672 



FARMERS' REGISTER— UNDU^LATING RAILWAY, &c. 



BRITISH FARM STOCK. 



Fi-'Mii ilu' Gcnesoe Farmer. 

 The improvement of Britisli farm stock, lias 

 been strikin;^!}' cviilcnced in the records of SrnKh- 

 fiekl market. In 1730, the averaoe weijrht of the 

 fat cattle sold there, was estimated, by Davenant 

 and others, at only 370 ILs. exclusive of offal, or 

 hide and tallow ; of calves at 50 lbs. and of sheep 

 and lambs, taken promiscuously, at 28 lbs. It is 

 estimated that the present averao-e Meight of cat- 

 tle (1S33) is 656 lbs. excludino- oftal,of calves 144 

 lbs., and of sheep and lambs 90 lbs. Thus the av- 

 era<je weight has been nearly doubled in the last 

 hundred years. These data will enable us to Juds^e 

 of tlie susceptii)ilily of improving our ov/n slock. 

 This brancli of the London provision mai'kct is 

 thus stated for 1830, not including the dead meal 

 brought in. 



AWp w"t. Ko. of pniinils. 



Cattle, 150.907 656 104,8[)8,992 



Sheep, 1,287,070 90 115,836,300 



Pigs, 254,672 96 24,448,512 



Calves, 22,500 144 3,240,000 



The gross amount of butcher's meat, averaged 

 among the population of the city, gives to each in- 

 dividual 170 lbs. per year, or more than half a 

 pound per diem, exclusive of bacon, haras, fish 

 and poultry. The consumption in Paris, of like 

 meat, is estimated at 80 lbs. and in Brussels at 89 

 Jbs. per annum, by each individual. 



THE rXDULATlXa RAILWAY. 



From itie Ameri ,i:i Railroad Jo'irn;il. 



For the purpose of further testing this impor- 

 tant principle, several ex jieriinents have been tried 

 since our last publication, of which the subjoined 

 is the result : 



It was determined by tlie engineers who wit- 

 nessed the last experiments, that another trial 

 should be made to prove the possibility or other- 

 wise of conveying on an undulating line double 

 the load which the engine was capable of drawing 

 at a like velocity on tl;e horizontal railway. 



The only day on which it was thought this ex- 

 periment could safely and satisfliclorily be made 

 was on a Sunday ; in consequence of which, on 

 Sunday week a train of loaded carriages, weigh- 

 ing 150 tons, exclusive of the two engines which 

 moved them and their tenders, left Manchester for 

 the Sutton inclined plane. 



On this occasion it may, in truth, be said that 

 there never was a more friendly assemblage of me- 

 chanical men. It is well known to some of our 

 readers that the French Government have select- 

 ed a body of the most eminent engineers in that 

 country to visit England, with a view of acqui- 

 ring all requisite information preparatory to the 

 construction of the intended French lines of rail- 

 way. These gentlemen, nine in number, were 

 all present; the English engineers who attended 

 being Mr. Robert Stephensoti, senior; the Messrs. 

 Daglish, Mr. Dixon, and JMr. Badnall, in addi- 

 tion to whom were nearly all the practical me- 

 chanics connected with therailv. ay,and many oth- 

 ers, (among whom was Mr. Case, of Summerhill, 

 and Rlr. Garnett,of Manchester,) who felt a deep 

 interest in tlie result. 



The following statement is an undeniable cor- 

 roboration of the favorable opinion which we have 

 before expressed on this suliject. 



Mr. Badnall had proposed, as an extreme test of 

 the merits of the undulating principle, that a dou- 



ble load should be attached to the engine, which lie 

 was of opinion could be moved with facility, and 

 with one engine on a curve ; and it cannot fail to 

 lie interesting to the world at large to know that 

 the experiments fully proved that his ojjinion on 

 this suliject was correct. The following explana- 

 tion will verify our meaning: 



Evperlment 1. Two engines, the Firefly and 

 the Pluto, brouglit thewliole trainof wagons, (the 

 length of the train was about 151 yards,) weigh- 

 ing 150 tons, exclusive of engines and tenders, to 

 a given point at the foot of the Sutton inclined 

 plane, the velocity attained at this point being 

 about 19 miles per hour. The Pluto then left the 

 train and t'lc Firefly ascended with the load 575 

 yards in 1 16 seconds ; the distance traversed by the 

 two engines to generate the velocity before ascend- 

 ing being at least one mile. 



Exp. 2. Thejiowerof the Firefly lieing revers- 

 ed, the engine and load descended 575 yards in 74 

 seconds j' (he velocity attained at the foot of the 

 plane being far greater than at the same point when 

 ascending. 



Exp. 3. The Firefly and Pluto having travers- 

 ed 1 mile to generate a velocity of 15 miles an 

 hour, and the Pluto then leaving the train, at the 

 foot of the inclined plane, the Firefly and load as- 

 cended 315 yards in 90 seconds. 



Exp. 4. The Firefly's power being reversed, the 

 whole train descended 315 yards iu 65 seconds. 



Exp. 5. The same engines and load, working 

 about 1;^ miles, attained a velocity of 18 miles an 

 hour ; the Pluto left as before, and the Firefly and 

 load rose 457?^ yards in 102i seconds. 



Exp. 6. The Firefly and' train descended 457-| 

 yards in 80 seconds. 



N. B. — On this occasion some delay occurred 

 in reversing the power, which will account for the 

 comparative difference in time. 



Exp. 7. The two engines, as before, attained a 

 velocity of 18 mUes an hour at the foot of the as- 

 cent; the Pluto then left the train, and the Firefly 

 shut off her steam ; the wliole train then rose by 

 momcniinn nniy, 332 vards in 70 seconds. 



Exp. 8. The train descended (the Firefly work- 

 ing) 323 yards in 66 seconds. 



The preceding experiments undoubtedly prove 

 two most important facts, not only that a locomo- 

 tive cnfrine can convey, on an vnidulating line, 

 double the load which it is capable of conveying 

 at the same velocity on a level, bid that it can ac- 

 cnmplish this liy the employment of only one half 

 its poicer, which last mentioned fact was decided 

 by the last experiment. 



LEGISLATIVE AID TO AGRICULTURE. 



From the Genesee Farmer. 



It has given me much saslisfaction to observe 

 the spiiit with which the citizens of Erie county 

 have come forward in the cause of Agriculture ; 

 and that Nev,' York and Albany again have Ag- 

 ricultural Societies. Nothing is wanting to pro- 

 duce a similar result in Cavu^ra county, but a few 

 influential individuals to call the friends of such an 

 institution together. 



A orcat question is now before the public, and 

 it will proba! ly soon be brought before the Legis- 

 lature — that is', ought the state to patronize agri- 

 cultural societies, and endow an agricultural school. 

 I regret that it has been made a question at all, for 

 it ought to be answered unhesitatingly in the affir- 



