460 



Oil Engines. 



cost for fuel and labour similar to the cost hitherto on medium 

 land, the tractor for ploughing will soon come to the front if the 

 cost of higher skilled labour has been taken into account, and 

 provided the cost of depreciation, maintenance, and renewals 

 are not found too high. It is a subject for a prize com- 

 petition under the auspices of the Royal Agricultural Society. 



For other than field purposes, however, the experimental 

 stage has long since been passed, but care must be exercised in 

 the selection of an engine for a given purpose, and it must be 

 properly proportioned to the work to be done. It is always well 

 to have enough power, but oil engines are generally much less 

 economical on three-quarter or half load than on full load, so 

 that it is desirable that the engine should be properly pro- 

 portioned to the work, and this should be properly ascertained 

 and not guessed at. 



Under the head of agricultural purposes I have included dairy 

 purposes, so far as the consideration of power requirements are 

 concerned, and, in conclusion, it may be said that for nearly all 

 these purposes the oil engine offers many advantages as com- 

 pared with steam engines of small sizes and for variable work. 

 Whenever the farmer or dairy owner requires power for machine- 

 driving purposes, especially when wanted irregularly though 

 frequently, or when wanted only a few hours per day, the oil 

 engine is the most suitable motor. Its superiority results from 

 several causes other than economy per horse-power while 

 running, and although I have not thought it necessary to give 

 figures as to oil consumption, except generally, and have 

 personally tested only a few of the engines named, I am satisfied 

 as to the economical working of several of them. The supe- 

 riority, in brief, is based on readiness and convenience, and this 

 superiority will hold good even where occasional work has 

 hitherto been done by horse gears. 



These remarks will not, however, apply in many cases with 

 regard to threshing on the English system or where the farmer 

 does not own the threshing machine. This is more cheaply 

 done on the hire system, as at present, but where fixed barn 

 threshing is done the oil engine will come in. 



W. Worby Beaumont, M.Inst.C.E. 



