236 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[August, 
Apparatus for Laying Drain Tiles. 
One great drawback to at least a trial of drain¬ 
ing land, has been the supposed cost. Even 
though it could be plainly shown that a large 
outlay per acre would prove a profitable invest¬ 
ment in the annual increase of crops, the major¬ 
ity of farmers could not well raise the capital 
thought to be necessary to make the improve¬ 
ment. And while there remained any doubt as 
to the promised benefits of the operation, the ex¬ 
pense to be incurred, was sufficient to deter many 
who otherwise would have undertaken the ex¬ 
periment. Inventors have found here a field for 
their labors promising good returns, and many 
appliances have been brought out with a view to 
lessen the cost of drainage. The mole plow, 
constructed to open a drain in the subsoil with¬ 
out disturbing the surface, has become quite a fa¬ 
vorite implement in a few localities. Its good 
effects have been palpable, and in a compact 
stratum of clay, free from stones, the drains 
opened in this way have been of service for 
years. This system, however, can only be looked 
upon as the pioneer to thorough drainage. It is 
inapplicable in any but compact clays, and even 
in these, the greater service of the tiles makes 
them the cheapest in the end. In England, where 
draining has reached the highest standard, mole 
drains are out of date. The next important step 
in cheapening the operation of opening drains has 
been the attachment to the mole plow of appara¬ 
tus for forming a permanent tube within the open¬ 
ing made by the mole. In several inventions for 
this purpose, hydraulic cement is forced down 
into the furrow, following the mole. The use of 
this material for drains has not been sufficiently 
extended to decide fully upon its merits—the com¬ 
mon burned clay, drain tiles have been tested and 
found adapted for the purpose. There were many 
difficulties to be overcome, in laying these by 
machinery, but a degree of success has been at¬ 
tained which promises to give new impetus to 
this great work, the most important now attract¬ 
ing the attention of agriculturists. We present 
herewith an original engraving showing the con¬ 
struction and working of an apparatus for this 
purpose, invented by Mr. B. B. Briggs, Medina 
Co , 0. Fig. 1 represents the machine complete, 
and at work. The mole, m, is attached to the 
long beam, b, by an upright iron shaft, made thin 
and wedge shaped to cut through the soil easily. 
The slide, g, is hinged near the middle of the beam 
b, by iron rods : it bears the upright notched 
shaft, n. which is acted on hy the lever, a. By 
depressing the end of this lever, the beam and 
mole are elevated as may be needed to conform 
to a required grade. The small lever, l, is pro¬ 
vided with a pin for fastening the slide when ar- 
rg.ng*"' »t a -'roper depth. .S, is an upright rod over 
which the operator sights grade stakes set at prop¬ 
er distances in front of the capstan, and is thus en¬ 
abled by means of the levers to give the proper in¬ 
clination to the drain. Fig. 3, is a larger represen¬ 
tation of the mole for opening the passage. 
A staple in the end receives a link having a prop¬ 
er head for attaching the rope upon which the 
tiles are strung, d, Fig. 2, shows a double wood¬ 
en trough, on one side of which the tiles are 
strung, while those already prepared are being 
drawn through the other division, c, while the 
mole advances, as seen at e, Fig 1. The tiles are 
strung on sections of rope, each about twenty five 
feet long These sections are connected by a 
link shown at Fig. C. A movable clutch seen 
near the middle of this link has two projections 
which rest against the edge of the tile when they 
are drawn forward, as represented in Fig. 5, so 
that each section receives only the pressure nec¬ 
essary to force it through the open passage. 
If a much larger number of tiles were strung to¬ 
gether without some such provision, there would 
be danger of fracturing by the force necessary to 
draw them along. By the use of the clutch, re¬ 
lieving the pressure at every twenty five feet, as 
much can be taken in as the strength of the rope 
will allow, say 300 or 400 feet, or even more. 
