ON IMPLEMENTS SELECTED FOR TRIAL. 



060 



place on Thursday 15th June, 1876, on the farm of Craigmillar, 

 near Edinburgh. The trial was made on a field of barley 

 which had attained the growth of from six to ten inches. The field 

 was covered with a strong growth of mustard in flower; the ground 

 on the day of trial was rather dry. The machine (fig. 4) takes 

 in a breadth of four feet six inches, and was very easily drawn at a 

 quick pace by one horse. It consists of a horizontal drum revolv- 

 ing between the carrying wheels. The periphery of this drum is 

 pierced throughout its whole length by thin slits, from which, by 

 a simple eccentric arrangement, moved by "the rotation of the 

 drum, three toothed comb cutters are alternately projected about 

 two and a half inches, and again withdrawn within the drum. 

 The maximum projection of the comb beyond the periphery of 

 the drum occurs during the uiidcir liQlf of its rotation, when the 



Fig. 4. 



combs are in contact with the corn and weeds. The weeds are 

 thus caught between the teeth of the comb, and are either pulled 

 up by the roots, or, if too firmly planted, their upper portions are 

 pulled off. As the drum revolves, the combs carrying with them 

 the weeds they have entangled, are gradually withdrawn into the 

 slits, leaving the weeds they liave taken up to be thrown off by 

 the revolution of the drum. The comb liavim^ reached the 

 highest part of the drum's revolution, and having thrown otVrdl 

 the cut weeds, is again gradually ])rotruded, and ])rt'paie(.l fur 

 making another cut in the lower half of its revolution. The 

 revolution is rapid, and the cutting action of the blades almost 

 contiiuinus. Tlni Committee are satisfied that tlie machine did 

 useful work in re.moving the nnistanl while in llower, so as to 

 prevent its seeding, and that many of the weeds were uprooted. 

 It is possible that in practice a more favourable state of the 

 ground and growth of the weeds could be selected for using 



