The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-09-02
PARIS, Aug. 10th, 1878.

PARIS, Aug 10th, 1878.
There is no reason why our own success.
or excellence, 10 the manufacture of agri-
cultural machinery should blind US to the
splendid achievements of other countries
10 this department; and after few hours
study of the English annex one cannot
help being impressed by the great progress
made by the mother country IN the inVen-
ton and perfection Of ponderous agricul
tural machines. The application of steam
to agriculture is Of comparatively recent
introduction, and, indeed, may be said to
date from scarcely thirty years ago; but
the idea is old and many clear sighted men
seem to have long foreseen its final adop>
ton. The reasons of the tardy applica-
ton of steam to branch of industry 10
which it has proved so effective, and, IN
fact the relatively recent leap, SO to speak,
which all agricultural machinery made,
about the time steam blowing came into
fashion, is probably to be sought not so
much in the character of the machinery
itselfas in change of the social condition
of the countries in which a demand for
high class machinery has arisen. When
labor is cheap and the cultivation of the
soil is what writer's call intensive" rather
than extensive" the outlay of capital for
new inventions is out of the question ow-
ing 10 the low price Of grain. But in the
last few years there have been, SO to speak
great revolutions in the labor of certain
parts OF Europe. In southern Russia, fol
Instance, the demand for agricultural ma
chinery has arisen chiefly from the eman-
cipatiOn Of the Serfs. a revolution which
has resulted in state of things similar, il
seems, to that OF Ireland. The peasant i:
satisfied to live on the little property that
has fallen to his share and has left the
great proprietors in the difficult position
of having much land and great demand
for its products, but no laborers. In Hun
gary there is also a demand for steam
driven plowS. In France and parts d
Germany the soil is so divided up int
minute farms that want of capital prevents
the purchase of expensive implements by
Individual holders. England, notwith
standing the fact that she has an advanced
system of working the land is not an agri
cultural country, and Is becoming every
year less of grain growing one; but he
implements have done much to revolu
tloniZe the methods in other countries, ant
at this exhibition they take in some re
spects the first position. 1t seems as
England, having satisfied her own wants
| h.u e. oh aAn
those of the foreigner, Nearly every ex
hibitor in the British agricultural annel
has this or that apparatus adapted to thu
special requirements of one country o.
another. and a visit to this annex, Will
the aid at different stands of the repre-
seDtatives of the firms exhibiting, is,
need scarcely add, very interesting
: Some of these gentlemen hav
spent years in the countries fo
which their several machines are mad
and their explanations are, in many cases
a fresh page in the history Of husbsndry
This is indeed feature of the department
in question. and, added to the uniform
courtesy with which every inquiry is a
once replied to by all from the chief to tn,
porter, much contrasts with the state o
things in the French branch, where it i
rare to find the person in charge of tn
machine, and who, when he is found, is il
filter state to receive Information than Il
impart it. The French have large col
lection of portable engines, tbrashing ma
chimes and other implements; but / re
marked nothing new in their construction
l remarked also that English portable en-
gines, even with the duty and transpor
Concluded on next page.)