The operation of this machine is easily under¬ 
stood from the engraving and the foregoing de¬ 
scription of the parts. The frame bearing the 
capstan c, is set in the line of the required drain, 
and anchored by iron spuds, p, p. The beam is 
attached to the rope, an excavation of the proper 
depth, with a gentle inclination backwards, is 
made at the heel of the mole. The trough for 
delivering the rope is properly placed, the first 
section of rope attached to the heel of the mole, 
the tile strung to within about four feet of the 
mole, and the horses started. While this sec¬ 
tion is passing in, another section is strung, ready 
to be attached by the link and clutch to the form¬ 
er one, and so on to the length of the rope. Then 
a hole is dug at the heel of the mole, and the pin 
drawn that secures the first link to the heel of the 
mole. Now by pulling the rope back from the 
place of entrance, the arms of the clutch fall for¬ 
ward, and the whole sections are withdrawn. 
Fig. 4 shows the position of the clutch while the 
rope is being thus drawn backward. The small 
interstices left between the tiles where the clutch¬ 
es were used, are closed by prying the tiles from 
each end with an iron bar. Connections with the 
larger main drains are made by hand, and the 
necessary excavations filled in the same manner. 
This apparatus, it is said, can be used wherever a 
mole plow will operate. In very stony land, or 
too solid hard pan, it would be impracticable. 
The inventor assures us that it was thoroughly 
tested at the West last season, since which time 
several improvements have been added We 
have not witnessed its operation, and can give 
no opinion of its merits founded on actual obser¬ 
vation of its working capability. The model, 
from which our sketches were made, shows it to 
he a very ingenious implement; and we see no 
reason why it should not work well. 
-— I — - 
Hints to Inventors. 
The statistics published in the last No. of the 
Agriculturist, show how large a number of in¬ 
ventors are engaged upon machines and imple¬ 
ments connected with Agriculture, and there is 
every probability that the number will continue 
to increase as rapidly as it has done in previous 
years. Some of these will no doubt enrich them¬ 
selves and benefit the country by their inventions, 
others will meet only with disappointment. The 
observance of a few plain principles would pre¬ 
vent much of the wasted time and money ex 
pended upon such unsuccessful enterprises. An 
agricultural machine, above all others, should be 
simple in its construction. A multiplicity of 
wheels, bands, springs, etc , frightens a plain man 
at once. Liability to derangement is also in pro¬ 
portion to the complication of structure. To be 
widely used, a machine must not be of great 
cost. Farmers are economical from necessity, 
and keep to the old way if an improvement re¬ 
quires much outlay. 
Before undertaking an invention, one should 
know what has already been done by others. 
Thousands of models are rejected from the Pa¬ 
tent Office yearly, for want of novelty. An in¬ 
vention, however good, must be “ pushed,” tc 
become remunerative. The success of many of 
the most money-making contrivances of the day, 
is due more to the energy of the proprietor in 
bringing it before the public, and persistently 
keeping it there, than to their intrinsic worth; 
while hundreds of really valuable improvements 
are rusting on the manufacturer’s hands, simply 
because people have never heard of, or have for- 
gotton about them. Few men buy a thing at first 
sight, and still fewer are attracted to purchase by 
a single notice in a paper. 
The “Hydropult.” 
Among the numerous implements recently sent 
to us for examination, is a convenient little hand 
force-pump, which was labeled a “Fire Annihila- 
tor,” but with it came a request that a name might 
be given it. One of our assistants, who fortu¬ 
nately, or unfortunately, had dabbled in Greek in 
his younger days, happened to receive it first, 
and on trial, finding the force with which it pro¬ 
pelled water, “pretty considerable,” he overhauled 
his dictionary, and compounded the word “ hy¬ 
dropult," which name, be says, signifies a water 
propeller. The name was at once adopted by the 
proprietor, and it may as well be called by that 
name as any other. The apparatus, which is 
shown in operation in fig. 1, is a simple arrange 
