120 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



March 



of syrup, which will sell readily at one dollar a 

 gallon here. 



There are a number of people here that are 

 goinj:^ to try tlie business next summer, and I 

 think I will continue it tayself. I have not suc- 

 ceeded in making any sugar, and if any of your 

 subscribers will inform me, through your paper, 

 the manner of making it, I would be much 

 obliged. Can you inform me of the best mill 

 for crushing the cane and where the iron rollers 

 or cogs can be obtained, and what Avill be the 



price ! 



Thomas Shackley. 



OrinneU, Poweshirk Co., Joica. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 STEAM PLOWS. 

 BY HENRY F. FRENCH. 



At Ipswich, in England, on the fourth of July, 

 1857, I saw in operation Fowler's Steam Plow. 

 Having previously seen at the workshop of Ran- 

 some and Simes the same implement, and having 

 had its principles of operation carefully explained, 

 I spent several hours with it while in actual work 

 upon a large field, where it had already plowed 

 many acres. It was, while I observed it, turning 

 furrows seven inches deep by about ten in width, 

 carrying three at a time, and performing its work 

 as well as it could be performed in the usual way, 

 with horses. I carefully paced out the length of 

 furrows, and measured their depth and width, 

 and with my watch in my hand timed the opera- 

 tions, and ascertained that the machine was then 

 plowing one acre per hour. 



The arrangement was to use four plows and 

 open four furrows at each passage across the field, 

 and in that way the labor accomplished would 

 be one-third more. It is difficult, without draw- 

 ings for illustration, to describe intelligibly the 

 details of such an implement, but its general plan 

 of operations may be readily understood. The 

 plows are arranged in two gangs of three or more, 

 one gang at each end of a heavy frame-work, 

 which is balanced across an axle supported by 

 two large wheels like those of a heavy gun car- 

 riage. This framework, with the plows, is drawn 

 across the field by a stationary engine. As it is 

 drawn northerly, for example, in its work, the 

 frame which carries the plows is borne down, so 

 as to lift the gang of plows at the northerly end 

 high into the air, bringing down the southerly 

 end with its plows so that they enter the soil for 

 plowing. The depth is guaged mainly by a large 

 wheel at each end of the frame-work, opposite 

 the plows, which wheel is in turn lifted into the 

 air or brought down to the surface with the gang 

 of plows to which it belongs. 



Two men sat upon the machine, one to guide 

 its motion by appropriate machinery, the other 

 to make signals with a flag, or do any other use- 

 ful work that occasion might require. 



The engine in use was upon one side of thft 

 field, and was called a stationary engine. It wa: 

 drawn to the field by horses, but had powers of 

 locomotion sufl[icient, I think, to move itself along 

 the head land. The plow was drawn towards the 

 engine by a wire rope, which was wound round a 

 cylinder attached to the engine. It was drawn 

 from the engine by a wire rope which passed 

 across the field round a pulley made fast at the 

 opposite headland. This pulley was held by what 

 was called an anchor, which anchor was in the 

 shape of a four-wheeled low cart or car, loaded 

 heavily with stones. The wheels of this car were 

 of iron, and sharp at the edges, so that they cut 

 down nearly to the axle. This anchor was drawn 

 along the headland by a windlass worked by a 

 man, in a direction at right angles with the fur- 

 row, so that the strain upon the pulley was across 

 the track of the wheels. In justice to the inven- 

 tor, it should be stated, that he had already, it 

 was said, constructed machinery to be worked 

 by the engine to move the anchor, and so dis- 

 pense with the man at the windlass. 



It will be seen at once, that this machine could 

 only be of practical utility on level, clear fields, 

 of large extent. It could be used only upon lev- 

 el fields, or rather fields of uniform surface, be- 

 cause the plows are set in an unyielding frame, 

 and must run at the same level, thus running 

 deeper across a hillock, and more shoal in a small 

 depression. They are arranged, not so as to be 

 raised and depressed each separately, as the ma- 

 chine is moving, but the whole gang are acted 

 upon at once. Again, the machine would be of 

 no use in a small enclosure, because of the broad 

 headlands requisite to accommodate the engine 

 on one side and the anchor on the other. 



It could be of little use in a field obstructed 

 by stumps or roots or stones, because of the ine- 

 qualities of surface produced by them, and be- 

 cause if one of the plows meets an obstruction 

 too obstinate to yield, the power of the engine 

 must generally be sufficient to break the plow, 

 or what is more common, the rope. The break- 

 ing of a plow must involve, at least, the necessity 

 of a delay sufficient to detach it and substitute 

 another, and such a delay, of so large and expen- 

 sive a force as we shall presently see is employed, 

 must be of considerable imj^ortance. The break- 

 ing of the rope, which I was informed by the 

 workmen was of frequent occurrence, is soon 

 remedied by splicing it, but is probably a con- 

 stant source of annoyance. As, however, it is im- 

 possible to foresee all obstructions, and the engine 

 must exert great power, it is perhaps best to make 

 the rope the weakest part of the machinery, as 

 it is the most easily repaired. 



The force employed in this operation, as I wit- 

 nessed it, besides the engine, consisted of five 



