442 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE 



is the " S n apparatus for the v ihing of sheep, and i machines, particularly models, were under cover, and so 



■ • ■• **—• " rl not likely to arrest the novelty- seeking eye. It thus 



happened that we have passed hy some implements which 

 we ought to have mentioned in their proper places. We 

 find that there are one or two small models of Steam- 



: and likewise 



le " Syphon apparatus tor the washing oi sneep, ana 

 roving the growth of wool by a copious application of 

 water ; invented by W. W. Fyfe, of Edinburgh. 



of this contrivance. 



fflipi 

 pure 



in order to decide upon the nsefuln 



it will be necessary to determine first, whether wasmng 

 iniprov- the growth of the wool, and second, whether 

 this new mode is better than that now in use. The wool 

 is nourished bv a peculiar secretion from the glands oi 

 the skin, called the yolk, a kind of animal soap, soluble 

 in water. The greater part of this matter is removed by 

 the process of washing. When there is a deficiency of 

 yolk, the fibre of the the wool is dry, harsh, and weak, 

 and the fleece becomes thin and heavy. Where the 

 natural quantity of it is found, the wool is soft, oily, plen- 

 tiful, and strong, it is found in greatest quantity about 

 the breast and shoulders— the very parts that produce 

 the best, healthiesr and most abundant wool — and in 

 proportion as it extends to any considerable degree over 

 other parts, the wool is then improved. It differs in 

 quantity in different breeds ; it is very abundant in 

 the Jlerinos, and is sufficiently plentiful on most of the 

 southern breeds ; but in the northern districts, where 

 the cold is more intense, and the yolk of the wool is 

 deficient, a substitute for it is sought by smearing or 

 salving the sheep with a mixture of tar, and oil or butter. 

 Both the natural yolk, and the use of salve, improve, 

 strengthen, and increase the quantity of the wool. 

 Vouatt says they have, " in a thousand instances, 

 been manifestly beneficial to the sheep and the wool, 

 and in no case been proved to be injurious." We 

 should not, therefore, think it advisable to wash away 

 this indispensable nourisher of the wool. In Spain, 

 and also in Devonshire, we believe the short-woolled 

 sheep are never washed. The process of washing 

 before shearing, is merely to cleanse the fleece of dust, 

 dirt, and other impurities ; and so easily does the yolk 

 or soapy matter dissolve in the water, that the wool 

 is generally sufficiently washed by a good sousing and 

 a little rubbing in a stream. As regards the feasibility 

 and convenience of the syphon- washing, we very mucli 

 doubt whether it will prove superior to the mode 

 practise J in many parts of England. Driving the sheep 

 into a running stream, in which men stand to catch 

 them, turn them over, and let them swim out on to the 

 opposite bank, may be a good method among small 

 sheep ; but the following is the plan to which we refer :— 

 A la e pond or a brook, widened into a reservoir, forms 

 the « wash-dyke," across which, a number of stakes or 

 poles are set in two rows, so as to include a swimming- 

 path between them, a rope on each side this gangway 

 fanning a fence for the sheep. At one end is a plat- 

 form adjoining the sheep-pen ; two men seize a sheep, 

 put a stick under his belly, grasp the wool on his neck^ 

 rod, carrying him to the brink, throw him tail foremost 

 into the water. * " " 





cultivators besides those already described 

 a newly invented clod-crusher, which certainly deserves 

 special notice. At a future time we may give a descrip- 

 tion of the contrivances denominated steam-diggers or 



on 



steam-ploughs ; and at present merely furnish a short 

 outline of an omitted clod-crusher, and a Steam-plough. 

 Of the implement which aspires to rival and out-crush 

 CrosskilPs, we can only give our readers a general idea 

 taken from the maker's description, without attempting 

 to detail its merits. It was invented by Dr. Sillar, ami 

 is exhibited by H. Bennett, of Liverpool, and consists of 

 a number of serrated rings, without arms or spokes, 

 bolted together at a certain distance apart by three round 

 bars, which pass through holes in the rings, an empty 

 space being left in the centre. The outside rings have 

 arms, and are the only ones running upon the centre axle. 

