142 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



seemed to be a somewhat general desire to cut over more land 

 than any other person, rather than to cut better than any other 

 competitor. 



The committee will perceive that there has been no expres- 

 sion of opinion as to the merits of any machine. Some were 

 used at the commencement of the trial, which were subsequently 

 abandoned. In some instances it may well be doubted whether 

 a longer continuance in the use of the machine would not have 

 led to a greater degree of satisfaction Avith its performance. 

 There is no risk in the assertion, that the machine has not yet 

 been put in operation in New England which deserves our un- 

 qualified recommendation. Each patent which has come under 

 the observation of the undersigned has serious faults, and it is 

 well that another twelvemonth is allowed to inventors to perfect 

 their machines. 



Such as the machines are, however, the vindersigned desires 

 to testify to the general good work done by them, and the opin- 

 ion is unhesitatingly expressed, that much expense and more 

 hard labor has been saved by their use. They can be used, in 

 the opinion of the undersigned, over lands much more rough 

 than has generally been thought safe for them, and used, too, 

 with advantage. 



The labor required of the team is not so hard as when used 

 before the plough. It is a curious fact that every competitor 

 is satisfied of the truth of this observation, and the scales in all 

 instances where such test has been applied, showed an increase 

 in weight of the horses while engaged in the mowing trial. 



Early in the examination of the lands mowed it was apparent 

 that no judgment of the work of one individual, as compared 

 with that of another, could be formed, based at all upon the 

 closeness of the cut, or, in other words, the length of the stub- 

 ble left in the track of the machine. A very marked difl^erence, 

 in this respect, was at once perceived, not in all cases depend- 

 ing upon the choice of the operator. Still there is so great 

 difference of opinion about the closeness of cut desirable, and 

 so great a diversity in practice, in different portions of the State, 

 as to forbid the consideration of this point. Some cut high 

 from choice, others made a merit of necessity. 



Laying out of view tlie comparative closeness of cut, the de- 

 gree of excellence depended almost entirely upon the skill of 



