The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1869-07-10
lOughing by Steam.

he New l Ork W Orlu contains Il uea-
cription of the trial of a new English
steam plough in New Jersey. We quote
from the account as follows:
; The field was in the shape of an OBJ
long square, and must have contained at
least one hundred acres, tolerable level,
but uneven from having been planted in
corn the year before. The soil was
rather a sandy loan, which had never
been cultivated. over four inches, and,
therefore, below that depth, Offered NOR"
than usua! resistance to the plough.
The engines We're stationed on each side
of tie field, opposite to each other, and
distant three hundred and seventy yards.
They were fired up and had already
commenced work. The engines We're
each fourteen-horse power by the Eng
lish standard, and were on the locomo-
tive plan. The plonghing apparatus
consisted Of two gangs of six each, hung
upon an iron frame moving upon three
wheels, one Of the wheels running IN
every sixth furrow, each pair c:sily "ie-
waited when not in use. \ ArNi!,lr wire
cable was wounh round Il drum on III"
under-side of tie engine, an wound up
when the plough was at work by the "u-
CINE, towards which the plough WIS
! drawn. When the plough had reached
the opposite 81 he Of the field the signal
whistle was blown; that gang which Mad
been elevated was dropped, after both
had been elevated, tili the engine had
moved ahead and placed them in posi-
ton, when the forward gang was lowered
and started on its journey. 'Ihrv were
gagged to seven inches deep and some
t~Lilteen inches wide. Or the six cutting
six feet and a half at each time it cross
ed the field. The speed was AT the rate
of five and a half miles per hour, and
the work was at the rate Of twenty and
twenty-four acres per day of ten hours.
BY noon a large crowd had gat' erred,
some to witness the predicted failure,
some the hoped for success, and many to
crafty curiosity. Among the crowd
were many intelligent farmers and gen
tlemeu of that region. After the plough
had gone several times across the most
+ skeptical acknowledged that steam
ploughing in "that kind ofsoil' was a
complete success, and that, though the
first outlay f ocapital was larger than in
the old way of doing the work by teams
and men, yet in the aggregate it would
not prove so grea- as appeared at first
view.
When the people had largely assem-
bled. the Colonel directed his manager
to have engines front, and one Of them
to 90 down towards the lower end, or
front, of the field. And then it was that
the magnitude and efficiency of the pow
er which had been harnessed to the car
of agriculture was manifested. The en-
gineer at once started off his huge ma
chine across the damp and yielding and
uneven ground with the same ease that
a ploughman would have unhitched from
his plough and driven his team to the
opposite. end of the field. One could
think of nothing but a huge elephant,
who. obedient to his driver, perched on
his back, was shutting along over the
HUI. n Epuh IL u was HilSiCu "
the cable, and 1t was drawn down and
attached to the grubber Or cultivator; the
cable from the other. engine was fasten-
ed to the other end, and it commenced
vibrating between the two engines, often
at a pace that kept the attendant, when
on the ground, at a smart trot to keep
ur. At this point the interest of the
spectators was much heightened by Gee-
eral Capron, the Commissioner of Agri.
culture, getting On to the machine and
taking the steering apparatus in hand,
and riding several times across the field.
Among the distinguished gentlemen
present, who seemed to regard the ex-
pertinent with great interest, and to con-
slider tia marked success, was General
Fitz John Porter. The universal opin-
ion of all was that steam ploughiug was
a marked success. 1t is only a question
Of capital and detail. Wy. a.