The Sun.
London, England, 1857-10-26 00:00:00

the Highland Society. A. considerable competition
was anticipated, especially as the three favourite
classes of schemes, represented by a locomotive
!raw ion-engine, a travelling engine with rotary
digger attached, and haulage by wirerope, are now
taken in hand by our most influential manufac-
turers. However, owing to a variety of causes,
Mr. Fowler's steam-plough alone made its appear-
ance,—an unfortunate circumstance for the public,
as in spite Of the prolonged and thorough testing
to which the machine at'as subjected the e'ement of
simultaneous comparison has been entir, ly want-
irg. This machine is similar in construction to that
shown at Salisbury, though with minor improve-
ments ; the combined 10-horse engine and windlass
at one end of the field, and an anchorage at the
other, travelling very slowly, so as to keep always
opposite to the ploughing, and dragging the imple-
ment to and fro by means of wire ropes. The
ground under operation on Wednesday was a level
clover lea, of tenacious course land, in an unfit state
for ploughing until mellowed by frost before the
usual ploughing season of February. Yet the qua-
lity of the work was superior to that of ploughing
done by horses for the sake of comparison. At 5i
inches deep two horses were unable to work a com-
mon plough, three being required at an expense of
at least 15s. per ac.el Tried against time, first for
two hours and again for one hour, the steam plough
drove four furrows at that depth at the average rate
of seven acres in a working day of 10 hours, stop-
pages included, the length of the furrows being
330 yards. The total cost was computed not to
exceed 9s. per acre, and in order that this estima-
tion may be understood the following particulars
are given :—Taking the average size of the fields to
be about 17 acres, there will be 21 days' work and
one removal of the machinery for each field, each
removal occupying half a day, so that two fields, or
34 acres, will be the amount of work for one week.
The daily expense of coal, oil, water, and labour is,
reckoned at 355. ; the two shiftings require four
horses half a day each time, costing—say, 205., but
a deduction of—say, 10s. may be made for the two
half days' saving of fuel, water carrying, &c. Then,
for wear and repairs, of course much deperids upon
the number of days worked annually and the soft
or stony character of the country; but, taking the
outlay required at 1201. per annum, and the time of
working 30 weeks, we have the heavy item of 41.
per week. Adding these various sums and dividing
by the number of acres ploughed weekly we got 9s.
as the utmost cost of the heavy land work referred
to.

On Thursday the machine was tried on somewhat
lighter soil, a wheat stubble partly overspread with
farmyard manure. The length of furrow varied
from 220 to 236 yards, thus necessitating frequent
changing of widening gear, &c., at the ends of the
work, which, however, were accomplished in an
averege space of half a minute. In one hour nearly
an acre was turned over seven inches deep ; with
the abovestated conditions as to the dimensions of
fields, &c., this is equivalent to about 48 acres per
week, at a total expense of only 6s. 3d. per acre,
whereas the common cost in the district of such.
laborious pair-horse ploughine. is 12s. an acre. Th o
excellence of the work was, however, still more the
theme of universal approval than the great economy
with which it was performed.
A. trenching plough, taking only two furrows'
breadth, but lifting up a stratum of subsoil and lay-
ing it upon the buried top-slice, was also tried, and
th effect of its action was considered equal to that
of manual digging, whether for depth, which
averaged 12i inches, or for the complete pulveriza-
tion of the dry soil by the rapid progress of the im-
plement. To perform such work by horse-power
would cost it is said, 355. per acre; that is, if it
could 120 done at all. But the steam-plough, with-
out trampling or injuring the soil or subsoil,
effected nearly half au acre of this deep trenching
in an hour ; or say 22 acres per week, at the total
cost of 13s. 9d. per acre.
On Friday and Saturday a considerable con-
course of spectators assembled in the various trial
fields, the many farmers an I landowners present
expressing themselves with one voice as fully per-
suaded not only of the profitableness of the steam-
plough, but of the great value of its work ever that
done b; horse teams. Mr. Fowler has been for-
tunate at last in obtaining a sufficient trial, in a
suitable dis trict, by men of business thoroughly in tent
upon doing justice to 'a novelty like the steam-engine
in p!oughharness ; and whether or not the Highland
Society may withhold its reward for want of greater
competition, there is no doubt that the judges' re-
port, after another day's trial at Edinburgh, will
thoroughly awaken the agricultural public to the
()Teat advances which have lately been made in
ulture
steam c .