170 



On Ploughing. 



VoLir 



height with the top of the'boiler, from which 

 the steam-pipe passes into it a few inches 

 above the bottom, and just under a rack of 

 laths, made strong enough to support the 

 food, which is to be placed upon it, and close 

 enough to prevent its falling through the in- 

 tervals. The front of the box opens by either 

 sliding or falling doors, sufficiently large to 

 allow the food being put in and taken out, 

 and sufficiently tight to prevent the escape of 

 the steam; and in the top there is a small but 

 heavy trap-door, the weight of which keeps 

 it down, unless the pressure of the steam be 

 too great, in which case it is forced open, and 

 allowing a portion of the steam to pass, thus 

 acts as a safety-valve. The steam penetrates 

 through the rack into the whole mass of ma- 

 terials in the box, and, when condensed, 

 drains down again, as water, with the ooz- 

 ings^of the vegetables, upon the bottom, 



from which it is conveyed away by a waste- 

 pipe communicating with the boiler. In 

 placing the food care should be taken to put 

 the roots at the bottom, and those articles 

 which lie closer — such as hay, straw, bran, 

 or chaff, — at the top, so as to allow a free pas- 

 sage upwards for the steam. A large basket 

 may be placed underneath the box, into which 

 the food may be raked when ready ; or a tub, 

 with a cock at the bottom, to let off water, 

 may be used both for that purpose, and for 

 washing the roots previously to their being 

 steamed. The interior of the box may be di- 

 vided by sliding partitions, reaching as far 

 down as the rack, for the convenience of se- 

 parating the diflerent kinds of foods, if that 

 should be thought necessary : the steam-pipe 

 may also be made to pass along its whole 

 length, and being perforated with small holes, 

 will thus distribute the vapour equally. 



A, Boiler. B, Furnace. C, Funnel. 



D, Steam-pipes. E, Steamer. F, Rack. 

 G, Doors. H, Trap. I, Waste-pipe. 



K, Receiving-tub. 



There is no occasion for the box being so 

 large as to prepare all that may be required 



at one time, as a very large portion of differ- 

 ent materials may all be steamed within an 

 hour. The annexed figure will fully explain 

 the plan of the machine, the whole cost of 

 which would probably not exceed forty dol- 

 lars. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



&ix Pioieghiiig. 



There is no part of the practical operations 

 of the Farmer that deserves more attention 

 than ploughing. If his land is not tho- 

 roughly turned over, and that done with judg- 

 ment, he sustains more loss than many have 

 an idea of. Land can very often be drained 

 or rendered moist, during a large part of the 

 year by this means, and by preserving the soil 

 of a uniform depth, the land will be rendered 

 much more productive. In ploughing up- 

 land, care should be taken to keep the land 

 as level as possible, and t have for several 

 years past thrown back the clearing up fur- 

 rows and then struck out sowing lands, in or- 

 der to secure a uniform depth of soil. These 

 furrows judiciously drawn I have found use- 



ful in draining my land. I have adopted this 

 plan with my grain and grass, and have de- 

 rived great advantage from it. The crop 

 has been uniform. There were no bald 

 streaks through my field indicating where the 

 clearing up furrows were, the grain from 

 which is usually imperfect and light, and the 

 yield from which in general is very inferior 

 to the rest of the land if it is rich. I have 

 seen fine fields of grain and grass upon which 

 there must have been a loss of one-eighth of 

 the crop from this cause alone, as neither 

 would grow upon the bald substratum. The 

 soil being removed, there was nothing to sus- 

 tain the plants. If the plan 1 recommend 

 had been adopted, the crop would have been 

 uniform, and there would have been no 

 streaks to designate the lands. The depth of 



