568 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Dec. 



STEAM FOR FABMERS. 



ow FEW, even 

 among the most 

 scientific and san- 

 guine, anticipated, 

 t\ycnty years ago, 

 the great variety 

 of forms in which 

 steam would be 

 used, and the vast 

 benefits which it 

 would confer upon 

 mankind. Those 

 who have not paid 

 much attention to 

 the matter, suppose 

 that its use is principally confined to factories, to 

 propelling steamships, cars, and other things re- 

 quiring a gi'eat amount of power. But such is not 

 the fact. If a true tabular view were given, we 

 should find that its use in small, minute matters, 

 greatly preponderates over the large, bulky class. 

 Steam is now introduced everywhere, in the 

 country as well as the city ; in the dwelling-house 

 as well as the factory ; in the store of the mer- 

 chant, the shop of the shoe-maker; into the kitch- 

 en of the hotel as well as every other part of the 

 building, where it pumps, boils, roasts, bakes, 

 stews, washes the dishes, and dries them, ready 

 to go upon the shelves, and washes and irons the 

 clothes ; into the shop of the cabinet-maker, 

 carpenter, piano-forte maker, baker, brewer, tin- 

 ner, watch-maker, saddler, blacksmith, and vat of 

 the tanner. It hoists boxes, bales, bundles and 

 huge crates from the holds of vessels, and exhausts 

 them of thousands of bushels of grain in a day, 

 and deposits it in a loft up just under the clouds, 

 ready to be let down again and passed between 

 ponderous mill-stones moved by the same power, 

 to be converted into flour or meal. It fashions 

 tubs and pails, polishes the plates of the photo- 

 grapher, saws up huge blocks of marble into 

 thin and delicate slabs, and works out and gives 

 elegance of form to mineral teeth for the human 

 mouth which almost surpass the happiest efforts 

 of nature herself. Among all the blessings which 

 it confers there is nothing in Avhich it is more 

 comfortable, nor, if generally employed, where 

 it would be more profitable, than in tcurming our 

 dwellings. Those who have not introduced it for 

 that purpose, in a large house with a large family, 

 and especially where there are young children, 

 can have no just appreciation of the comfort, 

 safety, healthfulncss and economy in the con- 

 sumption of fuel, which it confers when used for 

 this purpose. 



To the farmer, it has not yet been made plain 

 of how much direct consequence it is to be in his 



business, — though he has already learned with 

 what facility his grain may be thrashed, his wood 

 sawed, and his trees cut into boards or timber 

 suitable for building, by the aid of its power. In- 

 directly, it has already conferred signal blessings 

 upon him in the cheaper construction of the im- 

 plements and machinery of the farm, and at the 

 same time furnishing them to him in a lighter, 

 stronger and better form. It will yet be more in- 

 timately connected with his business, aiding it in 

 many ways, and, perhaps, successfully and profi- 

 tably hitched to his plows in our small New Eng- 

 land fields ! 



But general and indispensable as it now is, it is 

 destined to become still more general, and to 

 confer benefits still more signal on the human 

 race, and to aid us to a higher and more perfect 

 civilization. It is to become effective on our car- 

 riage roads at no distant day, and thus extend its 

 blessings down to the toiling and sweating brutes. 

 It will be no fancy talk for us, by-and-by, to say to 

 the boy : — 



"John, touch a lighted match to the kindlings 

 under Projnethetis, and in ton minutes drive to 

 the door." 



Ten minutes have transpired, and a light ap- 

 pearing carriage stands before us. It is about ten 

 feet in length, sets a little nearer the ground than 

 our common carriages, and is airy, and in every 

 way comfortable and inviting. In front is an up- 

 right boiler, about eighteen inches in diameter, 

 containing numerous vertical tubes, but entirely 

 closed in by the wood-work of the carriage. The 

 fire-box is on a level with the floor, and in the 

 winter has the delightful appearance of a fire in 

 a Franklin stove, and warms the carriage, or 

 when the weather is sufficiently mild to make a 

 fire unnecessary, is shut off at once by a simple 

 device, so that no heat escapes to it. 



In less time than is required to take a pair of 

 horses from their stalls and harness them to a 

 carriage, Prometheus is at the door, and though 

 full of wonderful energy, is as quiet as a sleeping 

 child. He neither paws up your gi-avel road, nor 

 breaks his bridle to reach the springing grass, 

 nor perils your life when getting into the car- 

 riage by impromptu piungings and rearings not 

 much less dangerous than the piungings of a 

 ship on a lee shore. There the giant stands, wait- 

 ing your will. His breath is hot, to be sure, but 

 there are no signs of fever or feverish anxiety 

 about him. His pulses are regular, calm and 

 strong. Jump in. Let us see, all seated — six la- 

 dies and six gentlemen, including the man with 

 "the ribbons." "All right — go ahead," What was 

 that, Mr. Meadows ? I cannot tell you, sir, 

 whether it was a corn-field, or a piece of sprout 

 land. I had no idea we had gained such a speed 

 as this. You arc excited, sir — we have only 



