The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1868-11-25
THE STEAM PLoW IN EGYPT.

J.
ness" and those whose imaglnations have
turned in that direction. probably see in
their mind's eye little else than the we'll
regulated eccalabesus, in which thousands
OF eggs and man to turn them are bottled
I'D for three weeks, at a temperature of 80
degrees, and gangs of duskY-hued and half
naked wretches passing water from one to
the other from the muddy Nile 10 the sugar
fields on TIE plains above.
len years ago this picture would have
been more or less true, but the war OF The
rebellion in this country brs,ely changed
aiiairs there as il did elsewhere.
The high price OF cotton, consequent
upon the cutting Oft o. the American sup
ply. caused attention 10 be given 10 the in
! undated lands on The banks Of the Nile, and
cotton, culture was rapidly introduced
there. AT klst everything worked we'll,
but the introduction OF an additional sup.
ply ol oxen from Europe was accompanied
by the Introduction oi rindefpest, which
carried off not only the foreign importa-
tions, but The home supply as we'll
Mr.. George Vile, VIM saperintends the
Hmperor's experimental larm a. Vincrn-
mes. and who has propnanded new theo-
ries Of fertilization which have excited
more wander than confidence among the
scientific agricuiiurIsts, thus describes the
result: #@~a,
AT first confined to a few provinces,
the pest gains ground and spreads like a
vast coniiagratlon. 0xen aud buffalo die
by hundreds, by thousands. The evil pro.
gresses constantly in extent and IL inten-
slly. 1Fhe remains ol the animals Obstrrer
lhe canals aud form floating islands ~ the
Nile. And the price Of cotton steadily adj
sancts. -.
They console themselves for the loss
~ the .sn,mals--ihe gold Of the Gotten will
pay for all But the ploughIng, ihe water
ing oi the fields, the ginning Of the cotton
without teams--how can il be done |!
In few weeks the disorder became ex.
irene. And then, that which ueither good
advice nor good example could have done
interest did.
=. he land 10 Egypt is llmitless plain,
as uniform as the surface OF lake. Ii II
country predestlned for the steam plnugh.
Without delay England offers her ma
chimes; she sends them by the cargo and on
credit. sse. a~1 .s.r~s# ...@
" They Try, they hesitate, they feel their
way but the soil yields itself maryel ellously y
90 the spplIcstion OF these implements.
fIiey become boljer; they lamlliarlze
themselves with the new machinery they
supplement- il by the use OF steam IRE en-
ginss; and so we'll that last year saw, IN
The valley oi the Nile. machine shops fitted
up a in Europe for the repairing and keep
ing in order Of the nest formidable appa.
ralus that agriculture has ever employed.
saw plOughing done by steam engines oi
fii.een Nurse power, accomplishing an ave.
rage II q heclare 1.-TWO and a halfaeres) an
hour.
The men who work by day are ateseu.
ing relieved BY night gangs, and the plough
continues Us work by the light Of lamp:
with refectors.
"The plough is followed BY rakes which
torn three ridges. eighty csntimetrei
(about two feeD wide. on the top Of which
cotton y planted. Other machines are q
work close by, converting the cotton WOO,
into faggots. Others dig canals; aud al
this machinery . kept in metinn by steam
which is produced by coal brought lrou
Newcastle and Marseilles.
ihe machines we're coarseiy made ant
we're sold ~ an excessive price. But all o
that was detail; the land was brought int,
cultivation and the cotton repaid eyerylhin;
with usury.
The Fellah made great eyes, strucl
with wonder and uneasy; he asked himself
not without apprehension, where all thi
was to end. but the profit was there rea
enough, represented BY shining pieces o
gold so, little by little. the light has en-
tered his soul. His hesitation has ceased
he commences to use steam Gre engines II