THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



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*i*» \*™ 



m 



jj^Twbile fixed at one corner of ii 

 "rambulatcd in a portable form into every 

 upon it, to do any work required here the 

 will he on to the surface of the fields 

 to till, manure, or sow there." How- 

 Irriving at Grimsthorpe, I found that a 

 Step has been taken. His lordship, 



would wish 



but that which 



I 



■-I T^ji *s "a good landlord," has established some 

 •"•"^totre all sorts of steam-saws, lathes, boring, 



' ft ftU 



d planing machines for wood and metal 

 «v performing work for the tenantry, and 



•Mihrevs busy, p - . 



JJ^odly .1 -monstrating to a rural 



facilities and advantages of such machinery 



population the 



A 



.^ lour mill also crushes corn for cattle food, &c, 

 ^^nds meal for "the cottagers" at one farthing 

 Mrtahel. There are four portable e: 



engines each of from 



H to % horse-power, connected with the establishment; 

 'eoMtiotlv engaged in driving the above works, two 

 m^m ed in "drawing the steam-plough, thrashing on 

 jrim neighbouring farms, and grinding the clay for 

 three brick-yards ; while the fourth is made locomotive 

 far nmoin^ upon common roads, and forms the next 

 fend of *te* m application to agriculture above alluded to. 

 lie Great Northern railway having a station four miles 

 oft Lord Willoughby constructed a good stone road to 

 Ifcrtheuseuf his tenantry and the public, and con- 

 Ipred an engine to travel to and fro with coal, &c, for 

 hit cattle. This engine has three cylinders working 

 oateneath the boiler, and an ingenious steerage-appa- 

 ratua, and draws several loaded break- waggons up steep 

 i nffini- ; but his lordship is now converting the common 

 njtd into a railway by laying down wooden blocks, at an 

 txpense (we were informed) of 2000?. per mile ; a great 

 quantity of Ash timber having been felled for the pur- 

 pose. When this line is completed the farmers will be 

 •red four miles in the Jelivery of corn or fetching of 

 coal, and will be charged, it is supposed, a very small 

 unt for carriage. 

 The history of the steam plough appears to be this : 

 wren years ago Lord Willoughby — who is a skilful 

 amateur in mechanical contrivances — designed an engine 

 and tackle for the traction of ploughs ; consulting his 

 enterprising bailiff, Mr. Scott, together with the intelli- 

 gent foreman of the works, as to the best form and 

 arrmgement of the implement itself. The first trials 

 were made with a single engine working an endless 

 chain stretched between it and an anchored pulley at 

 the opposite side of the field ; but the slack or return 

 ana i proved an insuperable obstacle ; and as the anchor 

 would not hold against the ploughs in work, they had to 

 m drawn empty towards " 

 ■Batching the engine. „„ „ wauw U1 

 jnteiuied to travel at the rate of five miles per hour, 

 wmeh was of course impracticable, seeing that it was 

 ■"W to have men to guide it. Two engines have 

 ija found indispensable, each working and resting 

 J™* 1 )', as the implement traverses to or from them ; 

 JJiODly a single length of chain is employed, which 

 J^itseifiromthe barrel upon one engine, while 

 *»g gathered by that upon the other. Attempts were 

 ■■* to use common rope, which could not stand the 



rf£e cifl° » er m t th ° d 0f ob *»ting the great friction 

 J£* chain along the ground, was havinf two boys to 



JJJ or precede the implement with small barrows 



■K ^SSS. " t0 llold up the chain > this 



^ZTL P i? 1 w ,? rkiD S is as Allows: -one 

 Euoon/ tS o ender cal ^ in g coke and water, 



+ ^nl?°1"\*** iaid ° n the headland i ™* 

 fcnrard £ ' p, - Mlk8 alte ™*^y laid down and shifted 



^WdulnT 6 ? n ; ravel the whole length of the 



WleZl SOrt .u f P ° rtable raiIwa r- At every 



H^Sr e r lgine movea f ° rward a f ™ 



*iS£^l bFeadth 0f furrows Ploughed-propei- 



««* «i Wr n fi UP / tr attached t0 an »^or 

 ^^ In 1 and - ! ThG ^engine, similarly 

 £^£Xl? ^ d travellin g J * a Parallel 



S SteiSv meUt e , Xtends between *e two engines, 



inspected being cross- 

 ploughing for fallows, I cannot pronounce upon the 

 point. Perhaps two ploughs instead of three in one 

 frame would be more manageable : this plan was 

 formerly adopted, but then, instead of the sidelong 

 shifting of the two, there were additional ploughs lifted 

 out of or lowered into work by rack-and-pinion. The 

 ingenuity displayed in the contrivance of the imj.kme: 

 cannot be shown without drawings ; but considerable 

 improvements must still be made before it will answer 

 its purpose ; as it now occasionally masters its attend- 

 ants, sometimes tumbling over, and playing other tricks. 

