vincing the Committee tliatexpei-icnce will soon 

 teach a better constnictioii of the engines, and a 

 less costly make, and generally a requisite sup- 

 ply of steam. When the steameng^ine was not 

 required for tlie purposes of the bam, it might, 

 perhaps, in many farms, be advantageously cm- 

 ployed for tlie purposes of pumping and in-iga- 

 tion. Supposing the engine, therefore, to be 

 nearly in daily use. and having every modern 

 improvement, and the threshing-machine of sim- 

 ilarly improved construction, with elevators, 

 hummeler, corn and beau bruiser, &c. &c. By 

 a direct shaft from the steam-engine, with the 

 power of attaching or detaching, taking in or out 

 of gear at pleasure, meal or flour mill stones are 

 applied, these, if inconvenient, to be worked by 

 the fanner, or. if the corn-mill divides his atten- 

 tion too much. I have given an example where 

 the spare power of the engine ^vas let off to a 

 neighboring miller. In several instances, how- 

 ever, I have met with farmers who advantage- 

 ously made use of flour, barley, or meal mills at 

 their farms, and if not u.sed for grinding, a pair 

 of stones would be found of great advantage for 

 bruising grain, and several have been applied 

 for this purpo.se in the south of Scotland and in 

 Northumberland, at large famis. as much more 

 powerful than the common corn-bruising rollers. 

 From the same shaft a rape-mill, an oil-cake crush- 

 er, or even a malt roller, could be easily applied, 

 and a circular saw be driven, and. if thought re- 

 quisite, a bone-mill could likewise be wrought 

 by the same shaft, and in many farms found use- 

 ful for " converting ashes, and a variety of other- 

 wise useless i-ubbi.sh, into fertilizers." Another 

 shaft passing through the straw barn could ea- 

 sily work a straw and hay cutting machine, and 

 al.so a turnip and potato slicer. The former 

 could be conveniently placed in the stable court 

 (at no great expense a hayloft might be made 

 above the straw bam) and the latter could be 

 placed very conveniently near the cattle court, 

 at the turnip court, or, if prefeired, the straw- 

 cutter could be advantageously placed there, 

 instead of the turnip slicer, as these are found 

 80 u.«eful in the field. 



Other minor machines could ea.sily be driven 

 from these two shafts as they pass through the 

 respective barns — such as a butter chum for 

 dairy purposes. I have not dwelt much on ma- 

 chinery for dairj- purposes, because dairj- farm.s, 

 on a large scale, are rarely combined with grain 

 farms. However, as every farmer is more or 

 less connected with feeding cattle and making 

 butter and cheese, it must be obvious that the 

 command of steam-power gives many advan- 

 tages, and points out how the female depart- 

 ment of the hou.sehold can be saved much use- 

 less labor, and their attention turned to more 

 profitable purposes. Thus the labor of churning 

 by the churning-machine worked by steam- 

 power will enable a great deal more work to be 

 done in much loss time. 



In addition to the machines I have noticed at 

 the general farm. I may mention that a very 

 simple contrivance might construct a / mm ■v.-dy 

 and wagon to the threshing loft, by which the 

 engine could be made to draiv up the grain to 

 supply the thre.shingmill, and return dmcn the 

 emoty wagon, saving much manual labor. Ele- 

 vators for grain could also easily be constructed 

 to lift up the grain to the granary, and lower 

 it upon the carts, wTought by the steam-eu- 

 gine. 



The above are a few out of many practicable 

 purposes to which mechanical science may be 

 (1117) 34 



made to economize human labor, and render 

 the exertions of the farmer more advantageous 

 to him.self. But a new element is mixed up 

 with the applications of the steam-engine to 

 farm.s, which, in another point of view, gives it 

 still greater advantages, and these of a practical 

 kind. I allude to the use which can be made of 

 the steam itself. 



A steaming apparatus is a necessarj' append- 

 age to every farm of a moderate size, and its 

 utility is veiy generally appreciated. Tiie steam 

 is commonly rai.sed "by a separate boiler, but 

 verj' little skill would be required in applying 

 the steam from the engine boiler to a complete 

 steaming apparatus for cattle. The objections 

 of the steam not beinsi in constant use I have al- 

 ready alluded to. \Vhere, indeed, the farmer is 

 ?-e.so/!'e<^ merely to confine his steam-engine to 

 threshing of grain, of course a portable steam- 

 power would not apply — it would be inex- 

 pedient, perhaps, to draw steam from his en- 

 gine boiler, or even put water for boiling tur- 

 nips in wintering cattle. But the time will soon 

 be past when the farmer will cease to be told, 

 " What a pity it is you cannot make use of your 

 steam-power, except merely for threshing, after 

 going to so much expense for its erection — it is 

 thus useless to j-ou (keeping it idle) two-thirds 

 of the year." As I have said, a test for the in- 

 genuity of the farmer is to be shown, and he 

 will be judged of as the cleverest and most prac- 

 tical famier whose skill has brought out the most 

 numerous and useful applications. Hence, in 

 this light, steam-power is to be judged of not 

 merely as a motive poorer — which water can as 

 cheaply perform, or which, some day, electro- 

 magnetism* may, perhaps, as cheaply effect — 

 but" as possessing advantages per se, which I 

 shall attempt shortly to point out. The boiler 

 of the engine, which ought to be no longer than 

 really required to give steam enough to prevent 

 wa.ste of fuel in winter, must be daily regularly 

 heated, and then either steam from it, or hot 

 water, as may be required, is to be obtained for 

 preparing food for cattle. It is likewise to be 

 made equally available for stable use. The ad- 

 vantages of having hot water at all times in sta- 

 bles is appreciated by eveiy gentleman who 

 takes an interest in his stud.t The spare steam 

 can be made easily to heat a complete range of 

 cottages lor farm servants, which may be situ- 

 ated in connection with the farm offices as not 

 to be inconvenient. 



We have already seen the facility by which 

 the spare steam was made use of, at a very 

 .small expense, to heat a drj-ing lofl ; even the 

 heat of the boiler itself might be of utility for 

 damp grain placed above the boiler shed, as is 

 frequently done for drying-houses of manufacto- 



* Although there is little prospect at present of 

 elcctro-magnelism being brousht into use in this 

 countrj' as a moving power of machincrj-, yet it is 

 stated it has already been ■tirought to considerable ad- 

 vancement on the Continent — and the van,- insenious 

 applications of this powerful agent by Mr. Daniels, 

 and others, holds out <\ decided prospect of its more 

 extended applications. A very clever model of a 

 machine, diiven by electro-magnetism, was shown 

 at one of the Highland and Agricultural Society's 

 monthly meetings, by Dr. Alton of DolphingtOD, and 

 an interesting account read by him of the application 

 of electro-magnetism to marhineiy. 



t In some stables the whole range of sleeping-lofts 

 or apartments for the grooms were heated, under 

 my directions, by hot-water pipes or steam ; likewise 

 water tanks, or cisterns for the stalls, were heated by 

 hot pipes passing through them. 



