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Early farm mechanisation - Steam Ploughing, 1862

This article appeared in the Illustrated London News of 12 July 1862

THE TRIAL  OF STEAM-PLOUGHS AT FARNINGHAM.

This interesting trial took place on the 26th, 27th, and 28th of June, near Farningham, some twenty-four miles from the Victoria station, and, by way of making the mode of transit in strict keeping with the object, one of Messrs. Aveling's locomotives was ready to take passengers in cars up and down hill to the scene of action. A great number of spectators, speaking almost every European tongue, were present, and orders were rife for the principal steam-plough firms. Although eleven machines or so were at work from time to time, the systems really on trial were those of Fowler, Howard, Smith, and Coleman. Speaking of the trials, the Mark Lane Express says, "On Thursday we saw Messrs. Howard's machines, and also Mr. Fowler's larger and smaller sots in operation; and certainly both the Leeds and the Bedford ploughs made superb work. The mouldboards of both are formed in imitation of the Kentish ploughs, and nothing can excel the perfection of their complete inversion and crumbling of the slice. Mr. Fowler's digging-breasts did a piece of grand work with the large engine, accomplishing about five acres and a half in five hours, in good strong lea, though not a clayey soil; but the most interest was concentrated on his new movable windlass.

Messrs. Brown and May, of Devizes, were cultivating the only piece of really heavy land we saw during the trials; their windlass is stationary-in fact, a "Woolston two-wheeled windlass, but constructed with every precision for lightness, with sufficient strength, the chief mechanical specialty being the manner of braking the paying-out drum. This is by small friction-straps round smooth flanges upon the pinions.

On a piece of land nearer to the station Messrs. Coleman's apparatus was drawing two five-tined cultivators, each 4ft. wide-adaptations of the well-known cultivators of this firm, fitted with steerages. A man stands upon each implement; and, after completing a journey, guides the implement backwards into its next course, so that a minimum of time is lost at the ends. No rope-porters were used, as the field presented a concave surface.

On the roughest piece of land Mr. Smith, with a double-cylinder 10-horse engine, at 501b. pressure, was "smashing up " in his primest style with his three-tined cultivator, (airing three-feet breadth, and going six inches deep, and had been mowing corn with the new combined machine. Messrs. Tasker's new windlass drove a Fowler plough; but the curiosity of this part of the day's spectacle was the apparatus of Mr. Evenden, in a field a quarter of a mile further on. The cultivating part of the arrangement consisted of a couple of Kentish ploughs, guided by ropes, diverging by a double snatch-block to two claw-anchors with pulleys, which were shifted by hand in the usual manner, and two men walking with each plough. Here, then, were four ploughmen doing two furrows; and, adding the anchor, windlass, and engine men, and the two boys running to shift the rope-points, there were eight men and two boys very industriously turning over only two furrows. The journey of 184 yards was made in 2½ minutes, and ¾ to 1 minute was occupied in turning round the implement at the ends! "

Illustrated London News 12 July 1862 - steam ploughing at Farningham