploughs ; in fact 

 they were too independent to work at all, requiring con- 

 siderable weight to be placed upon them to be kept in 

 work in the hard soil they had to contend with. There 

 is much that is commendable about the whole scheme, 

 which combines horse guidance with steam draft. 



Mr. Fisken's steam-ploughing machine is worked by 

 a travelling windlass, the drums alternately pay out and 

 wind-up the stationary wire ropes as the windlass pro- 

 ceeds, in doing which the friction or wear of rope is 

 trifling. The power from the engine is transmitted by 

 a rapidly-moving light hemp cord, costing one half- 

 penny per yard. The ploughs, of course, proceed with 

 the windlass, and the anchorages are safe and self- 

 adjusting. I was most favourably impressed with the 

 simplicity and business-like appearance of this imple- 

 ment at Carlisle, and augured well of its future course. 

 I still think it deserves a high place in public favour. 



The small amouat of labour required, compared with 

 the duty it performs, will yet cause it to enter iuto 

 strong competition with the direct hauling schemes. 

 The great diflSculty is the mode of transmitting the 

 power. 



CORN AVERAGES. — MICHAELMAS 

 RENTS. 



Sir, — The return of Michaelmas, which may be con- 

 sidered the termination of the farmer's year, has induced 

 me to send you the result of the average prices of wheat, 

 barley, and oats, for 52 weeks up to that time, viz : — 



Wheat 59s. 3Jd. per imp. qr. 



Barley 43s. 3 ^d. ,, ,, 



Oats 25s. 3fd. „ ,, 



Some years ago I prepared a return, commencing 

 with Christmas, 1845, so as to embrace the whole pe- 

 riod affected by the late Sir Robert Peel's Corn Bill, 

 passed 26th June, 1846, showing the average, as well as 

 the highest and lowest prices of wheat in each year end- 

 ing Michaelmas. I have continued this return up to the 

 present time, and as it may prove interesting to many 

 of your readers, I beg to annex a copy. 



I remain, sir, your obedient servant, 



Charles M. Willich. 

 Actuary University Life Assurance Society. 

 25, Suffolk-street, Pall Mall, S.W., Oct 31, 1857. 



Annual Average Price of Wheat per imperial quar- 

 ter, in England and Wales, from Michaelmas, 1845, to 

 Michaelmas, 1 857 ; together with the Highest and Lowest 

 Weekly Average price in each of the respective years 

 ending Michaelmas-day. 



The annual above averages are based on the quarterly averages 

 for the respective periods. 



MANURING WITH BRAINS. — At the Woodbury 

 Ploughing Match a few days ago, Mr. John Daw told the fol- 

 lowing anecdote : Once having drained a field where nothing 

 ever had grown before, I was standing near it lookmg at a crop 

 I had there, when a neighbouring farmer came up. We have 

 one or two loose farmers in our neighbourhood ; one of them 

 in fact came from Woodbury (laughter) ; but that is not the 

 man I am speaking of, who came up and said to me, " That is 

 a bootifnl crop ; how did ee get it, sur ?" I replied, " Brains" 

 (laughter). " Wat ! manme the field wi brains ?" (more laugh- 

 ter). The fact was I had drained the field ; so I said, " Yea" 

 (renewed laughter). He rephed, " Lord, yer honer! where did 

 ee get um ?" (roars of laughter). — Sherborne Journal. 



