638 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



aid liira. It pulverizes the soil, and leaves it in the best condi- 

 tion, by deep and double digging, and is followed bj a harrow and 

 clod breaker. It displaces and breaks to pieces such bricks as are 

 in the way, cuts up roots, passes over large stones, but throws 

 small ones up. It plows at will, from three to twelve inches 

 deep, at the speed of one mile per hour, or nearly one acre, at a 

 cost of four to five shillings an acre. Mr. Romain is a native of 

 Quebec, but long established at Toronto. 



The Chairman spoke of the experience he had in iron castings, 

 from the smallest pipes to the largest cylinders. He uses many 

 different grades of iron for different purposes. In cylinders he 

 uses iron of a close, fine texture, because it is not liable to be cut 

 by the action of the piston, nor to corrosion. When a cylinder is 

 made of soft iron, the steam often honeycombs it. And it is also 

 the case wath railroad car wheels. We have sought for the best 

 iron for these purposes; iron of a close texture, refii. 

 ing and mixing together several different sorts of iron, we have 

 obtained a cast shaft almost as strong as the best made of wrought 

 iron. The qualities of iron are very various. Some kinds make 

 good steel, others will not. 



The Chairman was thanked, and requested to prepare a paper 

 for our Transactions. 



Mr. Tillman suggested the probable advantages of the use, in 

 appropriate parts of important machinery, of other metals. He 

 remarked, that cobalt w^as twice as strong as iron. 



Mr. John D. Ward, of Jersey City, read the following paper upon 

 the mode of casting and jiroper selection of materials for water 

 pipes, for tow^ns and cities : 



Water pipes made in di-y sand or loam, may, in consequence of 

 the strength and solidity of the molds, be cast either vertically or 

 at suCh an inclination as will insure the soundness of the metal, 

 in all parts of their length. 



When cast in green sand, the molds require to be left so soft a^ 

 to allow the gases generated by tlie action of melted iron upon 

 damp sand, to escape through it in all directions; this, and the 



