THE ILLIlsrOIS FARMER. 



341 



7th. The fuel furnished by the society 

 by your committee was of such inferior 

 quality as to hardly enable us to demon- 

 strate fully the steam -generating capa- 

 bility of the boiler. But, by referring 

 to the amount of its fire surface, (375 

 square feet, ) it will be seen by practical 

 men that, with the advantage of an ex- 

 haust to create artificial draft, it is fully 

 competent, with ordinary fuel, to generate 

 continu6usly abundant steam for its 

 work. In weight of coal and wood on 

 board, and of passengers, it carried, 

 throughout the entire experiments, as 

 much as would represent the weight of 

 an entire days' supply of fuel. It 

 would carry water for a three hours' run. 



8th. As a stationary engine, her pow- 

 er was tested at Royer Hall, where, 

 after jacking up her rear end so that the 

 main drum turned clear of the ground, 

 by applying the power direct to the 

 drum or roller, 120 revolutions of it were 

 obtained per minute. By passing the 

 belt of a fifty foot line of shafting over 

 the drum, the engine propelled one 

 eight horse thrasher, one corn and cob 

 mill at work, at the rate of twenty-five 

 bushels per hour, two small iron corn 

 mills, grinding six bushels per hour, 

 one wood-moulding machine, one resaw- 

 ing circular saw, of two feet diameter, 

 and a smut machine of high speed — all 

 simultaneously, and with only ten pounds 

 of steam. From experience with circu- 

 lar saws, we estimate it as capable of 

 running two of the largest size at one 

 time. It is perfectly competent to go 

 into the timber, haul logs where the or- 

 dinary log wagons would be employed, 

 and in one hour be jacked up and fur- 

 nished power to saw those of large size. 



9th. The fire box, being within four- 

 teen inches of the ground, the machine 

 would run, without injury, through water 

 twelve inches deep. It was run by us 

 over ground where by hand pressure a 

 lath was forced downward fifteen inches; 

 and, on examination, we were of the im- 

 pression that the actual compaction of 

 the surface by the machine was not more 

 than one inch. Horses crossing this 

 slough sank to their fetlocks; but as 

 with the engine the actual surface press- 

 ing upon the ground is at all times six 

 square feet, the ability to sustain weight 

 is much greater than with the wagon and 

 team, where the weight rests on narrow 

 bases. The four wagon wheels present 

 a surface width of seven inches in all ; 

 but the engine, with its drum and guide 

 wheels, a surface of 102 inches. The 

 weight of the engine is ten tons ; that 

 of wagon load of grain one ton and a-half, 

 or something more than one-sixth as 

 much. But the engine, with a drum six 

 feet in diameter and guide wheels three 

 and a-half feet m diameter, gives a much 

 greater proportional contact with the 



ground, and its load is proportionably 

 less liable to mireing in sloughs. 



10th, The difi'erence of power between 

 running the engine on plank or hard 

 road and common prairie would be great, 

 but that between running on ordinary 

 ground and ground so soft that the 

 drum would sink, we havie no means of 

 knowing. It is evident, however, from 

 the explanation in the preceding answer, 

 that ground in such condition that a 

 drum six feet in diameter and six feet 

 long would sink to that depth would be 

 entirely unfit to plow, and could not 

 be even crossed by horses. 



Having thus in detail answered the 

 interrogatories propounded to us by the 

 Executive Committee, we desire to make 

 some general remarks with reference to 

 the practicability of employing steam 

 for plowing and other farm purposes. 

 The experiments with Fawkes' steam 

 plowing engine have demonstrated to 

 our satisfaction that it is practicable, 

 and that in a few years a large portion 

 of the labor now performed by animal 

 power- on the farm will be expedited by 

 steam, especially in prairie countries, 

 and on well improved farms, where but 

 few stones or other obstructions exist. 

 The engine here exhibited is intended 

 only for large operations, being capable 

 of breaking twenty-five to forty acres 

 per day, but we see no reason why its 

 siie may not be reduced very considera- 

 bly, (say to one-fourth) and still suc- 

 cessfully compete with animal power. 

