The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1858-11-27
Agricultural
Trial Of Steam PloWs at Decatur.
Corretpondcnce Of the Press and Tribune

nc WedtHeT to uay Has Deen vi the
most unfavorable character for the trial
Of the Steam Plow. Rsining and snow
ing BY turns, it kept up a continuous
drizzle, wetting the spectators, and ma
king the ground so slippery that it was
difficult to move the steam pillow over the
ground, to say nothing about blowing.
The plows expected were one from Day
ton, Ohio, said to weigh seventeen tons,
one from Troy, New York, one from Del
aware, and one from Pennsylvania, but
with the exception of the latter, they
failed to come to time. The one ut Day
ton was reported failure, not being ca
pabls of moving itself on the paved
streets. The one at Troy was not ready,
and of the other We could not obtain
even flying report g. -4
"Fawk's Steam Plow," being the one
exhibited at Centralia, was on the ground,
and at Q o'clock A. NJ , was fired up. The
ground first selected was near the depot;
it had been a cornfeld, but the demand
for paper city lots was too great to allow
of its being put to useful purposes, and
it was Autographed and turned out to the
commons, and is now very well set with
white clover, blue and herds grass, which
is close grazed, presentirg & an uneven
surface of corn.hills, but otherwise in ex-
cellent condition for breaking up with
the usual teams, but the constant rain
had made the ground too soft and slippe-
~ for the heavy engine to readily pass
over it, its motion was therefore slow,
showing to disadvantage. The surface
is somewhat rolling, and at the south end
presenting rather a sharp grade, yet the
engine drew six piows, cutting foot
each, through this sod, while at the
same time they would not scour, not
being adapted to this soil, having been
made in a Boston shop, more for the
purpose of selling than of braking up an
Illinois pasture. In Justice to these plows
they had given good satisfaction at Cen
tralia on the lime and drif Of that sec
tion, but nothing short of our own steel
clippers will answer in the argiUo calca,
riious soil of Central Illinois. Had set
of Mr.. Deere's Moline cast steel plows
been attached we cannot doubt but this
blowing would have been done with per-
feet case and to the entire satisfaction Of
all. In addition to this, no cutters were
provided, which added to the difficulty.
No farmer would have thought of putting
his plow into this sod without 4 good
whel cutter, and we were surprised at
the oversight. But Mr.. Fawks was not
acquainted with the several varieties of
our Illidois lands, and very naturally con-
cluded that the prairie at Centralia was a
fair sample Of the whole. He too late
discovered his error, very much to his
regret.
The burrows plowed were one fourth
of a mile in langth, three bouts making
an acre. The bouts were done in ten and
half minutes each. but the constant
slipping of the large drum on the wet
sod, materially lessened his speed, sdded
to which the wood was soaked with va
ter, and it was with some difficulty steam
could be kept up With a dry bottom,
suitable plows and good fuel, two acres
per hour may hot be considered an over
estimate of fair everage work in prairie
breaking, with eighty pounds Of steam,
but with these plows which dragged like
SO many anchors, one hundred pounds
were used
In the afternoon his plovship was driv-
en- to o stubblc field nearly a mile distant.
This was very soft from the long rainy
spell of the last three weeks, and besides
was blessed with heavy growth of tickle
or fuzz grass and other autumn weeds,
which the plowmen hold in such detesta-
tion. These were now wet with the melt
ing snow, and ready to wind up and clog
the plows. The engine proved its ahili-
ty to travel over this field, by going near
" half mile. At this time the snow
had changed to dreaded rain and the
spectators broke fer shelter, and thus en-
ded the days trial.
THE ENGINE FOR FARM WORK.
This engine is we'll adapted for all farm
work. such as threshing, grinding, saw
ing wood, crushing sugar cane, &c, and
has an advantage over all others in the
fact that it can 90 after its own wood and
water, aud move itself from place to place.
1t is no small item to haul an engine Of
five or six tons from place to place about
the farm. 1t is true that it will not 60
through sloughs, ravines, bitches,
or up steep hills, bat with reasonable
bridging and smooth tracks, such as
should be made on every farm, this en-
ginc will be capable Of taking the hands
to dinner from distant field, take in its
afternoon supply of wood and water and
return them TO their work Its capacity
is twenty horse power, Of course larger
than will generally be required for farm
purposes, it consumes about one bushel
coal per hour, aud one and half barrels
of water, thus requiring about half ton
of coal and fifteen barrels of water per
day.
With this view of the subject, it is
evident that Mr.. Fawks has made consid-
erable progress, but when We add its
adaptation to plowing, to deep trenching,
to ditching, and to the hauling of heavy
loads, we can well account for the enthu-
siasm Of the farmers present at every tri-
al. 1t cannot be used on every field, nor
in every condition of soil like a common
team, but its ability is so great that it
can do most of the plowing of even large
farms, at the time when most needed. II
will, as a general thing, work best on sod
land and smooth stubble, as corn hills in
early spring, when the ground is soft, will
probably be too much for it, As clover
sod after having been mown and plowed
deep 10 August, and sown at once, is the
best condition for winter wheat in the
central and south part of the State this
engine on such land will be very valuable
in putting in the crops, for it can De made
to sow and harrow in the seed at the
aa.,na Tina nnd Eln all nfhfr engines can