PROCEEDINGS OF THE POLYTECHNIC ASSOCIATION, 539 



stage coaches in England state that the wear and tear of horses 

 is about 33 per cent. The cost, wear and tear, and shoeing of a 

 horse, is about 20 cents a day. For mechanical purposes, a horse 

 has to be taken care of, and it is easier to take care of an engine than 

 a horse. It is claimed that the caloric engine is safer than other 

 engines, but I should say that a low pressure engine is juat aa 

 safe. What are called low pressure boilers have sometimes 

 bursted. I do not think that the air pump would add 15 per ct. 

 to the cost. In the high pressure engine, the only danger is the 

 outer shell. 



Mr. Garbanati.— The most impolitic thing a farmer can do is 

 to put his own team into horse gear. Irregularity in stopping is 

 detrimental to machinery. A horse that is fit to do any other 

 work is too good to do the revolving horse work. I think the 

 question of the one horse power for farmers is a move in the 

 wrong direction. 



Mr. Stetson. — There are several reasons why England can use 

 steam power for farm purposes, instead of horse power, to better 

 advantage than can be done, in America. England is the work- 

 shop, and America the farm. Mr. Dibben's estimates are pretty 

 reliable, but I think he has estimated the wear and tear at less ' 

 than what it really is. The lubrication of machinery, and the 

 wear and tear of boilers ought to be taken into consideration. 

 An engineer on the Ohio railroad once assured me that he had to 

 run his engine tied up with withes. I think, taking this and other 

 like things into consideration, there is a great deal in favor of 

 horse power. If a high pressure engine would cost $600, I think 

 a low pressure of the same horse power would cost $900. The 

 advantages of using water engines are very few on account of the 

 difficulty of finding a sufficient headway of water. In the "Tra- 

 veller office in Boston," the water power drives the press. The 

 hydrants being close at hand they made a contract for a supply 

 of water, and a small half bushel rotary engine was put in and 

 is worked very successfully, but situations such as this are diffi- 

 cult to be obtained. 



Mr. Bruce. — Have you taken wind into consideration as a 

 motive power? 



Mr. Stetson. — I know very little about wind. 



Mr. Bruce. — Wind has been successfully used in England. 



Mr. Dibben. — That is so, but windmills have never been suc- 

 cessful in this country. 