 Light land it will plough pretty well ; but tough clays 

 occasion it some trouble. My impression certainly is, 

 that some less cumbersome contrivance than this Jong 

 implement— little less than a ton in weight— may be yet 

 invented. The present draught must be enormous. 



Then the chain used for drawing : why, I had ex- 

 pected to find a wire-rope in use, after the wonders done 

 with it by Fowler's draining-engine. But the present 

 barrels upon the engines are only a few inches in 

 diameter— too small to wind a wire rope on. I believe 

 that the power wasted in simply drawing the chain is 

 never less than four horses— increasing with the wet- 

 ness and stickiness of the land it passes over ; while, 

 in spite of the clever mechanism for grinding the coils 

 evenly upon the barrel, links are continually catching, 

 and the chain thereby jerking and damaging the engine, 

 so that a day seldom passes without a breakage of more 

 or less importance. 



Looking at the engines themselves, I found that the 

 chain-barrels were worked by means of cranks and 

 parallel connecting-rods from eccentrics upon the fly- 

 wheel shaft. Cog-wheel gearing was first employed, 

 then, for convenience, cranks were substituted, with 

 parallel connecting-rods ; and now the whole power of 

 the engines is applied through these eccentrics, with an j 

 immense amount of friction and diminution of the 

 effective force. I saw at once, therefore, that Lord 

 Willoughby's steam-plough, while demonstrating the 

 possibility of doing what many people have doubted, 

 must not be taken as exemplifying the economical con- 

 ditions of the operation. Until a wire-rope is employed 

 to drag a lighter form of implement, and the engines 

 are made to turn the drums with greater mechanical 

 efficience, it will not do to calculate the prospects of 

 steam-ploughing from the fact that Lord Willoughby's 

 two engines of 2 i- horse power each (at more than 

 100 lbs. pressure), can plough only 4 acres per day. 

 They have worked for weeks at a time — though 

 ploughing only when generally hindered from day to day with accidents — 

 •The frame of ploughs was and their greatest achievement has been tm plough 



4 acres in a day at a working expense of 355., employ- 

 ing at least six men. When the number of horses 

 required to carry the apparatus to and from the field, 



and the incomplete state of the machine itself, are con- 

 sidered, it is not surprising that the neighbouring farmers 



regard it with distrust, and even ridicule; and that 



323 



i 



it 



previous to sowing, I was involuntarily ltd to a review 

 of my own practice- during a long period f years, 

 when, after trying various ingredients as preventives of 

 smut, I settled down to this as not only the m*st effec- 

 tive, but the safest antidote to this hateful disease So 

 strongly am I impressed in its favour that I always 

 maintained, and still continue to maintain, that no 

 farmer need have smutty Wheat except through his 

 own negligence in preparing the seed for the drill, 

 dibble, or broadcast. But « J. C. C." objects to it as 

 endangering the germination of the seed, and, in fact 

 destroying his crop ; a serious charge if true, and 

 one which ought not to be made but on good and 

 sure foundations. I for one, at least, am not dis- 

 posed to rest satisfied without further inquiry as 

 to the strength of the solution, length of time occupied 

 in the immersion of the seed, and various other par- 

 ticulars, of which as yet we are ignorant ; for " J. C. C *s m 

 expression « dressing in the usual way " is far too* vague 

 not to require further explanation. What is "the 

 usual way ? " I protest I know not ; and shall thank- 

 fully await information thereupon. I know what my 

 own " usual way * was— not on a very small scale neither 

 —but to the extent of 50 to 60 acres annually. For 

 the accuracy of the operation I can vouch, always 

 making a point of having it conducted under my own 

 eyes, and very often with my own hands. To prove 

 that I wish not to ask for more than I am perfectly 

 willing to impart myself, I beg to submit the following 

 as my " usual way " of preparing seed Wheat, in the 

 firm conviction that if carefully and thoroughly carried 

 out there need be no apprehension of failure. For I 

 may here add that a vast deal more depends on 

 strict attention to the minutiae of this, as of most 

 other agricultural operations, whether practical or 

 merely experimental, than many, otherwise excellent 

 farmers, may be disposed to think necessary. It is not 

 enough to give general directions to a bailiff or yard- 

 man, that you wish your seed Wheat prepared after 

 such and such a recipe— you must see to it yourself ;. 

 and even assist at the most important points by your 

 own personal exertions. I say this without meaning the 

 least disparagement of either the care or judgment of 

 your overlooker ; who, when once in possession of your 

 plan of operations (only to be obtained directly from 

 yourself) may, and ought, if conscientious and active, 

 to be trusted to do in your absence what he is fully 

 aware would have been done had you been present. 

