The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-11-15

When and Where Invented, How Con-
structed, and Where Used.


when and Where Invented, How Con-
structed. and Where Used.
An apparatus for steam blowing was
first patented in the United States
Nov. 10, 1888, by E. @. Bellinger, of
South Carolina 1t was not received
with sufficient favor by farmers or
planters to encourage the manufacture
of the machines. In England, Francis
Moor took out a patent as early as 1869
for an engine to pillow, harrow, and do
other farm work without the aid of
horses. Several other attempts ut in
venting steam plows were made, but
all to no practical purpose, until 1910,
when q Maj. Pratt patented a steam
blowing apparatus, employing two en-
gines stationed on opposite headlands,
and drawing plows by means of end
less chains or ropes. An improved
form of this machine was patented by
Mr.. Heathcote, Nj. p, in 1882, which is
said to be the first that was ever worked
successfully in the field. Alexander
McRea made improvements on Mr..
Heathcote's machine in 1916 and lS49 !:
still the practical results were insigniti-
cant until in 1854, when John Fowler,
also of England, brought forward an
improvement on the plans of Behinger,
Pratt and others, since which time va
rious changes and additions have been
made, and steam blowing has gone into
successful practice on many of the large
estates of Great Britain and in the
East and West Indies, about 1900
steam plows being now in use in En-
gland alone.
Many attempts to invent n successful
traction engine for steam blowing have
been made.
The plan called cable traction, in
vented in pant by Pratt, in part by Bel
linger, and improved by Fowler, has
been operated with greater success than
any other. 1t consists Of single loco
motive engine, of from twelve to
fourteen-horse power, with windlass
under the boiler, around which passes
single steelwirc cable, which, by
means of hinged clips, lays hold of the
cable with a grip proportional to the
strain. This cont nuous cable, twice
the width of the plat to lbe plowed,
passes around sheave, OF pulley
block, fastened to se!f-acting anchor
placed on the opposite side of the field
from the engine. This anchor" con-
sists of low truck on four wheels,
with sharp, disk edges, which cut SO
deep into the soil that it will not drag
when the traction is applied. A box
loaded with stones, or some other
weight on the outer side of this truck
keeps it from fitting when the power is
applied to the plows. a sheave on the
truck gives motion to a drum which
winds up another cable attached to n
post or anchor in the direction in which
the burrows are to succeed each other,
so that the machine warrs itself along
the headland on which it is stationed
just as fast as the blowing progresses,
keeping at all times directly opposite to
the locomotive engine, which is moving
down the opposite head.and in the same
direction. The plows are attached TO q
balance frame, the especial invention of
Mr.. Fowler, and are in duplicate, point
ing to each other, SO that when the set
at one end of the frame Is at work the
opposite set is carried along the cable
in the air. The pillow frame is hauled
from one side of the field TO the other,
DelNetH tuc ciiSiiic anu bLlC hIO'dbrV
anchor, by reversing the action of the
windlass. 1t is adapted to turning
from two to eight burrows at once, ac-
cording to the power of the engine and
toughness of the soil. The amount of
ground plowed by such a machine va
ries from three to eight acres day for
three-furrow gang, according to depth
of furrow from twelve inches to four
inches. An eight-furrow gang will do
little more than twice this amount of
work per day.
For various reasons steam blowing is
not practiced to any noticeable extent
in the United States, but it is probable
that, as the advantages of this mode of
turning up the soil to depth not prac-
ticable by animal draft become better
understood, and other changes trans
pire, it will go into successful operation
here as it has done in England. CHI
,oUn la Zen. Dcpn1J