 This works on bearings in two iron ends, and a centre 

 stay, fixed to a wooden frame carrying the shafts. 

 Each ring is so formed that the outside edge is a little 

 thicker than the inside one, i, e. they gently taper from 

 the external to the internal edge, so that any part of 

 the olod being squeezed into the space between any two 

 of the rings, if dry, falls into the interior as it is broken, 

 and if damp, is squeezed through at the next revolution 

 of the roller ; so that the implement is perfectly self- 

 cleaning. In comparing this clod-crusher with 

 CrosskilPs, the inventor says, "As the principle by 

 which CrosskilPs is self-cleaning, consists in every wheel 

 having an independent motion on the axle, it follows 

 that the combined friction of all the wheels would render 

 it impossible to be worked by the ordinary horse-power 

 of even a large farm ; and, therefore, to obviate this he has 

 made theaxleitself torevolve,the consequenceof which is, 

 that in a large field where there is no necessity to turn, it is 

 no better than if the wheels were: all fixed, and .conse- 

 quently it gets choked up— it is only by frequent turn- 

 ing, so that the wheels may move at different velocities, 

 that it can be kept clean ; therefore, CrosskilPs is not 

 self-cleaning in large fields, as mine is. 2d. As all the 

 wheels in CrosskilPs revolve separately, each wheel 

 must have its own arms ; and as these are equal in 

 weight to the rims, Mr. Crosskill has been obliged to 

 make his of a very small diameter, and consequently of 

 very heavy draught." 



In Siilar's roller, the weight is thrown 



"*7* forward, and leaving behind T^*** 

 and precisely Inverted, by g S ^7* 

 seven or eight inches deep le * oIvin g mm 



Th 



tad* 



saw clear themselves, bv' the o* ' » T 

 communicate to the particles thlu a ^ 1 Qflfe 

 the substance thev act upon 7 ^ de 

 steam-driven will do the same, for' * 

 No machine answering to this ' 

 but Usher's Steam-plough and 

 machine" invented bv J P a , 

 Stamford Hill (whicl/we '*£££«£ 

 both profess to fulfil the o. n Jl^ r 



«? 



pM 



to 



" C. W. H.,» 



condition 



in**** 



As the steam-plouo-h is 



the inventor of the latter ha 



•ks publ 



Jy to a ... 



. ■ 



it in consequence of the remai-uV.r^^'JJg ?U« 



this are mounted a series of ploughs *5 

 revolve and come sueew«»voK, °* Ul 



action. 



*» 



shaft 



of the engine , 



._ „ 'to the 



outside of the cylinder, and the great friction of all the 



rings bearing on the centre shaft is avoided. It is also 



made in two pieces, for convenience of turning. The 



up 9in u - nA ... . fi i- riD ? s ^e so fixed upon the three external shafts, that 



SLtt rl™^f^ * nd * ««* a «* f*« » ™de to rise at two or 'three 



parts of its revolution, thus effectually crushing all clods 



himself swimming with four or five others' in a small 

 area enclosed with a rope, and called the " vat." Here 

 by struggling against his companions, and by bein^ 

 rubbed with a wooden instrument, called a " poy " his 

 wool is well soaked, and half cleansed. The washer 

 stands in a tub in the water fast to a post, and by lifting 

 the rope, takes the sheep, one by one, out of the vat, 

 rubs them well, turning them on their backs, and 

 wfien sufficiently washed, sending them along the 



and 



swim 



their heads being held up and guided bv a 

 man with a poy, walking along planks kid for the 

 purpose It is very rarely that a sheep is drowned ; 

 and, with proper care, they are but little fatigued with 

 tae adventure. 



