ON THE .CONSTRUCTION OP STEAM PLOUGHS. 
Mr. George Vaughan Palmer, the inven- 
tor, is now, we regret to say, numbered with 
the dead. In a slight biographical notice of 
him, with which we have been favoured by a 
friend, it is stated that he was a native of 
Worcester, where he was born, June, 1786; 
and a descendant of the ancient family of the 
Vaughans of Trebaried, county Brecon, and 
Hargest Court, Herefordshire. From early 
infancy he evinced a strong taste for mechani- 
cal pursuits; and, had he been longer spared 
to the world, would probably have risen to 
eminence as an inventor. Great part of his 
time was devoted, for some year previous to 
his death, to the construction of his excavat- 
ing-cart ; and he had but just completed, and 
secured his right to it by a patent, when he 
was seized with a rapid decay, of which he 
died in Jxiue, 1834 , leaving a widow and four 
children, for whose benefit the patent is now 
to be sold. — Mechanics' Magazine. 
STEAM-PLOUGHS. 
The adaptation of inanimate power to the 
tillage of the soil must evidentiy liave been 
coiisideied by piaciical men lo piesent almost 
itisupeiable difficulties, or steam would, pro- 
bably, long since have been substituted for 
hoi'tsand oxen, a? the moving power of agri- 
cultuial implements. Certain light opera- 
tions of the farm, sucn as thrashing, churning, 
chafF-muiing, &r., which could be performed 
by bxed power, have partially occupied the 
attention of mechanics, and suitable machi- 
nery (Iriveii by water, wind, or small steam- 
engines. lias to some extent been advanta- 
geou.-ly used for such puiposes. But the idea of 
a “steam farm,” of a farm to be altogether 
cultivated by steam, in lieu of animal power, 
has hitlierto been treated as visionary and 
absurd, except by a lew individuals, and one 
or two agricultural societies, who have en- 
forced, in tiieir publications, the practica- 
bility and impoilance of applying sieam to 
effect the more laborious opeiationsoi agri- 
culture. 
This desideratum is at length accomplished. 
Mr. Heathcoat, M.P, for 'J'lvei ton, the inge- 
nious and well-known inventor of the lace ma- 
chinery, has the merit of having conceived 
and planned this additional and remarkable 
contribution to science, and to the w'ealth of 
his country. The invention, after years of 
costly expeiiment, has been rnatuied and 
pei/ecfed Ibrough tine enieipiisitig liberality of 
Ml. Meaihcoat, assisted by the mechaniial 
ingenuity and » fcistveii^nce ot Mr. Josiah 
Paikes, civil engineei, whom he selecteii lo 
cany lus designs into effeci, i ne bisi ma- 
cl. me has been cousnucttd explcs.^ly loi the 
cuiiivut.oti of bogs, and has, foi some months, 
bt ell pi tical iy and suci eNsfully worked in 
Lancashiie, on Red Moss, near Bolion- 
le-Moors. 
Duiing the Whitsuntide recess ofParlia- 
n.ent, a nunu-ruus assemf.lage of gentlenieii 
liurn diffennt pans of the country aiiended lo 
wiiness an exliibition oi this novel and iniei- 
esting invention; amoiign whom were Mi. M, 
L. Chapman, M. P., Mr. T. Cbapman, Mi. 
H. Handley, M. P., Mr. J. Featlieisione, of 
Griffinstownhouse, Westmeath (an enterpii- 
sing and successful bog reclaimer), Mr. F. 
Brown, ot VVelboui n,Lincolnsliire, Mr. James 
Sniitli, ot Deaiistoiie, near Stiiliug (well 
known to the mechanical woild by his inge- 
nious iriveniions, applied both lo agiiculiuie, 
and manufactures), Mr. B. Hick, and Mi. P. 
Rotbweli, engineeis, with oiiiei experienced 
judges ol mechanical contrivances. These 
gentlemen v\eie unanimous in pronouncing 
Hie invention to be the geim of great imprcve- 
ment.s intbe scienceand j<raetii e ot agriculture, 
as wellas eminently fitted tor the paiticular 
puipose to which it has, in the first instance, 
been applied. I wo ploughs of diffeitni ton- 
stiuction were putin action, to the adiniiation 
of the spectators; particularly the one last 
invented, which is double-acting, or made 
W!iti two sliaies in the same plane, so 
that it leturns at the end of a “ bout,” 
taking a new lunow without loss of lime. 
Ti.e perfect mechanism ot this plough- tha 
action of the working coulters and uiidei- 
culting knives, wliich divide eveiy opposing 
fibre of the moss— the bieadth and depth of 
the luiiovv tuiued over— the application of a 
new and admirable means of tiaciion, instead 
ol chain- or ropes— together with the facility 
with v'hicli the machine is managed, and the 
power applied to the plough, especially inter- 
esied and suiprised ail present. The speed 
at wtiich the plough tiavelled was 2§ miles 
pei hour, luiniug fuiiows 18 inches broad by 
y inches in depth, and completely leveising 
the suilace. Each furiow of 220 yards in 
length was pei formed in somewhat less than 
three minutes, so that in a working day of 
twelve hours, this single machine would with 
two [iloughs turn over ten acres ol bog land ! 
I'lie machine which bears the steam-engines 
is iiselt locomotive ; but as ibe ploughs are 
moved at right angles to its line of progress, 
not dragged after It, the machine has to ad- 
vance only Hie wioHi ot a furrovv, viz. 
eigliteen inches, whilst the ploughs have 
ti d veiled a quai ter of a mile ; in other words, 
the machine has to be nioved only eleven 
yaids, in the time that the ploughs have 
travelled fiveand-a-half miles, and turned 
over a statute acie of land. This is, in tmth, 
the piime disiinguiishing featuie of Hie inven- 
tion ; it is the contrivance on which the 
genius of its author is moie parliculaily stamp- 
