AMERICAN INSTITUTE. ' 453 



farm as his laboratory, and his labors and science in it — not 

 merely for himself, but for the good of the whole human family. 



The committee appointed at the last meeting of the Farmers' 

 Club to examine and report upon the merits of a new agricultural 

 boiler for steaming food for stock, and other purposes, invented 

 by Mr. J. A. Hedges of Cincinnati and Philadelphia, and on 

 exhibition at 197 Water street, in this city, respectfully report 

 that they find the said boiler to consist of a cast iron kettle of a 

 capacity of some sixty gallons, which is provided with flanges at 

 the top and bottom to enable it to be set in brick, and a cover 

 with a flange to be bolted upon the upper flange of the kettle. 

 This cover is provided with a sliding valve with two apertures for 

 the escape of steam into flexible tubes at either side, which valve 

 is so contrived that steam can be shut off from only one tube at 

 once, and thus prevents such sudden checking of it as would cause 

 explosion. Besides this precaution there is a safety valve in the 

 cover which is simple in construction and admirably adapted to 

 its intended purpose. The heat is applied beneath the boiler, the 

 grate bars being arranged for burning either wood or coal. The 

 quantity of fuel required is not greater than for a cooking stove 

 of average size. 



In fifty-two seconds a pailful of water, previously cold, was 

 boiled by inserting in it one of the steam pipes. Another, when 

 the heat of the fire had much diminished, in ninety seconds. 



We found that if the steam was entirely cut off" from escape 

 through the pipes, by .closing the valve on one and tieing the 

 other in a knot, that at the expiration of fifty-three seconds the 

 pressure was entirely relieved by the safety valve rising sufficiently 

 to permit the escape of all excess of steam; so that if, through 

 carelessness or other cause, the usual escapes were closed, no evil 

 would ensue. 



The apparatus is very simple in construction, and can be put 

 up in three hours by an ordinary farm hand. It requires 350 

 brick. The cost is $35, $45, and $60, according to size. One of 

 the former capacity will cook food for twenty head of stock or 

 fifty hogs in four hours. In view of the manifest advantages of 

 cooked food for stock, and because of the other purposes to which 

 it may be applied, your committee are unanimous in recommend- 

 ing the steam boiler of Mr. Hedges as a useful and meritorious 

 apparatus for the use of farmers. 



Signed, HORACE GREELEY, 



R. G. PARDEE, 

 HENRY S. OLCOTT. 



XAm. Inst.] 30 



