The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1874-06-20
Necessity and Invention.

The half-cultivated plains of Southern
Russia are Of unlimited fertility. No ma
nure is required, the process of agriculture
being to raise crop one year, and for the
next two years to permit the land to lie
fallow. Men are scarce, and steam has
been tried as means to save human labor.
But unfortunately the country produces
no coal, and trees are even scarcer than
men. Even scrub and brush-wood are
often wanting A rude way of meeting
the difficulty has been to dig vast pits, into
which the straw was thrown and fred, and
the heat utilized by side funnel, over
which the fire-box of the engine was placed.
This awkward arrangement destroyed the
engines in few years, and was, moreover,
subject to the difficulty that the wheat to
be threshed had to be transported for long
distances to the pits. Immense quantities
Of straw were burned to accomplish but
small results.
The continued ingenuity of two engi-
neers, one an Englishman, the other a
Russian, seems to have solved the difficult
ty. The engine of their construction was
among the articles exhibited at the Vienna
Exposition. The Car of Russia has had
an opportunity, during his visit to England,
to inspect the practical working of the
machine. The straw is passed by simple
machinery to the action of the FIRE, the at
tention of only one man is necessary to
the feeding of the fuel, and the consump-
ton Of straw, as fuel, is reduced to about
four times the weight that would be re-
quircd of coal. The price of coal, deliver
cd by rail, amounts to prohibition of its
use, for, even after it reaches the stations,
there are many miles of wagon transpor-
tation required. The Russian Emperor
and his party, the Queen of England and
her attendants, watched the recent trial in
England, and we venture to say that the
Russians, at any rate, found the practical
business more interesting than their Estate
engagements. The machinery promises
to be success, and if it so prove, may
produce effects far beyond the Russian
steppes, and outside of the Russian ex
chequer.
1t is said that the Khediye of Egypt
has introduced the improved machine into
that country, for the purposes of irrigation
Coal and other articles ordinarily used as
fuel are scarce, or wanting entirely, in that
country also. The new machine will dis.
pose Of cotton stalks, ''eane trash" OF
"bagasses," from crushed sugar canes, as
well as of straw; aud this rubbish, now but
partially utilized as fuel, may be brought
to the highest utility Of which it is capable
The new invention has great interest foI
this country also, if it prove to be sue.
cess. Thousands of tons of useless straw
rot on the rich soils of the west and south.
west, where it is as little desired for ma,
nure as in Russia. No doubt the ingenu
ity of inventors may devise some mode by
which the straw, or cotton stalks, or brush.
wood may be used in combination with
coal or other strong fuel. The utilization
of waste is the source of wealth. The
cane-stalks in the limited sugar area of this
country are now, we believe, used as fuel
for boiling the syrup. But the day may
come when other veg tables as well as cane
may be used for the manufacture of sugar.
The same means which are employed to
make straw aud other light matters avail
able for steam threshing machine may
probably be made available in other sta
tionary engines. Thus, even in our cities
and other manufacturing centres, the
steam engine may become an ally Of the
street cleaning and sanitary departments.
In many branches of industry, and more
especially in such as work up wood, the
steam machinery may be made to clear
away the daily rubbish of the establish
ment, and thus convert trouble and waste
into a useful article. Probably some Of
our ingenious machinists have already
taken note of these new movements, and
In due time the results Of these expert
ments will give the world another "new
departure" in labor saving appliances,
Good housekeepers, by the way, have al
ready tested the usefulness of FIRE in clear
ing away household garbage in cities and
towns The furnace in the cellar is a
capital scavenger.