AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 4Yl 



plugs, either by compressing air into them, or by exhausting them ; and, 

 to complete the connection between the engine and the implements, he 

 attaches a hose pipe, five hundred feet long, to the tap, and stretches it out 

 to its full length, or half way to the opposite tap in the next ordinate tube. 

 The extreme end of this hose-pipe is attached to a drum upon a hand-truck, 

 so that it can be wound up or paid out at pleasure, by moving the truck 

 towards or drawing it from the tap ; then an ordinate hose-pipe, one hun- 

 dred feet long, is attached to the axle of the drum on the truck, so as to be 

 connected with the other hose, and thei^efore, with the pipes underground ; 

 th'e other end of this ordinate hose-pipe is attached to a drum on a wagon, 

 BO as to be connected with an air engine in this wagon, and so that it 

 is wound up as the wagon approaches the truck and is paid ont as the 

 wagon recedes from it. The cultivator engine, then, is worked by air in- 

 stead of steam, and is employed to turn rotary cultivators. This wagon, 

 with its engine, cultivators, &c., is drawn over the ground by a horse ; and 

 the cultivator, while in action, works the ground to the width of six or 

 eight feet, and to any suitable depth. 



There are many details which cannot be gone into in a single paper, we 

 must, therefore, leave the subject for the present. 



The Chairman seeing Professor Mapes in the room, called upon him to 

 offer some remarks upon steam plowing. 



Professor Mapes. — The reason why wc plow is that the earth to produce 

 a crop of vegetables, must be permeated by the atmosphere. Earth settles 

 and becomes compact and hard when exposed to the action of rain and dew, 

 consequeatly neither rain, dew, nor atmospheric air can penetrate it and 

 supply moisture and nutriment to the roots of plants. The result is that 

 plants perish for lack of moisture. On the contrary, if we subsoil the land 

 well we never lose crops by draught. There is always enough hygrometric 

 moisture in the air to sustain the growth of plants, if the air can get to 

 their roots and to the cold earth surrounding them, there to be deposited, 

 as we constantly see it deposited upon water-pitchers and other cold bodies, 

 in the dryest seasons. In like manner, ammoniacal gases and other gases 

 and vapors which supply nutriment to plants, are brought into contact with 

 the soil, by which they are absorbed to supply food to the growing crops. 



At this point, Mr. Fawkes, the inventor of the steam plowon exhibition 

 at the Fair, having come in, was called upon by the Chairman to explain 

 the construction and operation of his plow. He declined doing so, stating 

 that he would find it more difficult to address an audience than to invent a 

 steam plow. After some solicitation, he, however, came forward and an- 

 swered all questions relating to his invention which were put to him by the 

 Chairman, by Prof. Mapes, and by several members of the Association. 

 The substance of all his answers being already published in the account of 

 his plow as exhibited at the Fair, it is unnecessary to repeat them here. 



On motion, it was resolved to continue the subject of "The New Inven- 

 tions at the Fair," fur the next evening, after which the Association 

 adjourned. 



