The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-03-31

traction power of the engine. But team OF 10
pairs oEoxsn would be able to turn iurrO y OF
prairie tuffof the with and depth named. say
al the rate of an acre day for single pl bugh.
Tel pairs OF oxen would be equal to q l0.horss
power engine, aud Their united weight, wbeu
htted Tor service, would equal that OF the
engne-say eight tons. The foot of au OK ha,
an elective contact with the eaIth OF abodt
eight inches and We may SAFELY es s,ima,e that
one halt OF the number OF feet while under
draUpht VIII be constantly in CONTACT with the
earth; hence we have 40x6, equal 800 inches: hat
is the eight tons iRht OF the team is distributed
over surface OF 800 inches of contact 10
fprrow.
An acre Of land contains 43 SEQ square feet.
team turDirg single furrOH IL Inches vide
and 10 il ctes deep wilt, upon an average.
travel one mile IN an hour. A turrow one mile
long and IL inches wide contains $3.50 square
feet of surface, and hence it follows that the
distance travelled by team in ploughng one
acre, with width of furrow OF IL inches, will
be little over eight miles, which is about A
fair days work. A steam engiLe of a stationary
power equal to tia, Of 10 pair of oxen must, To
be equally effective for draught, have u cores
Dopdlng amount OF contact with the earth; that
is the weight OF the engiue must be distributed
over 800 superficial Inches OF surface in order
to be equal TO team of the same weight, with
the same amount OF earth contact, But an
increase of eartn contact would give n c ,rres-
pondlng increase OF power within certain limits
say to double the amoun.: that is If an engine
tould be so constructed as TO have 64O inches of
traction surface for eight tons weight, 1t woaid
be capable OF doing twice the amount or draught
labor that it would with halt that amount of
surface.
word about the comparative cost of feed
and fuel may not be out OF place A team must
have periods Tor rest and recuppration equal TO
one-half of the ordinary hours of l4bor aside
IRON the legitimate repose Of might But 1t is not
SO with steam engine. 1t is constant and un-
tlring in its IaboIs; 1t needs no repose but is
ever ready for its task. An OK team cannot
work upon an average more than hours in
Qtr In nv yNUtll e.. -
OF one bushel ofcoru dag, which Woull eo ual
20 bushels for the 10 pair every "a hours. A
steam engine OF good construction, and of 10
morse power, Can be run during day of l6
hours by the consumption OF an equal amount
OF corn as fuel; at least am assured of this
fact by an engineer of large ex-
perience in building aud Running
named. with a traction surface OF $40 inches.
according to the foregoing comparison, would
pc able to draw tTo ploughs, each cutting q
fnrrow foot wide and ten inches deep, at the
rate at least OF one mile an hour, equal to the
speed Of an OK team, and by relay of hands
to work 1t, could be run sixteen hours in a day,
ploughirg four acres instead of one (by the
teaml, with 10 greater consumption of foods
iuel than would be required by the team. And
there is further consideration III favor of the
use of steam in the business of cultivation, A
team needs constant care and costs the mo ~ -
feed il when it is Of the least service. The
short duration of animal life and the risk of
premature death, add not a little 10 the cost of
animal power.
The method of steam culture proposed bv
Bellinger, and subsequently improved upon 5y
Fo Hler, OF England, Is probably the most fea.
tible that has been attemp pted. But this plan
under the most favorable circumstances, is open
TO objections, and III many situa ions it cannot
be brought INTO op5 ration. If a traction engine
could be constructed upon the plan herein
before indicated, 1t would supers, de Belln GERS
and Fowler's plan OF dragging The plough across
the field by loI ropes. In the earlier attempts
at steam pougLing the great difficulty in the
way OF success, as before stated, was traction;
both English and American, for The accom-
plishment of the desired object.
The English early tried two broad tired
driving wheels, but with the necessary weight
OF he engine the wheels sank deeply into the
moist and loose SOIL and of course failed. Mr..
j. Boyd OF EIglaLd, in 1S46 constructed an
engine that laid its own track 1t travelled
over the ground. This he accompl she'd by
hingllg together number of stout, Hat wooden
rails, so that they would form polygon outside,
and IN the same lane with the driving wheels.
These hinged rails were so attached to the
wheels that they revoiVed with them, each rail
IN turn being laid down in front and taken ND
behind Its proper driving wheel, thus forming a
track composed OF an endless belt of short rails
hioeed end TO end. By means OF this ingenious
eHpedlent Mr.. Boydell was enabled 10 get
traction, but unfortunately, at the sacrifice of
great amount OF power.
About the Year 1858 Mr.. Thomas II. BlTridge
o ST. Louis Missouri, a man of remarkable
genius, invented and built traction steam en-
gine Intended chiefly fer field culture. 1t con-
sisted OF large cylinder, about ten feet IN
diameter and ten feet in length, and made of
heavy boiler iron. A shaft was supported in
the centre by means of rods or spokes at each
end, and a, equal distances from each end was
secured an interior cog gear. A gang OF plouehs
was attached to q framework in the rear of the
traction cylinder 10 which it was connected by
arms extending back ward from the central
shaft. The practical operation OF this engine
showed that it possessed sufficient traction
power for the purpose intended, bat it's un-
wIeldy character, aOd is want of adaptation
for the perfoi nance OF the work of a stationary
engine, formed obstacles to its iutroducton IN into
general use.
In 1851 Messrs, Galloway & Purkis, nf Eng
land, with view to improvement in steam
culture, Constructed neat locomotive with
two main traction wheels of lS iuches' treai /.
with truck torWard Tor q steering apparatus
The engine differs In no Important particular
from those previously constructed in England
designed for common road traction. TO the
rear end OF the locomotive frame is connected
transVeIsely an iron frame, Is feet long, sup
porting at each end an axle, on which are KEYED
thee cast iron cham wheelS, around Whicn is
passed the endless chain that carries the
poughs, 10 which rotation is given by the power
OF the engine, so that relatively quick motion
is given 10 the endless chain and attached
plouehs ascompared with the progressive move
ment of the locomotive. There are four pbughs
attached to the cham, each capable or cutting
tuIroW nlne inches WIDE, and conse-
quently, every entire revolution of the
chair, with its ploughs attached, tuIus uD four
tnrrows, eghteeu feet long each, while the
locomotive will have advanced progressively
thirtyssiX inches. This operation being con-
tinually repeated, the locomotive will leave
tehindit plouGhed land eighteen feet broad, aud
cut to any required depth with remarkable
cut will be slightly oblique TO the liLe of for
ward moVemf mt of the engine but NAV be mlde