NEW ENIilaAMB FABMEIf. 



Published by John B. Russeli,, at .\'o. 5'3 JVoiih Market Sireei, (over the Afriicultural ff'avehouse). — Thomas G. Fessenoen, Editor. 



VOL. VI. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1827. 



No. 15. 



REPORTS 



OF THE 



MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



REPORT III. 



The Commitlec on the Ploughing Match with one 



yoke of Oxen, consisting of M. IIebsey Derky, 



.fosiAii TiTcoMn, Esqrs. and Deacon Elijah 



CoBEV — Report 



There were sixteen entries tor ploughing', ten 

 unly of which conltl be accommodated with Lots, 

 ivbich were laitV out tiiirly rods each. 



Most of the ploughs were of the improved kind 

 with cast iron mould boards. 



The ploughing was to be iive inches deep, and 

 the furrows not more than ten inclies in width. 



Fifty minutes were allowed for the performance 

 of the work. 



The shortest time taken was thirty-eight min- 

 utes, and the longest fifty-seven. ' 



The Competitors were requested not to hurry 1 

 ;beir cattle, as the goodness of the work, together 

 with the good management of the Ploughmen, nnd 

 the general appearance and tractability of the 

 Oxen were to be the principal criterions in award- 

 ing the Premiums. 



The Committee state with pleasure that most of 

 the ploughing was of the first order. That done 

 by A. A. Wheeler of Concord, would have entitled 

 !iim to one of the first premiums, had the work 

 been completed within the time allowed. 



They aivard as follows: 

 (st preuii'^m to .loseph Barrett, of Concord $15 

 Same as ploughman 8 



Same as driver 4 



$27 



■-'j do. to George PJ. Barrett of Concord $10 



Same as ploughman 5 



The driver 3 



:ld do. to Samuel Hoar, of Lincoln 

 Same as ploughman 

 The driver 



E. IIERSEY DERBY, Chairman. 



REPORT IV. 



The Committee on Agricultural Inventions, IfC. re- 

 port as follows, viz. 



Messrs. .Tackson and Wright presented for pre- 

 mium, in behalf of Mr. Charles Reed, of East 

 Bridgewater, the inventor, a machine for hammer- 

 ing stone ; to be worked either by hand, horse, 

 or water power ; a certificate was produced, stat- 

 ing, that with four picks or hammers applied to 

 ihe machine, it hammered and finished hand- 

 somely in two hours and a half, a stone measur- 

 ing on t!ie surface five feet two inclies in length, 

 and one foot in width ; the depth of stone picked 

 before the finish, averaged three quarters of a;i 

 inch ; the finish was made by applying to the ma- 

 chine two finishers or smoothing pickers — a stone 

 was also produced and shown the com.mittce, 



which was hammered and finished by the ma- 1 

 chine, and the work well executed. Tiio com- 

 mittee thought great credit was due to Mr. Reed 

 for his invention, but think the usefulness of this 

 machine in its present form, has not been suffi- 

 ciently proved by experiment, and do not recom- 

 mend a premium. 



Mr .T. R. Newell, of the Agricultural Establish- 

 ment in Boston, presented for premium, in behalf 

 of Mr. Russell Burke, an improved Side -hill- 

 plough. The committee took some pains to ,. st 

 the improvement in this plough, and had a num- 

 ber of furrows turned with it ; they could not but 

 noiice the ease and despatch with which the 

 mould hoard was shifted at the end of the fur- 

 row, and was of opinion it would answer for many 

 kinds of level grounds ; with its present mould 

 board it is calculated to turn up and 'eave the 

 soil very light, and with a little variation in the 

 mould board, it might answer equally well for 

 swiird land; it is simple in construction, and not 

 easily put out of order. The committee consider- 

 ed it sueh an improvement on the southern side 

 hill-plough, (one of which is now in the hall of 

 '.he society) that they recommend a premium of 

 twelve dollars to be paid to Mr. Newell for Mr. 

 Russell Burke. 



