Semi-weekly Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1851-1852, 1851-04-01

striking leatnrc Of the rlank.roa! system, that
distiurui,hcs it from the railroad. is, that the
first avails itself of the independent, preexs'ing
animal power for the purposes OF transpor'a-
tinn, while tic last substitutes mechanical a.
gcncy for the same eEd
Now, il the question were raised Ill manu-
featuring countries like Great Britain and the
Eastern States, (where the construction and
management Of machinery is the business OF
large clpss of the population, and where horse
power is used only to Il limited extrnt,l rs 10
thesadvantagcs of the two modes of tranS,'or-
tatioD. the decision would undoubtedly he in
favor of the machiue-but in South Carolina
we are seeking the best modes OF Transportation
for our great agricultural staple, an'i 1t Is Il
question of some Importance how iar ti' t'uo-
lie interest will be promoted by substituting
machinery, when it wouldnot lessen the amount
of animal power required for the purposes OF
prodrction: from the great amount ol plowInS
necessary to the growth of ii cotton crop, there
is no country in the world which employs so
much of animal power, in proportion to the
w.ir.lt Of the staple product, as in our cation
growing States. In the growth OF cotton, plow;
ing is continually needed from January ana
Eel ruarv, when the land is broken up, to Au'
gust, when the crop is laid by, and the fralt be-
gins to open; on an average, horse oT"'ule Is
employed for every eight bales of cotton, or ton
and a half of product. In grain ANA grass grow
ing countries, a farmer puts in 30 acres OF wheat
with one horse, which yields from ID to ~
bushels to the acre, or 36 900 pounds-ab about
Is tons of product to the horse. The article
of hay will greatly exceed this, ana probably
reach forty tons OF product to the horse.
The authorities which have consulted, give
the resistance to wheels in motion from ,rictlon'
on wooden plain, at from in "a to IN 9o'
but special reference must be had to the har>i'
ness of the material. In New York, where
soft hemlock is used for pank-roads, this re
sistance is estimated at in 60 Of the weight;
with our hard pine in so may safely be assn.
med; but as such calculations should be based
on the resistance Of roads which have been con-
siGeraby worn and therefore not perfectly
smooth, will assume in 60 as my basis for
calculation.
The most reliable authorities give the avail
able effect of horse as equivalcnt.to to tractivS
force Of lbs pounds, moving two and 4 ha!'
miles an hour, for ten hours in twcnty-'nar let
it must be remembered that the dynamic effort
of a horse, or total power which he is capable
of exerting on dead pull, is much greater. i'r.
Gregory assumes it to BE- equal to 420 pounds
1t is BY frequent tax of this absolute. e"er5y
that our wagoners are euahlrd to overcome tie
immense resistance which they encounter, from
hub.,lccp mud, and the uneven surface OF our
up-country roads. Assuming the reslstanc" 10
be one in sixty of the weight, horse wo-li BE-
capable Of drawing upon level plank k-road, Tor
davs and months in succession, without sui r.
ing from over-exertion, $500 pounds, Including
the weight Of the wagon, and move tw" aud Il
half miles an hour, for ten hours in twenty.
On IN ascent of one in fifty, the power OF the
horse to move at the same speelwouldbe equal
to the draft of 1000 lbs, which would give tor
four horses 10000 lbs, equal to forty bales OF
cotton of 400 lbs. each. but this is the gross
load; if we deduct four bales for the weight
of the wagon, we shall have thirty six bales rs
the nett load II will be perceived, that in this
calculation no allowance is made for the dI-
minished resistance on the easy and level grades
Of the road The calculation is based on the
assumption, that the road throughout the whole
extent, is rise Of one in fifty and that the We
loeity, as well as load carried, is governed by
the resistance upon snch an ascent.
Now, in practice, this woulI not be the case.
1t has been satisfactorily asccrtaincd that
horse moving two miles an hour for eight hours,
can exert a force Of lGG pounds therefore, o"
plane of one in fifty, at this rat. OF speed, nc
would draw for eight hours 5,40S pounds. gross,
in the place of 1900 as before stated, which
would be for the four nIultS, iifty-thrcc bales.
BY reducing the speed, therefore, to this rate,
there can be no doubt that the ascent could be
overcome with this load particularly is thl,
rate of inclination would only be cue ounte'ci
occasionally; probably not for a tenth OF the
days work. Upon the remainder OF the road,
the speed could be increased to three, four, and
five miles an hour with ease to the horse, with
out using power of traction on the lcve! parts
of the road exceeding forty-one pounds to the
horse This would admit of speed of six
milcs an hour, according to Wood and Leslie.
The ordinary speed upon the roads IL
New York, with heavy loaded wagons, is three
miles an hour or thirty miles a day.
IN that State, where the grades are from IN
l6, to in 90 ton is Il common load for
horse, at an average Of the above mentioned
speed On Il grade of | in so, horse will draw
two tons; this is ascertaincd frnm actual prac-
tee, which, aside from all scientific rules. proves
the above calculations within bounds. The cn-
quiry of the planter will not be, how much his
,,;B ha h.rI IN r. r.,