| requires. 
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a a i wi 
eee 
STEAM-PLOUGHING. 
economised by awaiting the natural decomposi- 
tion of the soil, which is so greatly expedited by 
this system of ploughing as a first process. It 
establishes a general under-drainage, which, with 
the assistance of numerous shallow gutters dis- 
charging into proper drains, will speedily create 
a soil on the surface of the wettest bogs. The 
machine and auxiliaries remain stationary dur- 
ing the time occupied by the ploughs in taking 
two furrows; they are then, severally, put in 
motion, and made to advance in three parallel 
lines, in order to keep pace with the breadth of 
land turned over, and to pull the ploughs ac- 
curately straight. The machine is impelled by 
the engines, and each auxiliary by its attendant 
man, who also shifts on his planks as occasion 
The machine and its auxiliaries have 
thus to be moved over a space of 18 inches only, 
whilst the ploughs have travelled 440 yards, and 
turned over 220 square yards of land 9 inches in 
depth; in other words, the machine and auxi- 
liaries have to be moved only 11 yards, in the 
time that the ploughs have travelled 53 miles, 
and turned over a statute acre of land. The 
ploughs perform their work at the rate of two 
miles an hour, and are subject to very few stop- 
pages; so that 8? acres, nearly, of bog would be 
ploughed up in a day’s work of 12 hours, or, 
taking the average of daylight throughout the 
year, and making a liberal allowance for hinder- 
ances from weather and other causes, one machine 
would plough up 2,000 acres in a twelvemonth.” 
“Mr. Upton’s steam -plough,” said the pro- 
spectus of that gentleman’s invention, “is worked 
by his patent lever steam-engine, and his air 
furnace boiler. If a single-shared plough, the 
space occupied by the entire machine will be 4 
feet long by 10 feet; if for trench ploughing, the 
dimensions will be the same; if for ploughing 
two, three, or more parallel furrows at once, then 
the breadth and length will be about 5 feet by 
12 feet. The work done by the trenching plough 
will be equal to any spade husbandry; and that 
by the parallel shares will be found very superior 
to any horse ploughing ; inasmuch as the ground 
will not be trod and rammed down by horses’ 
feet; and as the steerer or ploughman, &c., will 
ride on the machine, the land will be left as 
open and light as possible, and resemble that of 
garden culture. To the steam-plough a harrow, 
drill, and seed-box can be attached when re- 
quisite, and the entire operation performed at 
one going, when it is for the last ploughing, 
without trampling the soil. The spots left in 
the angles of the field by Upton’s steam-plough 
will be smaller than by any horse-plough, as the 
steam-plough will turn, if a single share, in thrice 
the breadth and length of a common wheelbar- 
row ; and if a three-shared plough, it will turn 
in the space of a small one-horse cart. The sim- 
plicity of construction and small number of parts 
composing this steam-engine and boiler, and the 
great safety and security of the latter, will pre- 
vent the necessity of frequent or expensive re- 
pairs, as the only parts of the apparatus most 
liable to wear and tear are the ploughshares, the 
soles, coulters, and harrow tines, which will only 
require the same repairs as if drawn by horses. 
The engine and its boiler is calculated to go 
50,000 miles, or more, before any repairs could 
be wanted, unless from accident or unfair usage; 
and whenever, from long use, very much worn, 
if the boiler were to burst, it could only extin- 
guish its own fire without injury to any person 
close to it. The plough will require one steady 
man to direct or steer it, and a tractable boy to 
attend the fire and turn the steam off and on 
occasionally, the engine being of the most simple 
and efficient construction. The water-tank will 
require replenishing now and then, and perhaps 
fuel will be required two or three times in the 
course of the day, and the boiler is admirably con- 
structed for burning either wood, peat, or coke, 
or coal may be used. The single plough is cal- 
culated to do two acres per day, and as the per- 
son will not be fatigued by walking over the 
rough ground, nor have any horses to rub down | 
and feed after coming home from the field, they 
could remain out a longer time. The double 
plough would do four acres, and the three-shared 
plough would do about six acres per day. The 
counter or trench plough would do about two 
acres per day; but as it would be equal in power 
to the double-shared plough, it would require the 
same quantity of fuel and expense. The land 
cultivated by this plough would doubtless be 
found from its efficiency to produce crops nearly 
if not quite equal to spade husbandry; and it 
would in such cases pay for the steamer the first 
season.’ The locomotive-engine was contrived 
also to be detached at pleasure from the ploughs, 
and employed in drawing manure carts to the 
field and carts laden with produce to the market. 
“ And I think,” said the inventor, “it might be 
so modified by further improvements as to be 
made subservient to many of the farmer’s wants. 
It might perhaps be made available for the cut- 
ting of roots and fodder for stall-fed and other 
cattle; for thrashing, winnowing, grinding corn, 
and pumping water, &c. In case of the last 
ploughing, when it is intended to sow and har- 
row in the seed at one going, the same power 
would effect the whole work, only requiring the 
aid of the boy, who must otherwise be engaged | 
in driving the harrow horses, but which horse 
labour and horse injury done to the soil would 
be done away with, and a further saving per 
acre effected by the steamer. The additional 
boy at the steam-harrow would be required to 
lift up the harrow occasionally, and take up the 
weeds, and put them in a basket hung to the 
machine, until arrived at the headland, where a 
spare cart might be placed to receive them, and 
which the engine would take out of the field 
every evening, or as many times per day as was 
necessary.” 
335 
