The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1859-08-18
Steam PIowing---A Successful Trial.

Iollowlng report, which person who was
present say fails 10 say all that the com.
plete success Of the experiment would
have warranted. The trial was to be re.
peated again this week. on Tuesday,
Wednesday, and Thursday; and the
board Of Agriculture Of the American In
stitute, at their meeting yesterday, ap.
pointed Ed. A. Lawrence, John Jay. G..
M. Saxon, and Mr.. Leonard, as a Commit
tee to attend the trial, and, if possible,
get the owner to make an exhibition of the
plow at work, during the Fair and Agri-
cultural Show which is to be held in this
city September IA l6. Steam plowing is
one Of the most important matters con-
nectcd with modern agriculture, and a
successful exhibition Of a working machine
would be looked upon with very great in
terest. t4 a4
The following is the Committees re-
port: t'
The undersigned.a committee on behalf
of the Pennsylvania State Agricultural
Society, at the invitation Of Mr.. Fawkes,
the inventor of the steam plow, visited
Oxford Park, near Philadelphia, this af-
ternoon, Thursday, July 81, and witness
ed the operation of the plow. The soil
was in good condition. owning to the late
rain, which rendered the experiment more
satisfactory. Before proceeding to plow,
about 300 gallons of water were pumped
into the tank by donkey engine attach
ed to tie machine, and in very short
time sufficient steam was raised to prepare
it, so as to display to great advantage the
ease and grace with which it could be
moved forward, turned round, backed,
&c. ra ,.l
The engine, which is Of thirty horse
power, is adapted to either wood or coal,
and when the latter is used consumes a.
bout half ton day.
The anxiety. and interest Of the Com
mittee and number Of visitors now be-
come manifest. Sympathy with the in
ventor, who had devoted years Of toll and
his entire means 10 the perIectipg of his
machine as well as a consciousness Of the
many failures Of projected agricultural
improvements, and Of the unhappy re.
suits to the originators, sensibly affected
the minds of the Committee.
All doubts, however, Of its success
were speedily removed. The plows, eight
in number, which were suspended by
chains in frame attached to the rear Of
the machine, about eighteen inches above
the ground, by means of slight adjust
ment Of crank, were dropped to their
proper position for action; at the sound of
the whistle the plow moved forward in
the most graceful manner, performing its
work with ease, and TO The admiration
and perfect satisfaction of the most skepti
cal. I'd
The soil, which was made to yield to
the united action Of the eight mold boards
each turning furrow slice Of fourteen in
ches in width and six inches in depth
moving at the rate Of four miles an hour,
Tor four acres an hour) presenting the ap-
pearance, in viewing it from the rear, Of
the undulations Of wave. The effect
was the a0st pleasing, and elected the ad-
miration Of all. "
The experiment was made upon a
tough timothy sod, which had not been
plowed for some seven years previous
ly. ttta f i43 sa! l 3
The grade was Of about seven degrees,
which tested the pow ers Of the machine
to perform on inclined surfaces. One Of
the Committee familiar with prairie plow-
ing, affirms that he has never seen level
prarie turned as beautifully by horse pow
er as the uneven timothy sod was by the
steam plow.
Mr.. Fawkes, still further to show the
capacity Of his machine for easy locomo-
tion over uneven surfaces, propelled it ra-
pidly over several gullies, one of which
was fully eighteen inches in depth, while
others were mole abrupt. and this with
out any apparent detriment to the ma
chinery, and also moved in circle sever
al times, Of diameter Of about twenty
five feet, and passed, by request, across
the ground just 'plewed, without any diff
ficulty showing conclusively its adapted
ness for all agricultural purposes, not on
ly as field plow, but as a means oi