REPORT

OF THE

SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON THE MERITS

OF

EXHIBITS AT THE STATE FAIR,

1877.

CLASS I.-PLOWS, CULTIVATORS, HARROWS, ETC.

The plow has been adopted as the symbol of agriculture. This is very appropriate, as it is the instrument that begins the work of pulverizing the soil, which is the aim and purpose of all cultivation. The important improvements made in this class of implements within the last fifty years have left, of the plow of our grandfathers, but little more than the name, and yet the march of improvement goes on from year to year. The fair of 1877 shows a number of modifications in plows, which we regard as important improvements.

ADJUSTABLE MOLD-BOARD PLOW.

J. M. Jaques, of Thorntown, Indiana, exhibits a plow with a movable mold-board, especially adapted to breaking sod. The mold-board can be moved up from the share so as to leave a space of two or three inches between them. This allows the loose soil to fall in the furrow behind the share while the sod is completely turned over, and saves the force necessary to turn the whole depth of the cut, which is a very important saving. When desired, the mold-board can be closed down on the share and the plow reduced to the ordinary form. We did not see the plow in operation, but it has the appearance of being a very important improvement in adapting itself to a variety of work.

THE OLIVER CHILLED PLOW,

From the South Bend Plow Works, was on exhibition, presenting some new features, among which we notice the Cassada sulky plow, which, like other plows of this class, accommodates the plowman with a comfortable seat while he does his work. The specialty of this plow is, that it has no land side, the off wheel being inclined at such an angle as to relieve the land side from the pressure of the cut on the mold-board. This materially diminishes the force necessary to work the plow, transferring the resistance from the sliding land side to the revolving wheel. The exhibit fully maintained the reputation for high polish and finished workmanship which the Oliver chilled plows gained at the Centennial Exhibition.

THE ADJUSTABLE PLOW LAY

Was exhibited by the Western Plow-point and Share Company, Indianapolis. This is a steel lay so arranged that it can be adjusted to a worn-out share by the farmer without taking his plow to the blacksmith shop, and at much less expense than a welded lay. A noticeable convenience.

WIER'S SULKY PLOW,

Manufactured and exhibited by the Wier Sulky Plow Company, Monmouth, Illinois, has this merit: the working gear of the plow is made of wrought iron instead of cast metal. The wheels are light and strong, and have boxes separate from the cast hub, so that they can be replaced when worn out without having to loose the wheel.

IMPERIAL BREAKING PLOW,

From the shops of Bucher, Gibbs & Company, Canton, Ohio, presented the peculiarity of having both share and mold-board attached to the permanent frame work of the plow, by screw bolts in such a manner that they can be replaced with new ones from the factory, when worn or broken, without consulting a blacksmith. These parts were made of steel or cast iron, to suit the purchaser. The plow is a good pattern, and of substantial workmanship.

BROWN'S SULKY PLOW,

Manufactured and exhibited by B. D. Buford, Rock Island, Illinois, overcomes the difficulty encountered by sulky plows when operated on hillsides, to-wit: the tendency to slide toward the lower side. This is done by inclining the wheels at pleasure, so as to make a corresponding bearing in the opposite direction. The plow on exhibition is adapted to the draft of three horses, though the manufacturer can furnish plows of any draft desired.

HARROWS AND PULVERIZERS.

In this line quite a number of new devices were exhibited, and several of them were of unquestionable merit.

FLEXIBLE HARROW.

Wilcox & Company, Chicago, Illinois, exhibited a flexible harrow. It is made in sections, secured together by strong joints, so that it adapts itself to the inequalities of the surface completely. It has seventy steel teeth, so arranged that they may be made to stand perpendicularly or at any desired angle, so as to prevent clogging in stubble or other bad ground. It is a well made implement, and will do good work.

A THREE SECTION HARROW,

Manufactured by the Wier Plow Company, was on exhibition. When the three sections are worked together, they constitute a flexible harrow, working a broad strip of land. When rocks or stumps interfere and a narrower harrow is desirable, it can be reduced to one or two sections at will. This makes it a very convenient implement.

PULVERIZER AND CULTIVATOR.

H. W. Nichols, of Northfield, Indiana, exhibited an implement of this character, which had the merit of novelty at least. It consists of two or more horizontal shafts with a series of cast iron wheels or hubs, with long teeth to penetrate or cut the soil, like a succession of narrow spades. It will certainly leave but few clods in the ground that it has passed over. The proprietor claims that it is adapted to the spring cultivation of wheat, which claim, if he can make good, will be of incalculable advantage to wheat culture in this region. The implement is of fair promise, and is worthy of an impartial test of its merits.

This implement, exhibited by Robert Hamilton, of Franklin, Indiana, patentee and manufacturer, in principal features resembles the cultivator of Nichols, last described, but in addition to the toothed wheels there were, following them, two or more clod crushing boards, which operated to smooth the ground and leave it in a fine pulverized state.

