290 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



with a machine, who would otlierwise wait to see whether it 

 was successful or not. In this they were not disappointed, the 

 number of competitors for the premium having been large, and 

 the competition very close. 



It will be seen by referring to the report of last year, that 

 although there was but one opinion, upon the economy of the 

 machine over scythe mowing, there was a general complaint of 

 bad workmanship ; and as each competitor was obliged to report 

 every accident which his machine met with, it did not require 

 complaints on the part of competitors to convince the trustees 

 that there ivas a screiv loose somewhere. No machine went 

 through the trial without more or less breakages, which, although 

 generally of a trifling nature, involved a certain loss of time. 



Tlie offering of the premium of last year resulted most suc- 

 cessfully, since it developed a skill which has been too long 

 dormant, and demonstrated very clearly that the mowing ma- 

 chine, if well made and constructed upon correct principles, 

 might be successfully introduced and used as a great labor- 

 saving implement throughout the State. 



Having arrived at this point, the importance of perfecting 

 this labor-saving implement, and of having one constructed that 

 should unite every possible requisite to make its use general, 

 being fully shown by the trials of last year, the premium of one 

 thousand dollars was offered for the best mowing machine, to be 

 awarded the present year. In order to do justice to competitors, 

 and to arrive at a satisfactory result upon the merits of different 

 machines offered in competition, the machines were subjected to 

 separate trials in every possible way, under the inspection of 

 three gentlemen, distinguished for their good judgment and 

 knowledge in every thing pertaining to the matter confided to 

 them, viz. : Col. Moses Newell, of West Newbury, Col. T. W. 

 Ward, of Shrewsbury, and Thomas E. Payson, Esq., of Salem. 

 They undertook the task, with a full con-viction of the impor- 

 tance of the duty assigned to them, and devoted themselves to 

 it with unwearied zeal. Their report, which is appended, speaks 

 for itself, and shows the care and labor they bestowed upon the 

 matter, and the conclusion which they arrived at, met with the 

 unanimous approval of the trustees, who, in accordance with 

 the report of the committee, awarded the premium of one thou- 

 sand dollars to the Heath machine, entered by D. C. Henderson, 

 of Chicago, Illinois. 