 But we must get on, or our steep will never be ready for 

 the drill. Take then a tub or vessel of convenient form 

 for holding 3 bushels of Wheat, and a space of some 

 6 or 8 inches beyond, for skimming, washing r and stirring. 

 Place this tub over a wider but shallower vessel, similar 

 to the underback of a mash-tub ; into which the Wheat, 

 when washed and skimmed, may, by a cock or other 

 means, be drawn off from the tub above. But we are 

 forestalling matters. Prepare the steep as follows :— 

 Dissolve about 3 lbs. of blue vitriol in water (hot if 

 wanted for immediate use, otherwise this is immaterial) £ 



instead of being regularly in work, it is only brought , 



cut for special occasions, and for satisfying the curiosity , to this add water enough fairly to swim the quantity of 

 of inquirers. As each engine weighs about 5 tons, [ seed you intend to steep— say 3 bushels ; into this 

 three horses are required to draw it — two horses are liquor then sift gradually and lightly, by means of what 

 required for the two tenders and the various tackle ; in some places is called a reeing sieve, the Wheat as 



one horse for the plough, which is carried by a " gin,' 1 

 such as timber is borne with ; and a man and a horse 

 are kept busy in fetching water and coke for the 

 engines. I heard of one gentleman so taken with the 

 invention, that he actually had two engines constructed 

 like these ; but private matters have since prevented 

 his further engagement in it. 



In conclusion, my opinion is, that much greater 



above mentioned. The heavy grain will fall to the 

 bottom, leaving the lighter portion, seeds of certain 

 weeds, smut balls (if any), and other rubbish, to float at 

 the top. These must all be carefully skimmed off, and 

 the main body of the Wheat below well stirred from the 

 bottom, to make sure that the whole is thoroughly 

 washed and skimmed. This process over, some recom- 

 mend a prolonged immersion in the liquid of from one 



things yet remain to be done with a steam-plough, and to three or more hours ; but I never could see any 

 this, too, with a single engine, and a better method of ; necessity for this. In the first place its adoption 



1 __*_ — II - "1 l — f ->-_ J VI T- 11...-. —I. 1-. —- — 1 1 1* —. w*rs\%* I si V\r\ r\ 44rw* /I rwl «i*f fh r»%»r\« 4- An/1ifionnl 1 »t A/\ti X7Q»n lAM /%£% 



• *SG£.Ti t0 Hft ^ d r"yo«eof the planks. 

 i\H uS 1 V"! i ^ 8te ? of . thre ? Pfo-gb. fixed 



**7 

 0* 



"■ -"I toTndlT 6 ' ^'^ *" "^ * 



tithe 



S"^ walks no! T , St each ead for steering. 

 SH 8*R at t£ f0re / e , nd and another foIIow 8 



* *••• The n£ h pa - CC ° f fr ° m three t0 four "ilea 

 *»k, bj ?, g 18 DOt turned round at ^e end 



■* mou\dhLT StruCted with double share *, 

 ,*"* *reZn III dS ' S ° a l t0 throw to Arrows in 



&"!» b ^adS n t h 8 e 01 T b l Ck , again - No,hi "S i3 

 5* *"W their Tt • pl ° Ughs ^ a shiftin S '"ove- 



* tte ° move tl*Z ? °. rde f t0 f0ll0W ea <* other, 

 ^ *~ ' ows T 6 ' m P le . ment sideways for 



„,. J »e first is done by means of 



anchoring a pulley. Perhaps Lord Willoughby will be 

 able to accomplish this, and so lessen the expense of 

 working, as well as lower the first cost of his apparatus. 

 I may just add that plates and wood-cuts of the steam- 

 plough, with descriptive letter-press, appeared in the 

 Artisan for July, 1853, and May, 1854. Cultor. 



Home Correspondence. 



