Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-06-05
WIDENING THE FIELD OF STEAM

1t will interest our readers to learn
that his Imperial Majesty the Car OF
all the Russias, left the Court circle of
Windsor Castle, England, the next day
after his arrival, to witness the opera
ton of a recently invented steam
thrashing machine at the Flemish
farm. The London Times Of the 18th
ult. contains heightened account of
this machine, to drive which wheat
straw is burnt, and is the only source
Of motive power. The Emperor Alex
ander was driven to the Flemish farm
by Queen Victoria, accompanied by the
Grand Duke Alexis, the Duke
and Duchess, of Edinburgh,
and any number of noblemen.
Russia contaiDsalarge area of the rich
est wheat soil in Europe, smooth, and
easily cultivated by steam, yet without
timber or coal for fuel. We Will de-
vote separate article to this remakra-
bic black soil, for it was doubtless
formed at the bottom of an finland
sea, like the Basin In Middle Tennes-
see; as it has attracted great attention
from agricultural biologists and chem
lists during the last thirty years. Straw
was pronounced success as motive
power for thrashing wheat, and its tri-
umph points to the value of our large
Southern cornstalks as fuel. The utili-
cation of the entire heat that may be
found in straw of whatever kind, is
the joint invention of a Russian
engineer, Mr.. Schemloth, and Mr.
Head, of the firm of Ransomes, Sims
& Head, the largest steam pillow manu-
facturers in England. The Times says
this steam engine was the center of at
traction at the Vienna Exhibition last
year, landholders in Russia and other
parts of Europe, regarding it with much
interest. Hitherto fifty pounds of hay
and corn burnt in the best constructed
steam-generating apparatus would not
give half the power of horse or mule
from the consumption of the same SUBJ
stances. 1t is the cheapness of coal
and wood as compared with horse feed,
that gives existence to so
many steam engines. Now, the
fire machine has made great progress.
1t is profoundly interesting to study
the facts that while wheat and corn
support SO much muscular and mental
power in man, wheat straw and corn
stalks are destined, apparently, to pillow
the ground. plant the seed, harvest,
thrash, and grind the grain, and then
heat the oven that bakes frst-rate bread
1t must be recollected that the whole
force in any seed or stem Of an animal
plant, like weeat and corn, is taken d.
rectly from the sun, within Its few
growing hours. Plants obtain force
from no other source; and of this solar
force in bread-corn and straw, we can
command twice as much in twelve con-
secutive months In Davidson county,
Tenn, as can be secured between st.
Petersburg and Moscow, on given area.
The utilization of the suns force as
applied to vegetable and animal life is
the grand problem in Southern agri-
culture. The writer has recently
bought eighty-fve acres of land near
Nashville for experimental purposes.
Tennessee farmers might easily, and it
is believed proftably, cooperate in this
effort to utilize agricultural elements
now almost universally neglected. In
many places the force of wind that
costs nothing, lifts water to position
where it irrigates a great deal of land,
and gives existence to valuable crops.
All agricultural force is money, if we
Will only learn how to use it to the best
advantage.