No. 2. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



Cylindilc TiUw aud Planter. 



AVe peblish the account of the Cyiindric Tiller and 

 Planter, becsBsc vie would gladly give encouragement 

 to every attempt and enterprise to abridge, alleviate, or 

 facilitate labor. We know nothing of this machine 

 other than from its advertisement. It would be prema- 

 ture to condemn it ; but we should be glad to have 

 some evidence that it had been tried ; and were glad 

 to learn that it had been successfully tried. It strikes 

 lis at first blush as 'promising a great-deal two much. — 

 If it will pulverise the soil and put it into a condition 

 for planting at the rate at which it professes to move, it 

 will be an immense gain over any common mode of 

 operation ; but when in addition to all this, it promises 

 with only one man, and he to ride upon the machine, 

 to do the planting likewise, we confess we should hard- 

 ly trust our fields to be sowed under such superinten- 

 dence. We have seen and experimented upon various 

 sowing machines; bnt we have never yet fonnd any 

 one, excepting the human hand, (the best upon the 

 whole wliich has as yet been invented though not pat- 

 ented) which did not require constant watching; it 

 would be liable to become clogged ; or the dropper 

 would not revolve ; or the seed would become too 

 damp and adhesive to rim freely ; or the bands would 

 become too tight or too lo»se ; or the hopper would be- 

 come empty sooner than we were apprised of it; and 

 many other incidents and accidents in such cases but 

 too common. For the laborer therefore to be riding at 

 his ease, driving three horses, and perhaps smoking his 

 pipe at the same tune, with a planting machine follow- 

 ing hun, is certainly not the most careful mode of ex- 

 ecutiniT this nice and most important operation of hus- 

 bandry. The advertisement, and cspeciidly a part 

 which we hav? taken the liberty to omit, where the ma- 

 chine is recommended as likely to atti-act young gen- 

 tlemen to the pursuit of agriculture from the pleasure 

 and amusement of this operation, is a little too much 

 in the Panacea and Catholicon style, to induce the 

 fermers to throw aside their pleughs in a huiTy. 'W'e 

 da not however, condemn the macliine ; and when it 



has been fully and fairly tried; and even halfits professed 

 merits established, wc shall warmly and honestly re- 

 commend it. In the mean time we engage to keep our- 

 selves cool; and "hearken to the evidence." 

 Prom, the N. Y. Mechanic. 



The Cyiindric Tiller and Planter is the inven- 

 tion of Messrs. R. Porter and J. F. Schemcrhorn, 

 anrl as its name imports is designed for agricultu- 

 ral purposes ; and in lands free from stumps and 

 stones, is calculated to supercede the use of the 

 Plough. It is composed of a strong wooden frame 

 of about eight by eight and a half feet square, and 

 in the fofw ard part of which is fixed a cylinder, 

 three feet in diameter, and about seven feth Ions;, 

 with twelve rows of sharp iron teeth, nine inches 

 long, and twelve in a row. In the rear of the cyl- 

 inder is placed a shaft, to which is aflixed eleven 

 spiders of equal length with the teeth of the cylin- 

 der. In the rear of the spiders is placed a corn or 

 cotton planter, and both the spiders aud planters 

 are connected by wheels and bands with the main 

 cylinder. 



This machine is so arranged that when put in 

 motion, as the cylinder rolls forward, each tooth 

 will enter the earth, at the precise point, that in 

 the progress of the cylinder, will come in contact 

 therewith at the point from which the tooth pro- 

 jects. Each row of teeth, as soon as they have 

 penetrated the earth to their full length, begin to 

 break up and raise a piece of the earth or make a 

 furrow about nine inches wide, six feet long and 

 six inches deep. This, as it is elevated, comes di- 

 rectly in contact with the spiders, which as they 

 revolve break it to pieces and pulverize it. After 

 this comes in play the corn or cotton planter, 

 which first opens a furrov.- to receive the seed, 

 vrhich is then dropped from the hopper, und imme- 

 diately after covered. 



The corn and cotton planter caE be removed at 

 pleasure, and a drill substituted in its place to plant 

 wheat, rice, or any small grains — and by removing 

 it entirely, the cylinder and spider is well calcula- 

 ted to break up «.nd prepare the soil for any crops 

 — sugar, tobacco, or root crops. 



It is estimated, that with the Cyiindric Tiller and 

 Planter one hand, with a team of three good horses, 

 will be able to prepare for planting and seedin 



supposition, tliat the team moves at the rate of 

 about two miles an hour, and reckoning the usual 

 timejthat a farmer works when engaged in plough- 

 ing, which is over twelve hours a day. This is 

 more than ten ploughmen, with ten teams can do, 

 with the best of ploughs in the same time. This 

 may perhaps appear incredible, that the Cyiindric 

 Tiller should possess such great advantage oyer 

 the common plough : but if we consider tlje in- 

 mense friction of the plough on every part where 

 it comes in contact with the earth, besides the di- 

 rect resistance it meets with, by the continual pres- 

 sure of the earth against the plough shave, frora 

 the time that it begins to raise the earth from the 

 furrow, until it throws it over, and the dead pull 

 by which the whole has to be effected, it must be 

 acknowledged that no machine has ever been in- 

 vented, that requires so much power applied to it, 

 to move a given weight, and works to so great dis- 

 advantage^ as the plough. The Cyiindric Tiller 

 and Planter has also considerable friction, and re- 

 quires some power in pressing and drawing one 

 row of teeth in the sround, while it is elevating 

 the earth with another, and breaking it to pieces 

 with the spiders ; yet it must be remembered that 

 much of this friction in pressing the teeth into the 

 ground, is overcome by the weight of the machine 

 itsell', and the leverage which the team has in re- 

 voting or rolliug over the cylinder, gives it a vast 

 advantage over the common plough, in raising the 

 earth, and performing all its operations — and if a 

 man can with ease force his spade into the ground 

 nine inches, and raise a spade-full of earth, and 

 turn it over, — and the power of one horse is equal 

 to six men, it does not appear tliat it would re- 

 quire a very great effort for three horses with this 

 machine, to turn over about twice nine spades-full, 

 allowing the spade to be eight inches wide. 



This machine will be of great advant:,ge especially 

 on the prairies of the west and the plains of the 

 south, in which grain, cotton and sugar, are the 

 great staple produce of the country. It can be 

 rnade and kept in order by a common Carpenter 

 and Blacksmith, and purchased for what one sur- 

 plus team and plough wsuld sell for. 



Information respecting the Cyiindric Tiller, may 

 be obtained from R. -Porter, City of New York, or 

 Mr. B. F. Schemerhorn, Delphi, Carrol County la 



(and at the same time actually plant or seed,) Editors of papers who take an interest in agricul- 

 twenty acres in a day, of corn, cotton, wheat, rice, tural improvements, are requested to give the above 

 or other grain. This calculation is based on the ■ a notice in their papers 



