I860.] 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



443 



the soil and the enhancement of its products as 

 the introduction of the propelling power of 

 steam in transmitting tlie interchanging com- 

 modities of the commercial world. As to its 

 utility in its practical application, we can only- 

 form an idea from the following notice taken 

 from the " Buffalo Daily Enquirer," which we 

 transfer to our columns, that our readers may 

 form their own estimate of its peculiar virtues. 



C. 



scott's automaton excavator. 



This is an invention for which a patent has 

 been granted to Mr. F. B. Scott, of this city, and 

 which deserves more than a passing notice. 

 Mr. Scott has now on exhibition, at his shop, 

 over 231 Main street, a large working model, 

 beautifully finished, which better ilUistrates the 

 invention than any description which coula be 

 given In a paper. We were much interested in 

 our examination of it, and are happy to find 

 that it is receiving such flattering testimonials 

 from so many men whose judgment stands high 

 in the community. 



Within the last few years, much attention is 

 beginning to be paid to the system of thorough 

 drainage, as a means of accomplishing the most 

 remarkable results in the improvement of farm 

 lands. The great difficulty in the way of its 

 general adoption is, its being so expensive an 

 undertaking, although when once accomplished, 

 it proves a very profitable investment. Any- 

 thing which tends to reduce the cost of thorough 

 drainage will tend to its more rapid introduc- 

 tion ; also, the more there is done, the more the 

 cost will be reduced. For example : drain tile, 

 which are now furnished at ten dollars per 

 thousand, can, when the demand becomes more 

 general, be as easily sold for five. If, in the 

 same manner, an equal saving could be effected 

 in t?utting the trenches for receiving the tile, 

 which is now done by manual labor, the cost of 

 draining would be reduced nearly one-half. Mr. 

 Scott claims that, by his machine, this can be 

 accomplished; and he certainly is sustained by 

 the opinions of some of the best practical and 

 scientific men in the city. 



In describing the advantages of the machine, 

 we will let Mr. Scott speak for himself: 



"There are twelve spades, rotated on a wheel 

 which makes twelve revolutions per minute. If 

 each spade should cut at an advance of half an 

 inch, it would give six inches advance at a rev- 

 olution, which, at the rate of twelve revolutions 

 per minute, would give six feet advance per 

 minute, or 360 feet per hour, or nearly 220 rods 

 per day. Deduct one-third for stoppage, and 

 say 150 rods per day, with a two-horse power 

 and three men ; which, if it were four feet deep, 

 would take from thirty to forty men to accom- 

 plish in the same time by manual labor. The 

 machine is adapted to work in the most tena- 

 cious clay, every part being made to clean itself. 

 It brings up the earth, and, by a simple process, 

 carries it oft' and dey)osits it on one side. It cuts 



the whole depth by once going over the ground* 

 The excavator wheel can be raised and lowered 

 without throwing any part out of gear. It can 

 cut a trench for putting in tile, four feet deep, by 

 removing one-half the quantity of earth neces- 

 sary by manual labor. It is so arranged that 

 striking large stones will not break any part of 

 the machinery, and it can dig out the smaller 

 ones. It admits of being built light and porta- 

 ble, and at the same time possessing great 

 power. It is simple in its construction. It can 

 be made to move itself from one locality to 

 another, without any additional power. It ad- 

 mits of being worked by manual labor, like a 

 hand-car, or by horses, or steam, or caloric, and 

 can be adapted to prairie ditching, and, on a 

 large scale, to cutting sewers for city drainage. 

 It can be regulated on the surface to determine 

 the inclination or fall which shall be given to 

 the trench below," 



Mr. Scott has forwarded drawings and specifi- 

 cations to have it patented in Europe. 



Error Corrected. 



To the Editor of the Southe)-n Planter : 



In looking over the May number of the Plant- 

 er, my attention was attracted by the heading, 

 •'A Valuable Table," on page 284, in which the 

 linear dimensions of seven measures are put 

 down in figures. As your intention was, of 

 course, to give infbrmation, I take the liberty to 

 say that they are all incorrect, except the 1st 

 and 5tli — the barrel and the gallon. The 4th 

 gives the proper dimensions of a "half bushel," 

 and not of a "peck." 



The others are entirely wrong. 



Subscriber. 



jTnne, 18G0. 



Remarks by the Editor. — We are much in- 

 debted to "Subscriber" for the above commu- 

 nication, calling our attention to the palpable 

 errors contained in the short article, entitled "A 

 Valuable Table," transferred to our pages (with, 

 out the least suspicion of incorrectness) from 

 one of our exchanges. 



In regard to the half bushel and peck, we 

 have very little doubt but that the original con. 

 tained correct calculations of both, and that the 

 close of the paragraph in relation to the peck 

 was misapplied to that respecting the half 

 bushel, and the balance of it omitted by some 

 printer, through whose hands it had passed. 

 We beg of our readers to apply the senatorial 

 mode of expunction to the article on our 284th 

 page, referred to by Subscriber, and to accept the 

 followmg corrected copy, with the peck restored 

 to the place it ought to have occupied in that 

 article, which we hope "wi7/ be found valuable 

 to many of them ;" 



