468 
Implement Show at Leicester. 
slicavc revolving; on a vertical Sjiindle placed below Uic boiler of a traction 
engine, and driven much in the same way as the drum of citlier the single or 
double-drum engine. The edge of this sheave is furnished with the clips 
(hinged jaws), which close upon the rope, and thereby enable the drum 
(althougli the rope merely bears on half the circumference of the drum) to 
make an eflicient grip upon that rope and to haul it. 
Below the clip-drum is a coiling-drum, for the purpose of receiving the 
rojje when the aiijjaratus is out of use and is travelling from field to lield. 
The endless rope, which passes round the clip-drum, is carried to the opposite 
headland, and tliere passed round the sheave of the travelling disc-anchor. 
This again is a well-known implement, consisting of a grooved-pulley to 
receive the eudless-rope, which pulley is supported on a frame provided with 
sharp cutting disc-wheels, competent to cut tlieir way deeply into the soil, and 
thereby resist the lateral strain of the endless-rope. Movement along the 
headland as the work progresses is efl'ected by means of a small windlass, set 
in motion by a friction-band from the pulley-wheel, which windlass coils a 
rope attached to a fixed point forward on the headland. 
The anchor-man can at any point release the friction-baud which drives 
the windlass, when the movement is instantly stopped. 
Besides the advantage of utilizing the strain upon the tail-rope, which is 
happily a necessity of the clip-drum arrangement, there are other meritorious 
points, amongst them the simplicity, cheapness, and lightness of the apparatus. 
On the other hand it is asserted \>y some persons, but we know not with 
what truth, for the counter assertions are equally strong, that the clip-drum 
wears out tlie rope more than other systems do, that the clijis themselves 
require frequent renewal or readjustment, and that the ingenious piece of 
machinery, " the slack-gear," on the implement bj' which the rope kee))S 
itself always tight, is apt to get out of order; as we have said, we do not 
think these allegations are proved, and it is indisputable that the work done 
in proportioyi to the original cost of the apparatus, and to the power emjAoyed, 
is, as we should have expected from the utilization of the strain of the tail- 
rope, far greater than that exhibited by any other system that came under 
our observation. 
On the Saturday this engine was tried with the following results in 1 
hour 49^ minutes, it cultivated 1 acre 3 roods IG^ perches, or equal to 1 acre 
and 2 perches per hour, or 10 acres and 20 perches per day of 10 hours. 
The pace of travelling was over 24 miles per hour, the weight of soil moved 
30 stones 4 lbs. per superficial yard, or 916 tons per acre, corresponding to a 
depth of 5^ inches, while the number of tons moved per nominal horse jxiwer 
per hour was 114j. The cost of the engine with the travelling anchor, and 800 
yards of wire -rope, and 20 rope-porters, is only 6481. 
The last system exhibited by Messrs. Fowler and Co., in Class I., consisted 
of the double-drum engines, working with a travelling disc-anchor, and we 
look upon this as a very practical application, and one likely to supersede to 
some extent the clip-drum, jirovided the objections made by some persons to 
the clip-drnm, and to which we have alluded, are valid. Worked in this way 
we regard the double-drum engine as a really useful machine to the farmer, 
which, as far as we can see, it never would be, if worked in pairs as already 
described. 
In order, however, that a double-drum engine, applied to a travelling- 
anchor may successfully compete with a clip-drum in point of economy of 
power, it is absolutely necessary that an apparatus be applied to it, by which 
the strain of the tiiil-rope may be utihzed in aid of the traction ; such an appa- 
ratus was used many years ago by Messrs. Fowler in their windlasses, for the 
rovmdabout system, and we can see no practical difficulty in applying it to 
the double-drum ; that this is an important jioint will be readily understood, 
ivuen we state that at a little over 2^ miles per hour, an ordinary low strain 
