516 



NEW ENGLAND FAKMER. 



Nov. 



the commendation, the more numerous would 

 become the imitators, without any protection 

 to the original devisors and makers," while 

 othors see in the strictness of the rules of the 

 managers, and the severity and thoroughness 

 of the test proposed, a reason why so few man- 

 ufacturers were willing to enter their imple- 

 ments. This trial, though under the charge of 

 the New York State Agricultural Society, was 

 open to all implement makers in the country. 

 The judges who were present were John Stanton 

 Gould, of Hudson, Chairman ; Prof. B. Pierce, 

 of Harvard University ; E. R. Potter, of Kings- 

 ton, R. I. ; Peter Crispell, Ivingston, N. Y. ; 

 H, Waterman, Hudson ; George Geddes, Syra- 

 cuse, and J. McGraw, Dryden, N. Y. ; Hon, 

 Sanford Howard, of Michigan, together with 

 President Patrick and Secretary Johnson. 



We make the following extracts from the re- 

 port of "J. J. T." the correspondent, of the 

 Country Gentleman, who personally witnessed 

 the trial : — 



The swivel plow, for side-hill as well as level 

 ground, from F. F. Holbrook of Boston, was sub- 

 mitted to a severe test on a piece of hard and grav- 

 elly land, with a stony undersoil. Although sub- 

 jected to this difficult test, it proved itself gi-eatly 

 superior to the old swivel plows, effecting a com- 

 plete inversion of the sod, and doing fair work. 

 Burch's swivel plow, from Chenango county, .and 

 known as the Chenango Clipper, was tested briefly, 

 and appears also to do fair work. The swivel plow 

 of C. W. Sykes, Suffleld, Conn., entered only for 

 exhibition, quite different in construction from 

 other reversible plows, attracted much attention. 



In addition to the preceding, the following plows 

 were tncd on these grounds : Holbrook s Univer- 

 sal plow, from F. F. Holbrook, Boston, as "a sod 

 and subsoil' plow, like the double Miclugan; Hol- 

 brook's plow for lapping furrows ; the steel plow 

 of W. Whateley, Springfield, Ohio; a plow cast 

 from cast steel, from Collins & Co., New York 

 and made at Hartford, Conn., known as the Smith 

 plow : the Mohawk valley clipper, from Reming- 

 ton &Co., Ilion; and R. J. Whateley's subsoil 

 plow, from Illinois. , j , 



Holbrook's double mould-board, or sod and sub- 

 soil plow, cut a furrow in very hard ground, about 

 ten or eleven inches deep, with four horses at- 

 tached, throwing the sod completely under, and 

 nilinjr the mellow subsoil on the top. Its opera- 

 tion gave much satisfaction. Holbrook s lappmg 

 plow did good work, and was found, on holding, 

 to be remarkably capable of being perfectly guided, 

 so that a practiced hand might control it \nth mueli 

 precision. The three steel plows from Col ms & 

 Co W Whateley, and the Remingtons, all aul 

 handsome work— the latter especially appeared to 

 be much commended by the fa™c'-s present 



On the second day of the trial (the 12tli) tic 

 plows were tried in what was termed stubble 

 ground. A crop of rye hnd been cut from the 

 ground ; and a dense growth of grass and weeds 

 Severed the whole surface, in many places from 

 one to two feet high. Very few plows could there- 

 fore be expected to turn under this heavy growth. 

 All those tried here did creditable work, 

 although most of them failed to effect a complete 

 burying of the herbage. Holbrook's sod and sub- 



soiler, used the previous day, but with the forward 

 or smaller mould-board removed, and drawn by 

 two horses, ran 11 inches deep, and threw out from 

 the bottom of the furrow earth that had never be- 

 fore seen the light, covering all the gi-ass and 

 weeds with scarcely an exception. 



Smith's cast steel plow, (from Collins & Co., New 

 York,) designated as B No. 14, did handsome 

 work, running 9 inches deep, and covering the 

 grass with a little exception. Holbrook's plow 

 No. 66 did about the same. The work of the others 

 was less perfect, although on more favorable 

 ground, tueir performance would have been nearly 

 unexceptionable. The performance of W. Whate- 

 ley's steel plow excited much commendation from 

 most of the spectators. 



There were some One implements in the class 

 of Harrows and Cultivators. 



Grapes on Elms.— At the winter meeting 

 of the Illinois State Horticultural Society, the 

 Hon. John B. Turner, a successful grape 

 grower, during a discussion on the grape, ad- 

 vocated the growing of grapes on elms. He 

 said : 



"When, years ago, I taught Latin to boys, 

 we used to read of the ancients letting their 

 grape vines clamber on elms, but I thought 

 little of the statement, as a practical sugges- 

 tion. But I find that I cannot keep my vines 

 out of the elms. If I plant near an elm the 

 vine goes up into it. I have one vine that, 

 despite mv remonstrances, insists on going into 

 the top of one of my elms. From it I sold, 

 during the past year, $100 worth of grapes. 

 I am therefore tolerably well satisfied with its 

 wilfulness ; for these grapes did not cost me 

 a cent for culture or care. I am now planting 

 live stakes in my orchard ; and elm stakes they 

 are. Such stakes will save the annual cost of 

 training and pruninji, and judging from my 

 experience, they will insure fruitfulness." 



Over-Eating Apples, or Repletion.— 

 When this occurs, give the animal a lump of 

 saleratus of the size of a common apple, dis- 

 solved in warm water. It is said to give al- 

 most instantaneous relief. 



—At a late meeting of the Fennsylvania Horti- 

 cultural Society, statements were made, showing 

 the injurious effect of the air of gas-lighted rooms 

 on the health of growing house-plants, and on the 

 t)reservation of cut flowers. In reply to the re- 

 mark of a member that the injury resulted rather 

 from the dry air of furnace heat than from the 

 effcet of gas, Mr. Meehan gave instances which 

 had come under his obsei-vation in Germantown, 

 of people noted for their success in window cul- 

 ture, under the old state of things, who had failed 

 after introducing gas, although no change had 

 been made in their old fashioned heating arrange- 

 ments. 



