242 CHRONICLES OF A CLAY FAKM. 



keen reflection showered over our graves by some 

 writer at the end of this, or beginning of next 

 century, who looks back upon the origin of steam- 

 agriculture from just such a point as we do now on 

 that of steam-navigation ; who will be as familiar 

 with the sight of soil pulverized a foot deep, in one 

 act, by surface abrasion from a steam-driven cylin- 

 der [armed with the Talparian claw that " works i' 

 the earth so fast," and solves in the dark, beneath 

 our very feet, a harder problem !] as we are with 

 ships of a couple of thousand tons, driven through 

 the water like a duck with her web-feet at work 

 beside or behind her, in either case obedient to the 

 steam-law of circular motion. 



* We have forborne to make a single remark to interrupt 

 this original, eloquent, and convincing dissertation on the ap- 

 plication of steam power to the most important operation 

 connected with agriculture, the turning up and pulverization 

 of the soil, but imperfectly done by the plow, until the sub- 

 ject, so far as wielded by our accomplished author, was ex- 

 hausted. We conceive that his views are entirely correct and 

 practicable, both as philosophically applied to the soil, and 

 the mechanical principles by which the labors should bo 

 directed; and that such application will be made at no 

 distant period, instead of the imperfect use of the plow, 

 although claiming to bo an almost perfect implement of its 

 kind, we have no doubt whatever. The introduction of steam 



