No. 9. 



Ploughing by Steam. 



291 



average for a young man of moderate desires, 

 with a small family, supposing his farm paid 

 for, his tools and manure to start on 1 Let 

 him have a fair portion of wood land, and 

 about fifty acres of tillable land. That would 

 be considered a fair estimate — I mean to in- 

 clude only family expenses, leaving out the 

 education of children and farm expenses. 

 What I want to come at is, how far a good 

 farm will contribute to the support of a small 

 family, and how much of independent income 

 he should possess. 



You will perceive by these remarks that 

 I am unable to bow down to hard labour as a 

 man brought up to it can, while I can do 

 much towards it — such as planting, thresh- 

 ing, hay-making, &c., and steady too ; and I 

 have thought, since taking your paper, that 

 your experience as a practical farmer was 

 just the thing I needed, before entering on 

 my new vocation. While I do not expect to 

 make by it, certainly it would be gratifying 

 to know if by reasonable labour and good 

 management I can at least make it pay its 

 way along; or, if you please, not sink mo- 

 ney. — Farmers^ Visiter. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Ploughing by Steam. 



Mr. Editor, — It has been supposed by 

 8ome, that the locomotive will one day be 

 found to run off the track into the field, aud 

 lend its gigantic powers to the tillage of the 

 field. Now I do not suppose that there are 

 any real practical men who seriously expect 

 that this will ever take place in reality, and 

 for the best of reasons — not that it cannot be 

 made to perform this and a thousand other 

 wonderful things — but " it wont pay, my dear 

 sir ;" the expenses, first in the cost of ma- 

 chinery and fixing, and next, in keeping that 

 in order; then in the cost of fuel and the lit- 

 tle time, and the uncertainty of the periods 

 when its services will be required; for just 

 when the steam is up the weather might 

 come on wet, when to plough the land at all, 

 W'Ould be destruction to the future crop; and 

 again — when the fire is out, a few hours 

 might intervene — too short in their duration 

 to make it worth while to harness the " fire- 

 horse," — which would be, in a catching time, 

 of the value of "a king's ransom :" and thus, 

 before the steam could be raised, and the ap- 

 paratus adjusted, the proper time would have 

 passed, and many things would happen to 

 prevent a man from taking time by the fore- 

 lock. Then comes the very great quantity 

 of land which could never be ploughed by 

 means of steam, because of the nature of its 

 subsoil, which, if rocky, would play the ven- 

 geance with the machinery in an instant, and 

 cause an outlay for repair that would be more 

 than sufficient to plough all the land of the 



farm ten times over ; and such an occurrence 

 could not be guarded against, by reason of the 

 obstructions lying out of sight, and beyond 

 the control of the most careful and skilful 

 individual in existence, — the thing, therefore, 

 appears absolutely impracticable. 



But, it is said, we know not what improve- 

 ments and discoveries might take place be- 

 tween this and then ; and indeed that is very 

 true, for the last thirty years have put all our 

 calculations, expectations, and imaginings to 

 a perfect nonplus, and not a day but adds 

 something to our wonderings ! We read in 

 the book of Job that the life of man is re- 

 stricted to threescore years and ten, but his 

 life might now be compared to the days of 

 Methuselah, the events of whole years be- 

 ing often crowded into almost as many days, 

 by means of the railroad and locomotive. 

 And truly the accounts which we are receiv- 

 ing from England, respecting the Atmosphe- 

 ric Railroad, which is now absolutely in pro- 

 gress, a branch of the Great Western Rail- 

 road being at this time worked by it with the 

 fleetness of the wind, almost induces us to 

 believe that one day or other — as it is fore- 

 told — there will no longer be need of fuel in 

 any shape, a sufficient degree of heat being 

 to be obtained from the atmosphere, by sim- 

 ple compression alone, for every purpose ! 



I have met with a short account of the At- 

 mospheric Railroad in an English newspaper, 

 which I beg to copy for publication in the 

 Cabinet. " The experiment of the line of 

 railroad which runs from Uxbridge road near 

 Shepherd's Bush, across Wormwood scrubs, 

 to the line of the Great Western Railroad, 

 and on which carriages are propelled by 

 means of the atmosphere forcing its way into 

 an exhausted tube or pipe laid down between 

 the rails, on the principle for which Messrs. 

 Clegg &1, Samuda have obtained patents, has 

 attracted considerable attention. The experi- 

 ments were a few days ago attended by the 

 government commissioners, who examined 

 every part with the most minute attention, 

 and witnessed the transit of the carriages 

 along the line; several eminent engineers 

 were also present, who expressed themselves 

 perfectly satisfied with the results. The car- 

 riages travel at the rate of 30 miles an hour, 

 apparently by magic ; and those who are ac- 

 customed to see the cumbrous locomotive en- 

 gines roaring and smoking along the lines of 

 railroads, will be astonished to see a train 

 moving with the rapidity of 30 miles an hour, 

 without any perceptible power to put it in 

 motion; and it is difficult to persuade many 

 persons of the fact, that transition can be iin- 

 pelled by means so simple as those employ- 

 ed." Truly we live in an age of wonders! 



J. L. D. 



Berks County. 



