New-York daily tribune., 1859-09-26
TIE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SHOW

THE STEAM PLOw TRIALS-TROTTlSG-FL
TEMPLE AND PRINCESS RULED OUT-THE GOLD
MEDAL OF HONOR 1900 BY THE ILLINOIS
STATE SOCIETY, AND SI,5CO BY THE ILLINOIS
CENTRAL RAILRoAD) AWARDED TO fA"kEs'
From Our Ovu Reporter.
CHICAGO Sept. Il, iS59.
The success anticipated in my former letters has
been achieved and the United States Agricultural So
ciety is in deb, to the young but whoe-soced West
for its first important surplus of receipts The Society
s on its legs sesin; Richards himself; and II they
will only keep from exhibitions in the Southern safes
all viii go right. True !, s natons society granted
that al sections equally symboized on tue reverse
Of ts medal but the amen.abe fact is, that at the
South the surplus if sry, has been KEEP. by the local
associations and none come into the pationsl fund.
By reference 70 the ollos sing estimate Of receipts at
its several shogs it viii be that in the very nome
Of Southern chiyalry, where the louiest tax was
made Of rational this, ard rational that, ani where
the greatest possible was promised the Ear
located there the receipts were bat forty per cent oil
the amopnt taken here where they did not talk much,
but did great deal in their quiet, effective wsy.
The receipts have been, in gross, about
Springfield. o.....No estimate Richmond. ys....sl lScS
spir sfee, Mass No e.ms,e Louisville, ky.... Hoso
Bos'on........s5oco = 5ocolCheiso..'...'''''''''' coo N""
Phisdephia.......... SOoOl
Although the argest in receipts, the Philadelphia
show falls far below this ore in actual profit to the
society, as previously explained.
AL through the week, the legitimate business of an
Agricultural Society has been carried on stock and
horses have been led in classes fer examination n the
ring; implements and machinery of various kinds
have been tried; self.sacrifcirg have squeezed
through crowds, inplorirg for room for the Com
mi.tee" steamplows have run long furrows toward
the setting SUM- sud zone Of those trials OF speed
have been made tha. formerly drew the crowd g. a
Nations. Fair from the sheds 10 the ring and gsve the
grounds the appearance, and name, OF respectaole
race-cOurses with agricultural sppepdsges. Ihe iron
plowipg.horse has overshadowei the fsccy uoter,
and has literally entered for competition and run ul.e'
heats arouId the course. For those who were on the
Fair grounds on Friday witnessed sight never before
presened at sby show-no less ore than trisi oe.
tween the Waters plo~ipg.engine from Detroit, and
tha. Of Faw kes to show their locomotive capacity
and ouw srd strucOn in the lang usge
of TIE report herewith sent The Waters machine
mskes "A reyO'uons cf the engine to OF the DRYERS,
and gets slow notion OF course; while Fa.kes 8
being geared TO bis speed is considerably greater
At about noop yesterday the Committee of the u. 5.
Society brought the two machines upon the course, so
that they might be seen 10y the crowd Of Ovo per-
sons. Waters went ahead, and Faakes behind, that
the ruts made by the ribs of the wheels of the one
should be obteraed by the smooth roller Of the other
Away they steamed, amid general silencs
but Fawkes, impatient OF tho sluggish pro
Srtt5 OI MS I'hl, WucH oho tuih osSn
made, took advantage of his opportunity, and
ste8mDg rapidly past, soOn dlstanced hun.
The scream of bis whistle was well nigh drowned In
the cheers that burst from the large assemblage and
the President of the Society and the several officers
were excited with the novel race that, forgetting
official dignity they cheered ss loud and as Justify as
the crowd. The engines, after leaving the track were
taken 10 open plot in the implement quarter, aud
caused to pow each one urrow through, 10 show the
people the quality Of their work. After completing
this they taken to the open prairie adjoining the
grounds and put regularly to trial Ihe result gwen
in the otiolal report, go need rot repeat. We all felt
very sorry for Waters That he should break his plows
early III the trial. and before the qualities Of his
machine were fully developed, wss too bad. But he
came here without having plowed an acre Of ground,
without competent men 70 manage his plows, and I'M
prepared for accidents The Committee, you will per-
ceye do lot indorse the Fawkes machine perfect,
either in their individual capacity rs Committeeman nor
az integral parts of the National Society but they think
the Medal Of Honor Of the Society is due to lis inventor
for having got go good machine in short time.
His plows may rot be well set well chosen, his
steam capacity inadequate, bat he has q principle
there which must be essfu, and which will be
probably when the first of the mschnes is built which
have been already ordered The machni-ts of the
Illinois Central Railroad Company feel confident that
in the of their taking hold of the machine the
first che they turn out viii work well from the start,
and think so, too. New-York will have chance
to see the thing at work next week and u1gs for
itself. The Railroad Company satisfied from personal
examination Of the merits of the machine, animous
y awarded to Fawkes the 81 800 prize placed by them
in the hands of the State Society for that purpose thus
giving sharp rebuke TO the latter body for their per
keptcsm after the favorable report of their
Committee Of sbla machnsts The State Society under
the pressure Of public feeling rendered douby manifest
when the action Of the Railroad Company was known,
compromised between dnty and prejudice, and gave
Fawkes 81 500. They did not come manfuly forward
and say that if Fawkes had not got perfect machine
be had at least one more than half perfect, but made
donation of the money in consideration Of his having
drawn a crowd to their Fair. rejoice to know, be-
yond peradventure, that some of the members Of the
Board seeing the contempt and Indignation expressed
on every eide for their tempOrizng pO ICY and con-
yinced from the fret that it was their DUTY, asa great
Society, TO aid poor inventor who bad good inven-
tion, stood up menfally for doing what was right.
Hereafter, when plowiDg is regularly done by stean
and the historian CONES to inquire into the inception Of
the effort, the names Of these will be held in
grateful remembrance. Did poor Fulton jump at once
to success! Did he not make crude application of
cIuder ideas before his voyage TO Albany made
If he had been taken by the hand, and aided by pow.
erfu scientific bodies, when the opportunity offered,
would We not have got q practical steamboat much
sooner than We did ! And shall our Agricultural So
cieties professedy the most interested n steam plow
ing, stand by end gee an inventor struggling in hard
fight with sart and misery, to bring out great in.
vention ike this, and instead Of aiding help to crush
him Fa1kes, and Waters, and Field and Manu. and
Stein, and our other inventors of steam plows msy
rot have got perfect machines as yet; but say, in
the name Of Progress let assist them to reach per-
teciioD, If we can.
have said before that the show Of Implements has
been coed. OF pows it has been particularly so-bet
ter than We often see at any show OF reapefs and
mowers there were exhibited &c. CT ornplanters 90
snd of thresheIs IL. This does not quite come up to
the English shows, where eighty to ninety threshers
rot only shown, but tested in q thorough manner
In fact the chow OF threshers and Of portable engines
is what makes the ma ked difference between English
fans ard our own. The day will come, and that
speedily when portable engines will be here, too
and the the better. l. is great pity ths the
Ericsson Caloric Engine Company had not done as
they sad they would, viz: show the new power a.
work with yarinus stationarY farm machinas Ii the