THE STEAM FARMER: NEW INVEN TION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9189, 19 October 1888, Page 3

THE STEAM FARMER: NEW INVEN TION.

TO THE EDITOR. Sea,—This is - the name given to an {.invention by Mr. Romaine, of Ottawa, a model of which has been on view fin the Canadian court of the Glasgow Exhibition." The invention is described as something quite new and unique, its possibilities being immense. For thirty .years Mr. Romaine has toiled at the steam farmer, and it is asserted that he is now within measurable distance iof : seeing his hopes realised, his skill and , genius rewarded. As this; is one of the most important inventions of the present day, so far as agriculturists arc concerned, it deserves more than a passing notice. Cultivation by steam has for many years been carried on in all countries where agriculture has made any thing; like an advance. But Mr. Romaino's • implement differs from all the ordinary, steam appliances, has in fact nothing, in common with ordinary machines. m. It consists of ; a rectangular frame, .which may be varied in size, but for common use ' will not , exceed 9 feet in breadth. The engine for producing the motive power is placed on the central part of the top of the frame/ .Either steam or petroleum . may be used for generating the force required; and; probably the latter will generally be used,, on account of the smaller cost for maintenance and the smaller, weight which it would involve. ! The; cultivating parts consist of ft closely fittingi series of rotating discs, driven by, a shaft from the engine.; Each di§c is fitted with three knives, 12 to 15 inches in length, and each knife is fitted with four blades or wings," which are set with a slight upward slope. The discs rotate at a high rate of sp?.ed as the machine is advancing ;! and in this way the soil is not only pulverised in the/most thorough' manner, but, on accouut of the upward slope on the knives, it is most thoroughly .mixed ?as well* * : V.le ' everything in the nature of wt-urt -<42 other organic matter- is sliced -into :•!•••:*. iSnost of mincemeat.' The use of the; implemfc?~does not, however, cease with pulverising and mixing the soiL Provision is made for seed drills following the cultivator, so that the V 1 seed / may .be > : sown Jat j tha time of cultivation if desired. * Besides, the : cutting . discs - can »at.; any time be removed, and their " place : taken • by other discs : fitted not with fouf - bladea knives, but with sharp tines. ' The i rapid rotating of •, these tines - aleo_ ensures the; complete pulverising and mixing of the soil. It) this way a field ? which had been : cultivated with the cutting knives in the autumn could be gone over lin : the spring with '..the rotating : tines in front of the seed drills.' The ground would in this way be most thoroughly pulverised and cultivated' without any of the impaction caused by the treading of horses or this traction weight of heavy iron ploughs. i Every "farmer," and especially every clay farmer, knows well theifntuedse advantage of. having the soil thoroughly pulverised, and " the seed sown in . v the freshly-mixed soil. The • side •; wheels ! are immediately outside the , discs, and the inside wheel, mark on the one round is -tho outside wheel mark on the return round: At. first sight it seems a disadvantage "to have the wheel mark left ■ uncultivated, bob the v disadvantage is abundantly :* compensated for otherwise. The wheel mark is only about ten inches wide, which ' is little more than the space between the seams of seed after rordinary ploughing. Besides, by altering the set of the discs, and taking out the outfeide tines on each disc,' the machine, by the guiding of these wheel marks, could be made to pulverise the soil and destroy' the weeds between v ; the ;; seatos of {growing grain before it got too rank. But, the ■ steam farmer can do even more than what has been already specified v #\For I if, instead of seed drills, the moulding [ boards be placed behind the rotating discs, the land would be drilled "and the drills split up again when wanted.; Ib .wUI act; 'the 'j part *of a drill hoe, ?■ the 1 space between the ridges being pulverised, and the weeds destroyed by the slicing knives or tines as may be thought beat. • On® of the - main advantages,; however, of the implement ; will be its - cheapness, when compared with other methods of cultivating the soil. . The total cost would be loss than one-half the expense of an ' ordinary ." set loi steam-ploughing tackle, and by no means so great as the cost of a set of-horses, harness, and implements to jgo £ through t a similar amount of work. And as one man only ; would be required to ran the machine, the cheapness of the labour in connection with the steam farmer is readily perceived. Possibly this machine may assist in revolutionising the present methods of working the land,— am, etc., Agbicola.