Cone’s Dynamometer. 
371 
For the American Agriculturist. 
CONE’S DYNAMOMETER. 
Batavia, Jan. 24, 1843. 
Messrs. A. B. & R. L. Allen :— 
I acknowledge the receipt of the January No. of 
the American Agriculturist, in which you have pleased 
to notice an invention of mine, in a Dynamometer, 
through my friend T. C. Peters, whose name is familiar 
among the agricultural community; and as he has 
omitted some of the minutiae attending it, I send 
enclosed a drawing, which has the explanation 
on its margin, which cannot but be perfectly clear to 
I you. 
Fig 28. 
Explanation. 
Let a be Dynamometer Beam, with 32 lbs. on 
weighing hook, and one lb. weight at the end of beam, 
which exactly balance each other; then hitch beam to 
plow, which call b ; then draw e versus c, so as to 
draw plow d along, the force draws out index to spiral 
balance to 7 lbs., which multiplied by 32=224, the force 
exerted to draw plow, except 7 lbs., which -[-224=231 
lbs., as you see the cord hitched to end of beam draws 7 
lbs., which is plain, and proves the problem, Q. E. D. 
You will see that Mr. Peters omitted to mention, and 
to add in the force exerted on the small scale, which is 
a trifling omission ; but when mathematicians come to 
examine a sum, it must prove. Thus, for example: 
When plowing beam b, draws out spiral balance in¬ 
dex to 7 lbs., the 7 32=224, this, according to 
former statements, would be the draft of the Plow; but 
then what shall we do with the force that draws out 
the Index ? Why, of course, add that, which is 7 lbs., 
to 224, and the aggregate would be 231 lbs., which is 
exact, and reduced to a mathematical fact, which can 
in no case be gainsayed. Or, should the force exerted 
draw out Index to 16 lbs., then multiply 16 by 32=512 
lbs., to which also add 16, makes 528 lbs., the force 
exerted, which you will discover at once as being cor¬ 
rect and simple. 
It is a notorious fact, that even the plows now in use 
in this favored section of the world, where nearly all 
plow for a living, there is a difference in the ease of 
draft from 20 even to 100 per cent.; and yet we have a 
large number of seemingly intelligent farmers, who 
now actually sneer at such inventions, saying, “they 
want no book-farming, and that they can tell when a 
plow suits them better than any one else.” Such men 
I am willing should tread in the footsteps of their 
great great, great, grandfathers, if they choose; but if I 
am to plow for a living, I am willing to use a plow 
that will draw as easy with one horse, as some others 
in use will with two. Yet, after all, the march of 
agricultural improvement is onward; and when farm¬ 
ers come to see science and practice combined, and 
thousands upon thousands have seen and are seeing 
this, they then heartily appreciate anything that tends 
towards advancement in their cause, and become co¬ 
workers therein. 
Mr. Peters suggests the idea, that the Dynamometer 
should stand and work perpendicularly, to which I 
must most respectfully beg leave to dissent, for the fol¬ 
lowing reasons: 
When plowing, the plowman should have nothing to 
impede his view of his horses, so that he can keep his 
plow perpendicular, and his horses horizontally straight, 
so that the plow shall work even, and cut the same 
furrow slice. It is a great objection to all Dynamom¬ 
eters I have ever seen, being hitched immediately be¬ 
hind the team; for the inspectors are then obliged to 
be trotting along immediately under the horses tails, 
and are consequently always more or less apt to err in 
their observations, from this and various other reasons. 
Again. Should my Dynamometer work perpendicularly, 
you would have to be right over the beam of the plow, 
and in front of the plowman. It may be said that the 
plowman might make the observations; but this should 
not be, as it requires all his skill to keep the plow and 
team as direct as possible. Whereas, on the other 
hand, when the beam comes out on the land side, you 
have all the chance to note oscillations, and come to a 
correct conclusion, as you are entirely out of the way 
of plowman and team, and have a good chance for 
walking without any impediments. There is no diffi¬ 
culty to be apprehended from the beam coming to the 
ground, for the moment you start your team, \ou may 
place your Dynamometer beam in such position as you 
please, and it will keep that position without any trouble. 
