FOE AMERICAN VINES. 55 



laterally on the forecarriage, according to the width of the 

 sod to be turned ; during the work the ploughman guides 

 the plough by altering the angle of the wheel axle on the 

 beam. The traction of the cable is regulated by a hook 

 which can be displaced on the forecarriage. This plough is 

 connected to the capstan by two cables ; one is 328 yards 

 in length, and 0*7 inch in diameter, and hauls the plough 

 directly ; the other, which is 656 yards long and O74 inch 

 in diameter passes over the automatic anchor and is wound 

 round the second drum. 



Working. This machine is easily managed ; the system is 

 installed on one side of the block, the pulley on the other. 

 Each of the drums are thrown into gear alternately, the 

 winding of the cables causing the plough to travel back- 

 wards and forwards, the system being displaced the necessary 

 distance before each furrow. Four men are required ; one 

 rides the plough, one works the pulley, two attend to the 

 steam winding drum. 



With a 12 H.P. engine working at 180 revolutions the 

 plough travels at the rate of 88 feet per minute. 



The non-ploughed headland on the engine side is 43 to 46 

 feet wide ; on the opposite side, 20 feet. To plough the head- 

 land, the automatic anchor has to be carried from one end 

 of the block to the other ; this is a tedious operation. 



This winding drum weighs 3 tons 10 cwt., and costs 240, 

 cable included. The plough costs 80. With an engine of 

 10 H.P., costing 300, the whole plant involves an outlay of 

 620. 



Pelous' plant is well studied in all its details, and strongly 

 constructed. We may wonder, however, if its high cost and 

 expensive working are justified in face of the rate of work, 

 and if the two improvements are really practically useful. 

 The calculation of the cost of working per acre in the case 

 of winding drums working one way, as will be explained 

 later on, shows on which side the advantage lies. We see 

 the area ploughed every year must be at least 80 acres 

 for the double-effect drum to be more economic than the 

 single-effect drum. Therefore it is only suited for con- 

 tractors. 



The usefulness of the winding guides is questionable ; 

 without them the winding is fairly regular, and accidents 

 are rare enough to justify discarding this unnecessary 

 complication. 



