522 



form of field. The cost of such work is, 

 however, not the proof of its worth, but the 

 heavy crops which follow it afford the best 

 argument in its favour. The anchor has 

 since been laid aside, and a second engine 

 introduced, the result of which is an increase 

 in the extent of each day's work, and greater 

 facility in ploughing angular corners of fields. 



OTHER MACHINES, ETC. 



Blake's Patent Stone-Breaker. — Having 

 fixed steam machinery on all the farms in 

 our occupation, the only work which we have 

 for the steam-plough engine, when it cannot 

 be employed upon the land, is to drive 

 Blake's patent stone-breaking machine, but we 

 cannot report much more than two or three 

 trials of its efficiency. These trials, how- 

 ever, were in every way very satisfactory. The 

 l)rice paid for breaking stones for six or seven 

 miles of roads or drives through the park 

 was formerly from 2s. 3d. to 2s. 6d. per 

 cubic yard, while with this machine from four 

 to five cubic yards can be broken in the hour. 

 The sum paid annually for breaking stones 

 on the estate, for the park and farm roads, 

 would on the average of years exceed 

 ;^5o, while with this machine that sum will 

 be reduced by at least one-half. The cost 

 of the machine is ;^i8o, and taking into 

 account the expense of working it, tear and 

 wear, and other contingencies, the return on 

 the outlay we fully expect to exceed 10 per 

 cent, per annum. 



With our fixed steam-engines we thrash 

 our grain, pump water, grind corn for the 

 feeding stock, as well as break and grind the 

 various feeding cakes. One of our farms, 

 situated within an easy distance from a rail- 

 way station, is made the store for corn 

 required for upwards of 600 horses and 

 ponies employed upon the estate, chiefly in 

 the mines. The corn for these horses is all 

 bruised by machinery. When brought from 

 the station, the bags are drawn up to the 

 granary by a simple but- clever hoist, formed 

 by two sheaths or wheels, which are sup- 

 ported by a small triangular frame to the 

 wall, the one sheath being a few inches from 

 the ground, and the other above the door 



riic Country Gcntlanaiis MagarAnc 



head, where the grain is taken in. A large 

 rope works on these sheaths, drawn by a 

 horse, and the bags are sent up as fast as 

 three or four men can take them in. The 

 oats being frequently ex ship, there is a greater 

 or less quantity of dust and refuse in them. 

 They are emptied into a spout, which takes 

 them to a winnowing machine, where they 

 are cleared of the dust. An elevator lifts 

 them as they come from the fanners, and 

 empties them into the brusier, after passing 

 through which they are ready for being sent 

 off to the various pits, &c. The winnowing 

 machine, elevator, and bruiser, are all driven 

 simultaneously by the steam-engine. 



Bone Mill. — On the farm under the man- 

 agement of the writer there is also a bone- 

 mill, driven by steam power, with which we 

 grind annually about ;^iooo worth of bones. 

 We only apply the half-inch bones to the 

 lighter class of soils, their action being too 

 slow to be profitable on our clays. 



Turnip Pulper and Chaff- Cutter. — Two 

 more machines demand a passing notice, as 

 valuable economisers of the food of stock — 

 viz., the turnip pulper and chaft-cutter. The 

 one is, in a manner, the necessary adjunct 

 of the other. By an admixture of pulped 

 roots and cut straw we can, with a stock 

 of about sixty cattle, effect a saving of about 

 100 tons of roots in the six months, while 

 the stock thrives at least equally well as on 

 sliced roots. Cut hay or straw we find to 

 be invaluable, too, for our sheep. We give 

 an admixture of cut hay and straw to our 

 farm horses, but we cannot say that we are 

 so successful in getting them to eat it as with 

 our other stock. 



It would be easy to extend this article by 

 a reference to other machines and implements 

 of the farm, very efficient in their place, but 

 we have confined our remarks to those which 

 we deemed most worthy of notice, so far as 

 our experience with them goes. The num- 

 ber of implements manufactured for the farm 

 are now unlimited, and not a few of them are 

 useful. One cannot enter a show-yard 

 without being struck with the fact, that it re- 

 cpires great judgment and tact to make a 

 selection of the really valuable out of the 



