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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



length of furrow and breadth of field. But, on the 

 other hand, the loss of power caused by the friction of 

 the wire rope on the porters and soil is great in propor- 

 tion to the length in use, a circumstance which, joined 

 with a further loss of power by reason of weight and 

 with greater expense in the prime cost, suggest an 

 outline of field shorter along the ridges than across ; 

 and, on the whole, we apprehend that, as respects 

 Fowler's arrangement, a form of enclosure which 

 like that most adapted to the economic exhibition 

 of animal power (that is longer across than along 

 the ridges) must be resorted to. In our former paper 

 demonstrating what, under ordinary circumstances, is 

 the length of ridge best suited to the thrifty exhibition 

 of animal power in tillage, an admeasurement of about 

 300 yards was proposed ; and it is a satisfactory coin- 

 cidence to find that this approximates with sufficient 

 closeness to what may be called the range of Fowler's 

 apparatus. To an eight-horse engine he attaches an 

 endless rope of 700 yards, which, besides being 

 doubled on itself when in use, has to be passed round 

 the hauling windlass and the anchor pulley, and thus 

 cannot possibly give the plough a much greater recti- 

 linear motion backward and forward than 300 yards. 



In the Woolston arrangement, operative circum- 

 stances present themselves differing considerably from 

 those already noticed in relation to Fowler's rival patent. 

 Here, as was before observed, the engine is absolutely 

 stationary whilst giving forth its strength to drag the 

 tillage apparatus connected with it. And, assuming 

 that the reader is acquainted with the manner in which 

 the rope tackle is laid out, he has only to be re- 

 minded that, while there is no absolute limitation in 

 point of acreable surface which may be cultivated at a 

 time without shifting the apparatus, yet, practically, 

 the area cannot, consistently with economical results, 

 exceed sixteen acres ; and that, in order to ctiltivate any 

 given piece of ground, the wire rope must, as an 

 initiatory process, be extended in one or other of the 

 four following parallelogramatic forms — namely, 1st, 

 an equal-sided and right-angled square ; or, 2nd, a right- 

 angled oblong J or, 3rd, an equal-sided figure with 

 unequal angles; or, lastly, an unequal-angled oblong. 

 Now, according to the prospectuses issued of this, the 

 Woolston method of steam cultivation, an eight-horse 

 engine is represented as capable of working 1,400 yards 

 of rope ; and this entire length, extended out in an 

 exact square, would, of course, invest an area of 350 

 yards a side, equal to twenty- five imperial acres. But, 

 actually, the whole length of rope is not available for this 

 purpose. On the contrary, no less than a fifth part must 

 be always unextended on one of the windlasses, to allow 

 of that reciprocate action of paying-out and hauling-in, 

 which distinguishes the Woolston plan. Hence, then, 

 the investing rope is thus reduced to 1,120, giving a 

 square of only 280 yards on each side, and thereby re- 

 ducing the maximum acreage which this apparatus can 

 cultivate, at one laying-out , to 1 6 acres. Indeed, regulated 

 by these circumstances, a field designed for Woolston 

 steam tillage ought to be 280 yards from fence to fence 

 iu one direction, or within twenty yards of the typical 



dimensions along the ridge already propounded. A 

 square of 280 yards, however, gives a contained area of 

 only sixteen acres, which in every point of view must 

 be regarded as decidedly under size. Doubled, it would 

 of course form an oblong 280 x 560 yards, and con- 

 taining thirty-two acres — a shape and magnitude open 

 to no objection whatever, even in respect of animal 

 labour; and most suitable, as has already been shown, as 

 regards the use of steam on the Woolston system ; since 

 the most economical adjustment of rope, in this invention, 

 is an exact square, whose sides are each equal to one- 

 fifth part of its entire length— that is, 280 yards a-side- 

 Of course it will readily occur to the reader that in this 

 case only 16 acres of the field could be worked up at a 

 time, and that when the first part was completed the 

 engine and other apparatus must be removed to and re- 

 adjusted on the remaining portion. Here, then, again 

 does the oblong form extending across the line of 

 action of the motive-power present itself as the typical 

 form best suited to economize labour, whether by means 

 of animal agency, or of those two several adaptations of 

 steam traction on which we have been expatiating. 



But when the next class of engines, the locomotives, 

 come to be considered, a set of operative elements come 

 into play which seem to dict?ite an arrangement, in the 

 form of field on which it is purposed to exert their 

 power, the reverse of that already demonstrated as best 

 adapted to non-locomotive contrivances. For, as 

 respects the species of inventions to which we have now 

 turned, it is to be remembered that, like the horse or 

 ox, they accompany the implement used ; and hence, 

 (as in the exhibition of animal motive strength), there 

 unavoidably must be a loss of time and power in the 

 act of turning at the end of the furrow, greater or less 

 in proportion to the weight of the apparatus and of its 

 associated instrument of culture. From this circum- 

 stance it follows, therefore, that the frequency of putting 

 about, ought in the case of the locomotives to be les- 

 sened by using ridges of extreme length ; in other words* 

 by forming fields long in the direction of the furrows, 

 and comparatively narrow across them. 



In this way the timid reformer may possibly con- 

 ceive himself in some sort placed between the horns 

 of a dilemma. To admit the use of steam as the 

 motive agent in the prime operations of tillage in 

 his corn-fields, he must remodel these ; and yet the 

 foregone experience of steam-culture has not hitherto 

 unambiguously determined what shape or size is best 

 suited to promote the thoroughly economic adapta- 

 tion of this mighty flexible, and universal auxiliary 

 to human industry. But were it prudent never to em- 

 bark on any reformatory course until every doubt or un- 

 certainty were removed from the onward path, improve- 

 ment could never be initiated, for such discouragements 

 to advancement and apologies for adherence to anti- 

 quated practices have ever existed, and never will cease 

 out of the land. 



But be his doubts what they may respecting the size, 

 of area or proportions along or across the strike of ridge, 

 let the enterprizing husbandman, in reforming his fences, 

 entertain no hesitation or scruple in bringing the bound- 