A SPRING-TOOTH HARROW,

Made and exhibited by D. C. Roberts, Kalamazoo, Michigan, is certainly a novelty among harrows, if indeed it be proper to call it a harrow. The teeth are made of spring steel, two inches wide and one-fourth of an inch thick, bent into bows or semi-circles, and so fastened to the harrow that the points operate as cultivators or little shovels. It looks as if it would do good work.

CULTIVATORS AND CORN PLOWS.

Deere & Co., Moline, Illinois, exhibited a number of farm tools belonging to the plow family, among which we observed several new and rather important devices. Of these we note a corn cultivator adapted to the draft of two horses. The wheels were replaced by iron runners, attached together by movable couplings, so that if either horse walks faster than the other there will be no tendency to throw the plow out of line. It is worked without a tongue, is capable of being turned very short, is light, simple and easily managed. It bears the name of ARCTIC CULTIVATOR, from its use of runners rather than wheels, we presume. The same company exhibited

A SULKY CULTIVATOR,

to which they gave the name of The Peerless Combined. The four plows or cultivating shovels are operated by the feet, while the plowman seated on a comfortable seat guides his team with his hands. It will certainly require some practice to manage a pair of plows with each foot, but when the handicraft, or rather pedicraft, of the machine is acquired, it will no doubt be a great saving of labor in "following the plow."

CARTER'S CULTIVATOR,

Manufactured at Jonesvile, Michigan, has several points of merit worthy of note. It is a two-horse cultivator, without a tongue, and so arranged that the unequal draft of the horses will not interfere with the movement of the plows in straight parallel lines. The handles are adjustable to any. width or height desired, which is frequently a matter of great convenience.

NEW DEPARTURE CULTIVATOR

Was exhibited by C. E. Merrifield & Co., Indianapolis. It is a four plow, tongueless cultivator, having the special merit that each horse operates independently, which render the plows more easily managed. There is also a novel device attached for transporting the implement from place to place without the plows coming in contact with the ground.

VANCAMP'S CULTIVATOR

Was exhibited by the Vancamp Plow Manufacturing Co., of Metamora, Indiana. The points of merit in this implement are: 1. An adjustable arch by which the tread of the wheels may be accommodated to rows of corn of different widths. 2. A device for raising or lowering the point of the beam, thus regulating the depth of the plow without moving the shovels.

CORN PLANTERS AND SEED DRILLS.

Quite a number of implements of this class were on exhibition. A general improvement was noticeable in the workmanship and finish of the machines, though but few new devices have been introduced since last year's exhibition.

A DOUBLE ROW CORN PLANTER,

Exhibited by Beadle & Kelly, Troy, Ohio, drops the corn from rotating plates with different sized apertures, can be changed-adapting it to any number of grains that may be desired. These plates are worked by hand levers.

SELBY'S CORN PLANTER.

J. Selby & Co., Peoria, Illinois. The special merits of this planter are that it carries the weight of both the driver and dropper on the wheels instead of throwing a portion of it on the neck-yoke as usual, and the dropping plates move on friction rollers which greatly diminishes the force necessary to move them, and at the same time adds to their durability.

THE STAR DRILL,

Manufactured and exhibited by Kissel, Blunt & Co., Springfield, Ohio, has no cog-gearing, and regulates the quantity of grain dropped by the movement of a lever which indicates on a dial plate the number of pecks per acre. The tubes can be readily detached and put away when the drill is not in use. The drill teeth may be adjusted into a V shape with the angle projected forward so as to prevent clogging in rough ground. All of which we regard as points of merit commending the Star drill.

BUCKEYE DRILL.

This implement, from the shops of Mast, Foos & Co., Springfield, Ohio, resembles the Star drill (above described) in its principal features, but has a separate arrangement for drilling small seeds, such as grass, clover, etc. This is sometimes a very convenient appendage to a wheat drill.

GARDEN SEED DRILL AND HAND CULTIVATOR.

George W. Rue, Hamilton, Ohio. This is a very convenient garden tool and supplies a want long felt in gardening. To drill garden seeds by hand with uniform regularity requires long practice, and even then the work is not as well done as this implement will do it. It requires no skill to use it.

VANDEVIER'S CORN PLANTER.

The Vandevier Corn Planter Co., of Quincy, Illinois. The depth of furrow into which the grain is dropped is regulated by guage-wheels, and the grain is covered by shovels in advance of a compress wheel. The depth of these covering shovels is regulated by the foot pressing on a lever. The implement is used chiefly as a drill, but can be arranged for planting check rows. The compress wheels are furnished with a scraper to keep them clean in clay ground. It has the appearance of a very well adapted implement for initiating a corn crop.