The Sumter watchman. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881, 1871-06-07

day.
Though the season has been persist
emily cool and rainy, so that everything
is backward, and the soil was too wet to
be ploughed to advantage, yet we found,
on our upaunounced arrival, both sets of
ploughiDg machinery in full operation,
with none but negro field hands near
them, though an overseer rode from field
to field supervising their efforts. Boys
of twelve to fourteen years, who could
not hold breaking up mule plough,
we're running engines as learners, at
wages Of seventy FIVE cents each per
day. The ground was cane stubble,
heavily ridged or hilled to counteract
excess of moisture, with the "trash" Of
last years crop lying between the rows
and constantly clogging aud choking the
plougbs, often requiring the machinery
to be stopped in order to clear them.
The subsoil-uever disturbed tillnow-
was a glutinous clay loam, compacted by
sixty years. treading Of heavy mule
teams; so vet that it came up unbrokeu,
as if it were glue, and about as easy to
pulverize as so much sole-leather. So
obstinate is it that hIr. Lawrence had
reduced each gang Of ploughs to two,
lest his engines should be stalled or his
wire ropes broken. These two each cut
furrow sixteen inches wide and fully
two feet 10 average depth; had the sur
face been level, they would have aver
aged twenty.six inches. They were
drawn across the field (576 feet) faster
than most men would like to walk.
Three men we're required to keep them
10 place, and clear them Of the choking
"trash," which l would have burned out
of their way, though I, had been a
planter, would have preferred to have
it buried as they buried it. Against all
these impedimeuts, each set Of machin'
cry was ploughing from FIVE to six acres
per day-ploughing them two fee: deep,
remember, and thus relieving them of
the generally superabundant moisture as
shallow ploughins, or even ordinary sub
soiling, never did and never can. Mr..
Lawrence, upon land thus ploughcd,
makes an average Of 1000 pounds per
acre of sugar where he formerly made
but 800 pounds. And he regards him
self as yet on the threshold Of steam
cultivation.
And even this was not the best he
had to show US. In other fields, per-
haps half mile distant, other machines
were GUILTY ng cane by steam. be-
lieve the iAe Of this has not yet been
done elsewhere on earth. The rows of
cane are fully seven feet apart; the
plants now fully foot iu average height
a locomotive engine stands at either end
Of the field, moving forward or back ward
by a touch of the hand OF the negro boy
standing upon it aud looking out for
signals. The cultivator is composed Of
five or six ordinary horse cultivators, en-.
larged and fixed in frame, whereof
the half that has just stirred the earth
to depth of two and width of five
feet is lifted clear of the ground on
reaching the engine which draws it,
while its counterpart is brought down to
its work by the plough-guider stepping
upon it. AT signal, the boy at the
other end Of the field or Gland" starts
his engine, and begins to wind up his
wire-rope and uncoii or pay out that of
the drum bcueath the opposite engine,
pulling the cultlvators through the earth
a, they are guided nearer the row that
they were kept further from as they
passed in the opposite direction. Having
thus thoroughly pulverized the space
between two rows, BY traversing it twice
the engines move forward to the next
space and repeat the operation; and so
on till night fall. Mr. Lawrence assured
me that one such thorough working
answers for the season; whereas, while
tiling by mule power, every cane field
required working six times per season;
at Intervals of fiteer days. A set Of
machine. aud hands tilis about twelve
acres per day. l judge the cost Of this
days work, including fuel and wear Of
machinery, ranges from s25 te $50. This
Is far below the cost of repeated work
ings by mule power, while it is far rore
eficacious. The land ploushed and
titled by steam is far dryer than the
rest. Mr.. Lawrence considers his thou.
sand acres under tillage worth 800 Fer
acre more than they would be but for
steap culture. He will keep his txo
sets of plougbing machinery at work not
only throughout each day when the
earth is not too soddeu, but (by relays
OF hands, throughout each night also,
when the moon serves. Steam tillage
of growing crops, being nicer, more
critical operation, will be confines to
daylight. But the autumn is here the
dry season, therefore most favorable to
plou ching, and he realizes an immense
advantage in this. Throughout the
cane cutting months. Of October and No
vember, when all the mules on plauta'
tion are overwork ed ct hauling up cut
cane from the fields to the sugar-houss,
so tina. ploughiug with animals is iu-
possible, he will have bis ploughiug
machinery constantly at work, doing
him most excellent service in preparing
for next years crop. .
am quite aware that this letter will
not convey suy- clear idea Of the
machinery or tte: :psolSeesa alRpfo5ediu
steam pIoaghiug and sifsgs. No