199 American Plough, S^c. 



Chesnuts li francs perlb.&ic. Combined with gelatine the 

 prices are 20 per cent higher. 



12c — An American Plough was presented to the Society 

 of Encouragement at Paris, by J. C Barnet, Esq. the U. 

 S. Consul, and by the Society it was referred to a special 

 committee, who engaged M. Benoist, postmaster at Villeju- 

 if, to make a trial of it. This was done on the 13th of 

 June last, in presence of the committee and a number of 

 farmers and friends of M. Benoist. Two French ploughs 

 were tried at the same time, for the purpose of comparison. 

 The committee admit that the American performed extreme- 

 ly well, cutting the sward smoothly, and laying a neat and 

 well-turned furrow. But on trying it with the Dynamometer^ 

 it was found to require a draught of 180 to 190 kilogrammes, 

 while the plough in common use there, required only 130 

 to 140, and one of a newer kind, with an avant train moved 

 with 110 to 120 kilogrammes. They attributed th« greater 

 draught of the American plough to the manner of conduct- 

 ing it, and to the irregularities of its motion, which, they 

 say, «ould not be avoided after a long trial. A neat figure 

 of the American plough is given in the Bulletin of the Soci- 

 ety for August, 1822, 



13. — Improvement in Metallic Casting. — Iron and metal- 

 lic castings are said to be very much improved, by subject- 

 ing the metal, when in nioulds, to pressure. This is done 

 by making a part of the mould of such a form as to receive 

 a piston, which, on the metal being introduced, is made to 

 press on it with any required force. It is stated that cast- 

 ings obtained in this way are not only free from the imper- 

 fections generally incurred in the usual mode, but have a pe- 

 culiar soundness of surface and closeness of texture, quali- 

 ties of the utmost importance in ordnance, rolling cylinders, 

 fcc. The improvement belongs to Mr. Hollingrake, who 

 has obtained a patent for it. 



14. Canal Navigation. — The tread-wheel has been ap- 

 plied by M. Van Heythuysen, to the propelling of barges of 

 canals. The object is to obviate the use of horses. The 

 apparatus is made light and separable from the barge, and 

 it is found that two men can propel a barge by it, at the 



