292 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



Report of the Committee on Mowing' Machines. 



To the Trustees of the Massachusetts Society for the Promotion of Agriculture : — 



The subscribers, selected by your Honorable Board to inspect 

 the work of the different mowing machines entered for premium, 

 and to judge of their merits, respectfully report: — 



Of the number who had signified their intention to compete 

 for the premium, there were, at the time of our appointment, 

 ten who had complied with the conditions on which it was 

 offered, and had given notice of the places selected by them for 

 the operation of their several machines, to wit: Messrs. J. C. 

 & D. Elliott, A. Dietz, Howard <fe Wood, Nourse, Mason & Co., 

 J. P. Adriance, A. D. Briggs, R. L. Allen, Jones & Thompson, 

 E. Danforth & Co., and D. C. Henderson. 



These competitors were all notified to be in readiness to mow 

 five acres or more of grass in our presence, at the several places 

 by them selected for that purpose, on a particular day named, 

 a day having been assigned to each. 



The Messrs. Elliott, Dietz, and Howard & Wood gave notice 

 that they were not prepared to exhibit their machines at the 

 time appointed, and withdrew from the contest. 



Messrs. Jones & Thompson exhibited their machine, but did 

 not attempt to mow five acres. They likewise withdrew from 

 competition. Their machine was new, had scarcely before been 

 tried in the grass, and its operation probably afforded as little 

 satisfaction to them as it did to us. In its main features, and 

 particularly in its cutting arrangement, it resembles the machine 

 of E. Danforth & Co. As we shall notice that machine here 

 after, it is not necessary to give a further description of this. 



The six other competitors each cut more than five acres of 

 grass, the time occvipied varying little on the average, from one 

 hour to an acre. The machine entered by Mr. Adriance, was 

 the only one which did its work in less than that time. Five 

 acres and twenty-seven rods were mowed by him, in four hours 

 and fifty-one minutes. In speaking of the time occupied, no 

 deduction is made for stops. 



It will be readily seen that these trials furnished very insuffi- 

 cient data by which to judge of the comparative merits of the 

 different machines. 