The new syphon apparatus consists of a wooden 

 washing-trough, and syphon tube of iron. The trough 

 is 44 feet long, by 3 J feet wide, and 2t feet high, so as 

 to hold one sheep at a time. It is provided with woollen 

 girths, such as are used in the hot bath, buttoned across 

 the top and on these the sheep is rested or slumr, with 

 *s feet just clear of the bottom ; and thus suspended, 

 may be operated on without any struggles occurring 

 In rests attached to the side of the trough, an ££ rod 

 is phced for the support of the syphon." The sy^hon- 

 tobe is oi an inch bore, and is expanded to a span of 41 

 feet surmounted at the bend by a box or reservoir, for 



eontammg water enough to replenish both arms " ' 

 tube, ,n order to prepare it for & ^ T 



SSSSSVi? \ h ? rizontal leader, consistL ot a 



fiwtri ^i*"" be ^ted'either lougku 

 Uinallj or tranavewely across the back of the sheep As 

 the apparatus cannot work- „r.io„„ .u wiee P> As 

 at a lower level than the sm-^, ^ e s P read « be 

 reservoir. i n '.'T^ 6 ? Urface - of rt *e water in the 



arm 



the shorter le 



placed 



which might have a tendency to stick in the teeth. This 

 implement appears well calculated to diminish friction 

 and to lessen draught ; but we should fear that the 

 peculiar form of the rings is scarcely a substitute for 

 CrosskilPs smaller teeth projecting upon each side of 

 the rings. We hope that it may answer the promise 

 contained in its description, and that it will crush the 

 clods which it clears from itself as efficiently as Cross- 

 all s does— the vibrating, ragged wheels of which when 

 they take up a clod shake it as a terrier might a rat 

 and there ,s then but a small chance for it to escape 

 unbroken. The price of Sill.irs crusher is to be more 

 moderate than the Beverley one. 



We now" offer a few observations upon an engine 

 denominated in the catalogue— « Model of locomodve 

 steam-plough • the ploughs revolving behind the carriage 

 act as propellers : patent"- Invented by J. Usher, of 

 Edinburgh. The exhibitor says that he expects the 

 fulbsized machine to be ready to take the field in July 

 with locomotive engine and all complete ; and as the 

 model has been approved of by hundreds who have seen 

 it at wotk, he hopes soon to show the large one to the 

 same advantage. And he further affirms it to have all 

 tne requisites emanating from « C. W. H. •" to which 

 we have alluded. From the JWmd*&a£ff& 

 September 21 18.50 (No. 38) in which appeared the 

 remarks of that writer, whose essays are no £s an 



—we extract the following : _« I hold it to be an idea 

 fundamentally erroneous to attempt to combine stem, 

 machinery with the nIon<rb F T + e stca ">- 



wkatevr* Lr J.,n- 7- P"™o» v •.. It is no men d 



I £™ r jl Cult ™ tlon that * dionld be don 







. ' - ' " a powers m earn**.. •. 1 



premature to praise or to condemn • C^'n ** 

 give our impressions respecting its effi-T ** % 

 which its appearance promises 1t C, ? y ° r ^ 

 locomotive steam engine carrvin* klu- ? nsats «" i 



parallel with the axles%f tl^^ «' 



carrying three ploughs with coulter blades . A? 

 and ruould-boardsbeing formed toa curS SuSA 

 centre ; and they are so arranged that onlv *** 

 point strikes the ground at one time. The* «l^ 

 revolving as the machine advances at a sW^TS 

 over as it were hve furrows in curved pieces orp?£-? 

 Both the ploughs and the main roller upon 3l 



n K aC ;! ,,ne , r * StS are . turned h y cog-ivheefa U tSJi 



action of the pkL 



n . - ■■ v" Vi * ne ^tli assists jTr 



pelling the locomotive, after the manner of a stem £ 



paddle of an American steam-boat. There is D0 r?Z 

 enter into a longer detail, except to say that theZI 

 axis works in bearings upon a lever frame, whidi2 

 raised or lowered, and that the two front-S 

 can be steered by a crank pinion and circular «T 

 Lach of these plough* is essentially a wedge, bur mSm 

 is no sole, the pressure sustained by the sob tf. 

