Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-09-17
THE STEAM PLOW.
Difficulties Which Are Encountered and
the Changes Which Must Be Made.

Difficulties Which Are Encountered and
the Changes which Must BE Made.
The locomotive had scarcely drawn
the first train of cars ever track
formed of two parallel bars of iron be-
fore inventors turned their minds to
the matter of drawing pillow or gang
of plows by steam power. 1t is likely
that as many horses, mules and oxen
are employed in drawing plows as
would be required to haul all the prod
ucts of the fields to market. The intro
duction of railroads greatly reduced
the number of draft animals that farm
ers were once required to keep by do.
ing much of the work they once per-
formed. The introduction of a steam
pillow would render it possible to raise
large fields OF many kinds of crops
with very few draft animals, or with
none at all. A locomotive propelled
by steam power that could draw sew
| eral plows, might also draw harrows,
cultivatOrs and harvesters. 1t is posi-
| BILE, even probable. that steam loco
motive may be made that will not only
| do most of the work in fields now per-
formed by horses and other draft ami
mails. but draw the products of the
farm to the nearest railway station or
steamboat landing. If such an inven-
ton is ever perfected, as great revo-
luton will be produced in farming as
the railroad produced in the old meth
DDS of transpOrtation by means of draft
| animals
Steam blowing by means of a trac.
ton engine or rather by the use Of
two engines, one placed at each ex-
tremity of the field to be plowed, has
for many wears been a success on few
large estates in England and in few
countries on the continent of Europe.
This method of steam plowing is cost
ly. and is not applicable to small farms.
The engines are expensive, and wire
cables equal in length to that of the
field to be plowed are necessary. The
engines must be moved every time the
gang of plows is driven across the
field. The plows must be guided by
hand, so that about as many men are
required to pillow by steam power as
when draft animals are employed The
saving is in the use of draft animals
and their feed. TIL is partly balanced
by the cost of fuel. In England, how
ever, soft coal suitable for firing on en-
gines is very cheap. while horse feed
and horse flesh are dear. Mach merry
made of metal is cheaper there, and
the wages of farm laborers lower. All
these rcumstances are favorable to
the use of the steam pillow. and have
contributed to whatever success it has
achieved. Still. the use of the steam
plow in any European country is quite
limited, and there is little to warrant
the conclusion that it is increasing.
The coming steam pillow is likely to
be a locomotive that LAYS its own
track and takes it up again as it
moves along over the ground. or
one that has very wide wheels that will
enable it to move over tolerably soft
ground without sinking into it. Ex-
periments are now being made by in
ventors in this city w tn steam plows
operated on these principles. OF course
no steam pillow will spring into state
of PEI lection at once. 1t will be, like
the locomotive that runs on railway
tracks and the stationary engine a
thing of tolerably slow growth. When
one is constructed that performs taler-
ably good work at a cost not greater
than that which attends blowing with
horses its success may be considered
as assured. Given the correct princi-
pie of operating it and improvements
will be sure to be made. Many who
are not capable of inventing the lead
ing principle of machine are capable
of making improvements Practi al
tests will show what difficulties are
to be overcome and what changes
must be made. From present appear
ances successful steam pillow will be
the browning glory of the nineteenth
Chica1O Tim IS.