ON IMPLEMENTS SELECTED FOR TRIAL. 331 



of Minster, vSheerness, says, " The windlasses are practically as 

 good as when they left your shop four years since." ^Er Tinn 

 of Black Friars, Canterbury, writing in 1874, says, " We had our 

 set of Fisken's tackle in December 1871, and have ploughed 978 

 acres with it, and are still using the rope which came with it;" 

 and Mr Fenigan of Talacre, I^'orth Wales, in giving evidence 

 before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, states that 

 '' he had cultivated 1200 acres without a shilling of expense 

 having been incurred in the repair of the windlass, and the 

 tackle was still in good order, working ever}^ tlay." 



In addition to the trials, the results of which have been 

 described, the Fisken tackle was, as already stated, employed in 

 farms in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, and the gentlemen by 

 whom it was so employed having been asked to give their opinion 

 of the manner in which it performed its work, the following- 

 letters have been received: — 



" LiBERTON Tower Mains, 

 " December 5th, 1876. 



" Dear Sir, — Yours of 2rl instant to hand. My opinion of the work done 

 on my fiirni by the Fisken plough is very favourable ; the land was well 

 ploughed, square taken out and laid properly back. I don't think it better 

 than horse ploughing ; it had this on my land to recommend it, viz., the 

 bank being steep, it had more power than horses. I tried several at 12 

 inches ; it did it as well as at 9 and 10 inches, A 12 inch furrow on my land 

 would have required three horses. The plough could be so set as to plough 

 any kind of furrow. — I am, very truly yours, 



David Stevenson, Esq., C.E. (Signed) " Buyden Monteith." 



'•SouTHFiELD, Ediuhuryh, 2d December 1870*. 



" Dear Sir, — I am duly favoured with your letter of this date, asking my 

 opinion regarding the working of the Fisken tackle. 



"In reply, allow me to say that I am very much pleased with the work per- 

 formed, and I am of opinion that it is superior to horse ploughing, and leaves 

 the land in a better state for spring cultivation ; and I may also state that 

 all the practical farmers who had the opportunity of seeing here the work, 

 and the working of the tackle, were highly satisfied. I may mention that in 

 my field some boulders were met with, which will require to be all taktu 

 out, to save breakage and detention, and ensure successful working. 



*' In conHrniation of my decided opinion in favour of the system, I have pur- 

 chased the engine jtnd tackle at present on my farm. — I am, yours very truly, 



David Stevenson, Esq., C.E. (^Signed) " William (jRAT." 



LiHERTox Mains, Edineiurgu, 

 22(1 Jtcctinber I87f>. 

 " Dear Sir, — 1 am sorry I have been so long in answering your noto about 

 Fisken's plough, but the reason is partly that I cannot say anything in praise 

 of the work it did for me, I am very sorry, for I think very highly of the 

 tackle, and have no doubt it will come into general use; but there is one 

 thing certain, it cannot plough ha. The n)ild gr()wing wcatluT wo have had 

 has made my i'n-hl ploughed by it look (juite grt-en, whereas the land ploughed 

 by my own ploughs looks (juite like winter. — I am, yours truly, 



" David Stevenson, Ksq., C.E, ♦' Kohert Black," 



Two di>;tiiu.'t questions niiu* in tbo investigation of steam 



