PROCEEDINGS OF THR POLYTECHNIC ASSOCIATION. 487 



the new plan. This machine was also shown at a meeting of the 

 Farmers' Club, and special report Avas made thereon. 



Messrs. Maynard and O'Reilly alluded to other rotary diggers 

 now in successful operation. 



Mr. E. Stevens said it had been found profitable to plow land 

 several times before planting ; the use of the spade was admitted 

 to be most efficient in preparing the soil. As far as pulverizing 

 and aerating the soil was concerned, it seemed to him the plan now 

 presented would be more effectual than any of the old modes. 

 After some queries by Mr. H. F. Walling had been answered, the 

 Secretary, Mr. T. D. Stetson, took the floor, and examined in 

 detail the novelties embraced in this machine, and concluded by 

 urging its manufacturers to make early and repeated trials of it in 

 order to be able to state definitely how much benefit the farmer 

 is to derive from this new mode of culture. 



New Valve for Steam Engines. 



Dr. Warren Rowell remarked he had some years since invented 

 a perfectly balanced rotary valve, which was now public property. 

 lie had lately changed the form of the valve so as to adapt it to 

 the common locomotive. The model exhibited will show it is so 

 arranged that the pressure of steam is evenly distributed upon 

 every side, thereby overcoming the serious objections brought 

 against the valve in common use. 



New Mode of Communicating Poaver, 



Dr. Rowell also exhibited two models of plans for transmitting 

 power to di;stant points. The first he contrived during the sum- 

 mer vacation, and had presented to the public through The Scien- 

 tific American, and he noticed the London Mechanics' Magazine 

 had copied the drawing and description of it, giving him due 

 credit. He wished to say that substantially the same thing is 

 found on all locomotives where four driving-wheels are used, for 

 in this case double cranks at right angles are connected by rods, 

 but being on opposite sides of the machine this relation is not 

 noticed. He had noAV another plan, Avhich he claimed Avas entirely 

 original. The model exhibited shoAvs three rods forminsf a trianofle: 

 at each angle there is a crank on which tAvo of the rods play. It 

 will be seen that by revolving crank No. 1 motion is pommunicated 

 direct to crank No. 3, and at the same time, in a round-al)out Avay, 

 through crank No. 2, and thus pressure is brought to bear on crank 



