1801.] 
AMERICAN* AGKICULTUKIST 
265 
We begin to fear the failure of our prediction, 
a few years ago, that “ the man who would first 
successfully apply steam power to general culti¬ 
vation, probably lived on this side of the Atlan¬ 
tic.” Our American Fawkes seems to have 
been on the point of realizing complete success, 
but there is still some defect, we know not what, 
that prevents his implement from coming into 
general use. In England, on the contrary, both 
Mr. Fowler and Mr. Howard have so far suc¬ 
ceeded, that the manufacture of these imple¬ 
ments has been commenced to supply orders 
for actual field use. 
Mr. Fawkes is at work trying to get up a 
traveling engine, one that shall traverse the field 
like a huge elephant drawing his load after him. 
Mr. Fowler places his engine upon one side of 
the field, and moves it along the head land as 
the work proceeds, drawing and sending the 
plows to and from the power, by means of ropes 
and pulleys. Mr. Howard stations his engine 
upon one corner of the field, and lets it remain 
there, sending his plows to different parts of the 
ground and moving them backward and forward 
by means of ropes and pulleys. From the de¬ 
scriptions of the two modes (Mr. Fowler’s and 
Mr. Howard’s,) we have been inclined to give the 
preference to Mr. Howard’s plan, because he 
does not require an engine specially constructed 
for the purpose, but can use any farm steam en¬ 
gine that can be transported to the corner of a 
field; while Mr. Fowler requires an engine con¬ 
structed to move along as the work progresses.* 
Believing that it would greatly interest our read¬ 
ers, we have introduced the engraving above to 
show Mr. Howard’s apparatus at work. It hard- 
* We learn by the last received papers, that at its recent 
meeting, the Royal Agricultural Society of England 
awarded the first prize of £100 to Mr. Fowler, and the 
second prize of £75 to Mr. Howard. This does not alter 
the opinion stated above, that Mr. Howard’s method will 
have the preference where It is desirable or necessary to 
use for plowing, a steam engine already constructed. 
ly needs description, as the whole operation is 
plain from an inspection of the engraving. A 
drum is anchored near the stationary engine, 
and ropes run to anchored pulleys at the two 
nearest corners of the field, and from them to 
movable pulleys on two opposite sides of the 
land to be plowed. A number of plows at¬ 
tached to a frame running on wheels, are so 
arranged that when the frame moves in one 
direction, one set of right-handed plows are 
turned down, and when it moves in the op¬ 
posite direction, the- other set of left-handed 
plows are turned down. The draft ropes are 
wound upon the two ends of the drum to keep 
them from interfering, and one winds over the 
drum and the other under it. Now, as long as 
the drum is turned in one direction, one rope is 
wound up and the other unwound just as fast. 
As soon as the plows reach the side of the field, 
the motion of the drum is reversed by the engi¬ 
neer, and the plows are drawn backward, and 
the other plows being turned down, the plowing 
goes on. There being half a dozen or more 
plows at work in the gang, and the motion 
made as rapid as desired, a large amount of sur¬ 
face is plowed during a day. 
What is Cultivatsd in England—The work 
for the Steam Plow. 
The Agricultural Gazette (Eng.), in some re¬ 
marks upon the success and prospects of the 
Steam Plow says : “Recent statistics show that 
the Wheat lands of this Island exceed 4,000,000 
acres; the Barley land nearly 3,000,000 acres; 
the Oat crop exceeds 2,000,000 acres; the Pota¬ 
to crop over 700,000 acres; the Turnip crop 
each year nearly 3,000,000 acres; other crops 
exceed 700,000 acres; while 900,000 or more 
acres are in bare fallow 7 . At least two-thirds of 
all this—nearly 15,000,000 acres—can be cheaper 
plowed and worked by steam than by horses. . 
Here are 15,000,000 to 20,000,000 acres to be 
plowed each year—equivalent to 2,000,000 days’ 
work for a 12-horse-power engine. As there are 
not more than 120 convenient plowing days in 
the year, it will require fifteen thousand 12-horse¬ 
power engines to do the world" Query. —If the 
comparatively small island of England (includ¬ 
ing Scotland and Wales) will need 15,000 engi¬ 
nes, how many will be needed on the vast sur¬ 
face of the United States.— Ed. Agriculturist. 
-«_—-*«» - - 
For the American Agriculturist. 
Which, way should Brills Run? 
An erroneous impression seems to prevail in 
regard to the proper direction in which to place 
drills for plants cultivated in that manner. They 
are usually laid off North and South, in order 
to get the greatest benefit from the direct rays 
of the sun. Instead of North and South, the 
rows should run East and West. Suppose a 
piece of ground planted in drills two feet apart, 
running North and South; the plants by the 
middle of July having attained to the liiglit ot 
four feet, each row will be shaded by the one 
1 next East of it, until about the middle of the 
forenoon, then from the middle of the afternoon 
till night, the shade of each row will fall on its 
next Eastern neighbor. If the drills run East 
and West, the distance apart and the bight being 
the same, the shadow of any row will not reach 
another row, excepting when the sun is near 
the horizon, early in the morning or late in the 
afternoon. In latitude 40 degrees North, the 
shadow of a plant four feet high will not reach 
two feet north from its base until about the 
tenth of August. W. L. Judson. 
Hancock Co., Ill . 
[The above question admits of discussion.—E d.) 
- < ■ iiBbg Mw «- <»-- 
Instead of idly waiting for something to tun? 
up, go to work and turn up something. 
