484 



FARMERS' REGISTER— THRASHING MACHINE. 



pie have, the manulactories exerted a power out of 

 all proporti(Tn to their intrinsic strength. Thus, if 

 agriculturistis will unite in societies, and cherish 

 their own interests, it is beyond the power of all 

 other trades and professions together, to secure 

 legislation that is ohnoxious and oppressive to this 

 department of industry. The natural tendency 

 of societies of this kind is, to promote a spirit of 

 competition and improvement. When the mem- 

 bers are collected at their annual meetings, and 

 statements are given of the modes of culture, the 

 products and results, the advantages of judicious 

 management will be so obvious and attractive, as 

 to excite emulation. The habit of exhausting and 

 destroying the soil will give way to the calls of in- 

 terest. When it is made so manifest that none 

 can doubt, that it is more profitable to improve, 

 than to destroy, the system of destruction will 

 cease. At present, it is quite common to liear in- 

 dividuals calculating how long a piece ol' land will 

 last. When accounts reach us oi' great crops that 

 are made at a distance, many are incredulous, 

 others doubt il" the expense of cultivation is not too 

 large, and few are willing to attribute them to a 

 good sj'stem of culture. But ^vhen some one 

 among us produces one hundred and thirty, or one 

 hundred and seventy bushels of corn to the acre, 

 (which have been made to the North, and which 

 our lands with equal improvements are more com- 

 petent to produce, for our climaie is more favora- 

 lale,) then, perhaps, the faculty of sight will pro- 

 duce conviction. The honor attached to pre- 

 miums is also very effifient, in rousing and exciting 

 to extraordinary exertion. A feeling of salutary 

 rivalry is induced which is well calculated to have 

 happy eHects. Again, the exam])le of other coun- 

 tries forms a powerful argument in lavor of the 

 pstablishment of societies for the promotion of ag- 

 riculture. The great imjirovement and immense 

 increase of the produce of England, have been 

 generally attributed, principally, to her societies, 

 ;and her National Board of Agriculture. An Eng- 

 lish writer, speakmg of this latter institution, says, 

 "it made farmers residing in different parts of the 

 kingdom acquainted with one another, and caused 

 a rapid dissemination of knowledge through the 

 whole prolession. The art of agriculture was 

 brought into fashion — old practices were amended 

 — new ones introduced — a degree of exertion 

 called forth, heretofore unexampled in this island." 

 We have no reason to believe, but that similar ef- 

 fects would be produced here by the use of the 

 same means. Bonaparte looking to the sources of 

 national wealth, and the means of augmenting the 

 resources of France, with his wonted sagacity, es- 

 tablished many agricultural societies and Profes- 

 sorships, Botanical and Economical Gardens for 

 the exhibition of the different modes of culture, 

 and the dissemination of plants. But we need 

 not travel abroad to see the salutary influence ex- 

 erted by such institutions. The states of Massa- 

 chusetts and New York, have both taken these 

 societies into their patronage, and the former has 

 contributed largely to their funds. The appear- 

 ance of these states, (and th.e Northern states 

 generally) where these associations exist, fully at- 

 tests their happy effects. With climate and soil 

 by nature infenor to our own, they have surpassed 

 us in their products and improvements. I might, 

 were it necessary, quote tlie authority of the most 

 illustrious politicians and patriots of our state in 



favor of the means suggested for the resuscitation 

 of the worn and exhausted energies of our soil. 

 Washington, Madison, and many others, have 

 borne testimony to the good consequences which 

 would be the natural result of societies properly 

 constituted and maintained. Let us avail ourselves 

 of the sources of fertility which abound among us; 

 let us enter with spirit, activity and perseverance, 

 into miprovements of our land and our system of 

 cultivation, and we shall no longer sutler reproach 

 on^account of the poverty of our soil, or its irra- 

 tional anil wretched management. 



For tlie Farmers' Register. 



PEKFORJ'IAACt: OF A THRASHING MACHINE, 

 AIVD WHEAT FAN. 



We were present, by invitation of Jeremiah 

 Nicols, Esq. of Kent Count}', Eastern Shor-e of 

 Maryland, on the lOth of September inst., to wit- 

 ness the operation of his thrashing machine, and 

 wheat fan. 



The thrashing machine was put in motion, and 

 was run without cessation, for one hour and Jbrty- 

 nine minutes, when the stack of wheat was ex- 

 hausted. The straw was cleared away, and the 

 machine again started, and v>'orked without cessa- 

 tion for one hour and thirty minutes, when the 

 second stack was finished. The sheet was then 

 spread, and the fan was put in motion, and worked 

 until the sheet on which the fanned wheat was re- 

 ceived, was filled; the time employed was twelve 

 minutes, and the product measured fiftj'-three 

 bushels. The fian was again started, and contin- 

 ued to run fifteen minutes, when the sheet was 

 again cleaned, and forty-nine and a half bushels 

 measured up. The fan was again run for nine 

 miimtes, when the wheat in bulk was exhausted 

 —and, upon being measured, there j;roved to be 

 twenty-six bushels. The wheat scattered about 

 the machine, and at the tail of the fan, and about 

 the floor, was estimated by us at from eight to ten 

 bushels — and Mr. NicoIs has since reported, that 

 after we left him, it was chaffed, and measured 

 ten and a half bushels. The statement, therefore, 

 stands thus: — 

 Whole time of" running the thrashing 



machine, - - - 3 hours 19 min. 



Whole product, - - 139 bushels. 



Average per hour, - - 41 ||i 



Or near 42 bushels per hour. 

 Whole time of fanning, - 36 minutes. 



Quantity chafied, -" - 128^ bushels. 



Average per hour - - 214} do. 



The occasion of the difierence at the difliirent 

 experiments with the fan was. that the richer 

 parts of the bulk, with less straw, and nearer to 

 the fan, were first taken: there was afrerwards more 

 straw, and the wheat was taken somewhat farther 

 fi-orn the f;in; and the three hands with tlieirbaskets, 

 did not always keep the i'an supplied. We think, 

 that a full supply of wheat would have produced 

 throughout, as large a j-ield as the first twelve min- 

 utes — which was at the rate of 265 bushels to the 

 hour. 



The thrashing machine is one made by Arthur 

 Kitchen, which has been running seven or eight 

 years — was worlced by four horses, and with a 

 light drauglit. The fan was manufactured by Sin- 

 clair and Moore, of Baltimore, Vv'ith a slight alter- 

 ation made by Mr. Nicols, who informs us, that 