 A skilled engineer sent to witness this 

 trial by the largest machinest in Ohio, 

 has reported favorably to his employer, 

 and a contract has already been made by 

 him with Mr. Fawkes to build a small 

 engine for his farm of three hundred 

 acres. 



We estimate the cost of plowing by it 

 from the following very liberal data : 



Died Pir Diem, 



OneTonof Coal $5 00 



Ou« Cord ofWood 3 00 



Labor of three mea, Kngineer $2, Fireman $1, Aesis- 



tant $1 4 00 



Oiltc ;. 1 00 



lirdiutirj Wear and Tear „ 2 00 



Interest, 10 yer sent, ou $4,000 112 



Total , $1612 



With the most liberal allowance for 

 hauling water and coal, one mile, for 

 stopages, and turnings, the Machine 

 should plow 25 acres per day. At pres- 

 ent contract prices of $2 50 per acre for 

 prairie breaking, this would cost $6250. 

 While by the above estimate it is seen 

 that Fawkes' plows for 62J cents per 

 acre. 



Your Committee regret, that accidents 

 to the other competitors before reaching 

 the ground- should have prevented a test 

 of the comparative merits of the several 

 plans already adopted, and about to be 

 offered to the public. The interest man- 

 ifested in the progress of this trial, not 

 only by the visitors upon the show 

 ground, but by the public at large, will 



no doubt stimulate, other agricultir al 

 bodies to follow the example so nobly 

 set by the Illinois State Agricultural 

 Society, and thus ample opportunity will 

 be afforded for fair competition. 



Your Committee, in view of the result 

 of their experiments, unanimously re- 

 commend that the first prize of three 

 thousand dollars, be awarded to Joseph 

 W. Fawkes, Christiana, Lancaster Coun- 

 ty, Pennsylvania, for his Steam Plow. 



All of which is respectfully submitted. 



Signed, 



ISAA.C A. HEDGES, Cincinnati. 

 P. W GATES, Chicago. 

 H. B. LATTA, Cincinnati. 



SUPPLEllENTAKY REPORT. .. 



After the foregoing report was closed 

 the undersigned (in the absence of the 

 other members of the Committee who 

 had left for home) accompanied the ex- 

 ecutive committee to witness a further 

 trial of Mr. Fawkes' Engine. It was 

 attached to the plows and set at work in 

 prairie sod, alongside of the former plow- 

 ing, and after proceeding eighteen yards 

 some of the connexions between the plows 

 and the engine gave way when it was 

 discovered that the former were set for 

 plowing stubble ground and were run- 

 ning 6^ inches deep, causing a resistance 

 that was sufficient to part the connexions 

 at i point where a wooden pin is used 

 for the express purpose of yielding in 

 case of emergency, that no damage might 

 be suffered by the plows. 



After this was adjusted and the plows 

 raised to the usual depth per prairie sod 

 the engine proceeded some rods and leav- 

 ing the prairie, and while crossing the 

 part stubble, and part tame grass sod, a 

 dashing shower passed over, wetting the 

 surface of the ground, (which was alrea- 

 dy moist from the heavy rain the night 

 before. ) This caused the main roller to 

 slip, and Mr. Fawkes having removed 

 the spuds provided for being projected 

 through the drum to prevent slipping in 

 such cases, Mr. Fawkes nailed some 

 strips on the drum as substitutes, which 

 served well until reaching the sod on an 

 inclined surface where the strips, from 

 their temprary adjustment soon came off, 

 and lodging under the machine caus- 

 ed it to slide some few inches from the 

 line. Mr. F. then raised the plows and 

 remarked that he preferred not to at- 

 tempt further trial without the projectile- 

 referred to. It is well known to all acs 

 quainted with the use of the reaper and 

 mower that on a slipping surface, the 

 driving wheels will fail to perform their 

 revolutions, even with their ribed surfa- 

 ces. In conclusion the above incidents" 

 do not materially lessen the value of the 

 improvement in my estimation. 



Respectfully submitted Saturday 

 evening. 



ISAAC A. HEDGES. 