 common plough js here transferred to the xnazr e • tfc 

 varies in an exact ratio with the weight of wd 1M 

 plus that of the force required to effect the efem©lS 

 this must render the friction of the axle in its 

 very great ; and must tend to drag down the lever (not, 

 and lay an enormous downward pressure ufonfc 

 carriage roller or wheels preceding the ploughs. Tbe 

 side-long pressure sustained by the ploughs in tarri| 

 over the earth, when lifted, seems to be counter-balioeed 

 by the resistance of the uuploughed ground to their 

 u land-sides ; " otherwise, the whole machiie would 

 swerve itself round just as a screw steamer wouM tea 

 round if her propeller were fixed athwart her stem As 

 it is, we do not see how the machine can be steered. E 

 changing the direction of the front-wheel axle it « 

 intended that the fore-port of the machine-should adniee 

 more to the right or left ; but as the roller orefeeaptr 

 of wheels carrying the principal weight is situated ahoc 

 half-way between the front wheels and the ploughs, it 

 forms a fulcrum upon which the frame turns 8iden 

 so that the front could not move to the left without the 

 ploughs at the other end being moved to the right ; ute 

 the resistance of the unturned land prevents their 

 moving excepting on one side, it is difficult to nntattd 

 how the line of progress of the machine can be directed. 

 The inventor s description speaks of employ^ to 

 or teeth of any suitable shape in place of the ploughs, aid 

 applied about an axis in the same manner. Something 

 ot this kind would meet the ideas given at the eonHnen* 



men* of this notice ; but bent ploughs like those of #* 

 model would not complete the operation of prepa 

 seed-bed, and " play out the long comedy dfwr 

 present field cultivator ma single act ; w die whole tm 

 amount to little more than a substitution of a * a "*J 



in the preliminary process m 

 For our own part, we anxiouslvwiffi* 



horse-power 



"ploughin^ 



a reasonable implement which shall perform 



"C. W. H." 



ill** 



3sasaa£5?« ^sr^z sssaw &**== sz££ 





animal to the same process 



dean wool to ±ell : but it « . r ™_,„^ mun 



■ness then suggests an instrument of 6 



the 



proposes; but while we bel. 

 independently revolving apparatus attached to^P 

 partly propelling, a locomotive engiaq, to ^ e ™* *JL 

 principle, we cannot think that the desired eud^ ^ 

 attaine unless the cutters themselves have eta 

 separate mo-tion, to allow of their entering m0 *r*^ 

 into hard ground, and enable them to shake ? an ^ 

 the soil which they throw behind them, ^fjj^ 

 number of spades or forks arranged so ^to W ^ 

 necessary movements while rev ' 

 may be nearer to the right idea. 



la. a 



If 



clod-crashers, to 



o dreaa it and prepare it 'SfrZT? hi « business *hen su^JtZtnt ofT o^ fp 1 **^" H 

 Even 



fleece, 

 and 



was 



it 



.^Sl^rrV " 6f . *• ^mltural 



. ground, but 



revolutu ; behind its locom 

 into 



article 



; and during a lew days previous to the 

 -- »« re h the "fourth estate 

 he first, 



a semicircular trenT^utT"? J* ** ^ 

 7 I rrom the teet of a do| tj£$ f-jgj^ « 



of this rcahn JStt \T*°? the l0C ° m ° rhe »-v S or^ 

 was allowed a private *«S£\tZ\tt^ 



THE TRANSFER OF LANDED PRU 



A lecture upon tliis important subject .^ 

 last Tuesday at Willis's Rooms, by Mr. MW^^ 

 celebrated auctioneer. The subject of re- 

 stated in the circulars, was, "the present ie= ^ bj 

 of conveyancing, and also that of e " ect "^ bv** 61 

 public auotion and private contract, . m ° 5 ^, "/ gi*6, 

 proposals of a remedy for the existing evils ^^ 



for facilitating the completion of ^"f^ter 

 the ex pen- J and for checking litigauon, *« 

 pect to the courts of equity or tew-. ^^ 



The lectu rer hega»» by comparm- the f^ {m i, \sM 



siwi* 1 * 



former 



v funded 



revdlv^f Ut>u- i -.i • "i v, "" ,c »i-«fciian;cai r 

 revolver behind, with Us cutting points playin 



purwied i a 1 1 1 i - eountry for trwisfe- be 



property, r^ narking that nothing com 

 quicker, and cheasur than the transter w e%f # 



ard on the hard j or more complicated, more tedious, a: ^.^ 



sive than the tv tfer of the latter. te( j m& 



this diflerence were not, the lecturer ass* 











rr 



b 



upon the 



