494 Report on the Trials of Implements at Wolverhampton. 
two cuds of the rope are fastened, one end being wound a few times roinid the 
drum A and the other upon the drum B. The rope hy causing the drum A 
to revolve, can drive the drum B at five times the s^xicd by means of the spike- 
wheel K, pitch-chain (v>, and spike-pinion C, which is held in gear with the 
dram B hy a ratchet-clutch and spiral spring H. In the same way the rope N, 
by causing the drum B to rotate, can drive the drum A at five times the speed, 
by means of the spike-wheel S, pitch-chain P, and spike- pinion D, when held iu 
gear with the drum A by the ratchet-clutch and spiral sjiring J. In the sketch 
M is supposed to be the pulling and N the tail rope ; the clutch C is represented 
in gear, and the clutch 1) is held out of gear by the weight of the i^loughmau 
upon the seat K, which is hinged upon the cross-shaft L, and by means of a 
rod, F, and bell-crank lever, I, compresses the spring J. In this position one 
foot length of the rope M, paid off the drum A, gathers up 5 feet of the rope 
N, wliich takes place when the anchor iu travelling makes the furrow 2 feet 
shorter. The motion of the drums is brought to a standstill directly tlie 
tension of the tail-rope N has become one-fifth of that of the puUing-rope M. 
On the contrary, if the anchor has travelled fin-ther from the engine and 
increased the length of furrow, say by 2 feet, the automatic difierential action 
of the drums allows 5 feet of the rope N to pass off the drum B, which has the 
effect of simultaneously winding one foot length of the rope M on to the drum 
A ; the result being that the total length of rojie out is 4 feet more than it 
was before, or just the quantity required for 2 feet increase in the length of 
the furrow. AVhen the implement is to move in the opposite direction, the 
ploughman leaves the seat K (wliich instantly rises by the force of the spring J, 
at the same time permitting the clutch D to drop into gear with the drum A), 
and takes his place upon a similar lever-seat at the other end of the implement 
(not shown) — the effect being to throw the clutch C out of gear with the drum 
B, compressing the spring H by means of the rod E and bell-crank lever G. 
The rope N is now the pulling-rope, and for one foot length passing on or off 
the drum B five feet of the rope M (which is now the tail-rope) pass on or off the 
drum A. It will be seen that the rope does not move the implement (which 
is hauled by tlie attachment of the drum-axles to the main frames) until the 
adjusting revolution of the drums has ceased by reason of tlie relative strains 
of the jralling and tail ropes (namely, five to one) having been established. 
And the peculiarity is that the strain of thus keeping the tail-rope tight is 
not lost power, but is all recovered by the pull of the tail-rope assisting the 
revolution of the clip-drum on the engine. And this advantage of being able 
to support the entire length of the tail or following rope upon porters, without 
the loss of motive-power which occurs when the same thing is attempted by 
retarding with a bi'ake the rotation of a paying-out winding-drum, secures a 
■minhaum of friction and therefore maximum economy of the motive-power 
requisite for performing a given amount of work. In some situations where 
there may be a difficulty about the deep penetration of the discs or t}ic holding 
power of the soil, a drawback is that the strain upon the anchor is somewhat 
greater than when winding-drums are employed instead of the clip-drum. In 
the latter case, when the implement is api)roaching the anchor, the strain uiwn 
the anchor, tending to pull it away from its hold, is twice the draught of the 
implement : with the clii>drum and slack gear the strain is twice the draught 
jylus one-fifth. Space has been devoted to a detailed description of this beauti- 
ful mechanical contrivance because its working is not generally under- 
stood. 
The travelling anchor, as is well known, consists of a rope-pulley of large 
diameter (and therefore not calculated to injure the wire rope by sharp bending) 
mounted under a frame which rests upon rollers low on the ground, furnished 
with six cutting discs pressed into the soil by the weight of the machine, and 
easily urged forward, though presenting a great resistance to movement side- 