Mr. J. R. Newell olso presented for premium, 

 Mr. HoAard's self-governing plough, which is re- 

 gulated by a wheel at the end of a bar attached 

 to the beam of the plough, and projecting hori 

 zjntally, and may b« easily fitted to the beam of 

 any plough. A single furrow is first struck out 

 in which the wheel ie to run, the vvidtli of the 

 furrow is given by adjusting the wheel on the 

 bar. The committee saw a number of furrows 

 turned, and the plough went the length of the 

 furrows without being touched by the ploughman 

 or driver; it appeared to answer the description 

 given by Mr. Howard, who produced a certificate 

 signed by twelve persons in Hingham, in which 

 they state that the plough has been used in their 

 presence, and answers the purpose of conducting 

 and regulating itself in such manner as set forth 

 by Mr. Howard, aud renders a ploughman unne- 

 cessary, except to adjust the wheel, enter the 

 plough in the ground, and turn it when at the 

 end of the furrow, the same person can do all that 

 is required of a driver. The committee were of 

 opinion it would not answer for stony land, or 

 where the surface is very irregular ; they hovv- 

 5ver consider Mr Howsrd entitled to a premium 

 for the inventions, and recommend the sura of 

 twelve dollars to be paid him. 



Mr. John Mears of Dorchester, presented for 

 premium an improvement made by him, in the 

 manner of ironing an ox yoke, also a shackle ap- 

 plicable to the draft chain. Mr. Mears handed 

 the committee the following specification. "The 

 improvement of the yoke, other than has been 

 presented to a former committee of the society, 

 consists in the band encircling the beam, with the 

 ring passing through an eye at the under-part of 

 the band, and firmly secured to it ; instead of the 

 staple passing through the beam, thereby weak- 

 ening the part on which the greatest strain is 

 brought, the staple operating as a pry or lever to 

 split the yoke, whereas the band being secured 



with screws on the top of the yoke has a tendency 

 to prevent splitting in any direction ; it may also 

 be adjusted to tlie strc ngih or other circuinstance.-^ 

 of either ox, by turning tlie nuts and slipping the 

 band towards eitlier end of the yoke." Of the 

 Shackle, Mr. Mears said it was for chain draft, to 

 connect the oxen t > the plough or other instru- 

 ment, at such dista.ice as is thought most proper : 

 by passing the pit: through any link of the chain. 

 It preserves the Links of the chain from injury by 

 doubling thro;' ,h the ring of the yoke, it drops 

 the chain fro ,i the yoke, and thereby gives a cor- 

 rect li'i!' of draft from the plough to all the lead 

 ing caiile, instead of hooking to the staple as is 

 the common practice ; it prevents the yoke from 

 being twitched forward by every irregularity of 

 movement in the leading cattle ; it facilitates their 

 travelling and makes it more easy for the plough- 

 man in directing the plough. The committee 

 thought it would be an improvement if the small 

 round bolt that passes through the ends of the 

 sliackle, was made of an oval form, it could then 

 pass through the links of the smallest chains used 

 for draft, and thestrength not be diminished, — for 

 the improvement in the manner of ironing the 

 yoke, and for the shackle, they recommend a pre- 

 mium to Mr. Mears, of ten dollars. 



Mr. Mears also presented for premium, a Scythe 

 case, for the safe transportation of scythes to aad 

 from the salt marsh or fresh meadows lying dis 

 tant from home ; it was a box in which six or 

 eight scythes '"ith the rifles, could be easily and 

 readily packed, and in such manner as to rendei 

 thern secure from doing or suffering harui ; it wap 

 simple and convenient for the purpose mentioned 

 by Mr. Mears, but the committee do not recom- 

 mend a premium. 



A newly invented Lamp-taper and vvick,aPrun- 

 ingsaw set in a small frame with a socket in 

 which a pole was secured, the top of the frame 

 was made sharp for the purpose of cutting the 

 twigs or suckers by an upward or downward mo 

 tion — and an improvement in securing the Crane 

 neck hoe plutos to the shanks were severally offer 

 ed for premium. Some ingenuity, and skill in the 

 workmanship was evident, but the committee did 

 not think them entitled to a premium. 



Mr. J. R. Newell presented for exhibition u 

 number of articles that attracted attention, and 

 gave evidence of great improvement in many of 

 the agricultural implements. The committee felt 

 great satisfaction in examining his new invented 

 corn-sheller. Howard's double mould board plough 

 which was much improved by the addition of a 

 coulter, and an alteration in the shape of the share- 

 to which the coulter was secured, his self-sharp 

 ening plough, a hand garden plough, Darby's pat- 

 ent boxes for carriage wheels, Gault's and Cros 

 by's patent churns, and Bailey's improved hanfl 

 corn mill. And they hope Mr. Newell will be 

 fully remunerated for any trouble or expense in- 

 curred, by an increased application at his Agri- 

 cultural Store, not only for such articles as were 

 exhibited by him, but for any other useful agrioul 

 tural or horticultural implements. 

 Oct. 17, 1827. GORHAM PARSONS, 



DANIEL TREADWEHo 

 DAVID MOODY. 