^: 



thr 



and 



**furr 



^*"«a Screw* «,u- i ,.\ ^vuc uy meai 



££. tl * frame tot U ,f de * ie P lou § hs fron > one 

 ?** the ".I! . h « other ; the last is effected by 



"self with - ' • • - J 





f r**to» 



mT" "> a strong »„ j n * cllam and lev er sus- 



St' U *a2 ff eD 8 allows - T «e top-har of the 



2* " runs dow? ■?? bar > 80 t^t when ih» nl™„u 



E2L n P° , > the un^i , own accord 

 ^ac^^ghedland. Of, 



»*fcZW**.l»r. so th.t when # the plough 



into its required 



|t^.^i»ratu/ at ; 6 a X 'TV ^ course there i9 a 

 5* »*-.,.. "•« e »*=h end of the work. When the 



the engine at the end 



<* 



for 



1 ai, ow room f w ;f V . ouier tosta r1 

 ^h cuT:? v the P'ougha to slide befor 



t lt ^S T ret "rmng 

 J J*** al W h SZ» _* «8«ud for the other to'starl 



**t* % i8 fe*t with \r"i ir T e is of g reat iei ^ nh > 



5?L? r ' h *d work o\ h T deS; and U is "oSae- 

 1 10 ** *> well l3 TtL gl f lde *• The w ° rk » not 



*™, therefore, as farmers in general 



? r t the fram 



Blue Vitriol for Steeping Wheat. — In answer to your 

 correspondent, m J. C. C," I can only say that I have 

 used blue vitriol on Wheat for about eight years, and I 

 believe my brother has used it nearly twenty years, and 

 have never seen it damage the corn, but I cannot 

 warrant that it would not do so if used in too large 

 quantities, and if the corn was suffered to remain too 

 long in the wash : we only leave it one night in steep. 

 I really believe, from the description your corre- 

 spondent * J. C. C." gives of his Wheat, that it must 

 have malted in the ground. I have had this happen to 

 my corn in Canada, where it is not an uncommon thing; 

 in fact, the heat of the vitriol may have assisted the 

 malting effects of the hot dry earth ; for in Canada, if 

 you sow Wheat in very dry weather, perhaps after a 

 slight shower the corn begins to vegetate, and if it again 

 sets in dry, it positively malts in the ground. I have 

 been very much puzzled this year to account for the 

 failure of about three quarters of an acre of ground 

 sown in a three acre field of Wheat, and was at first 

 inclined to put it down to the account of paring and 

 burning, until I saw in your Paper that Wheats had failed 

 on light lands; I then put down my failure to about 300 

 cart-loads of head- land earth, carried out in over zeal for 

 the good of the crop. B. M. T., Ft loivn, Bideford, Devon 



-On reading the statement of your correspondent 



"J. C. C." of the suspected failure of his Wheat crop 



from the use of blue vitriol aa a dressing for the seed crop had just been taken ? 



would be attended with great additional inconvenience, 

 to say nothing of the extra expense, from the necessary 

 enlargement cf the apparatus for steeping and washing 

 a much larger quantity at a time than I have named. 

 As soon, therefore, as you are satisfied that the washing, 

 skimming, &c, is accomplished, and the liquor drawn 

 off into the underback, empty the Wheat on to the floor, 

 which latter ought to be thoroughly washed and cleaned 

 between the steeps, and, after spreading it about a 

 little, sift over it enough hot slacked lime to facilitate 

 the progress of drying. The Wheat will be fit for 

 drilling or sowing in a few hours, but if even delayed 

 for a day or two will take no harm. The same liquor 

 will serve several steeps, merely replenishing with 

 fresh water and about \ lb. of blue vitriol to each 

 succeeding bushel of Wheat. Such was my practice 

 during many years of my farming life, nor did I ever 

 experience any failure of plant from the use of tins 

 steep, though I certainly have from chamberlye applied 

 too strong and immersed too long. How to account for 

 " J. C. C.'s " failure I know no more than he does ; 

 but as he says it was sown when the ground was dry, is 

 it not as fair to presume that the failure was quite as 

 likely to have been occasioned by want of the requisite 

 moisture to cause the seed to germinate properly as by 

 anything in the composition of a steep in such 

 universal use, and, with common care, so harmless as a 

 solution of blue vitriol, even though much stronger 

 than I applied it I & Taylor^ Gloucester. 



How are we to find Food for our Flocks. — This inv 

 portant query is answered in your Paper of April 28 by 

 Mr. J. Ford, North Wales, who recommends the cut* 

 ture of ■ Chivas's Orange Jelly Turnip." If this should 

 meet his eye, would he be kind enough to reply to the 

 following : — What time of the year was the seed sown ! 

 Was it grown upon u fallow," or on land from which a 



How many tons of sound 



