THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



427 



chiues iu use iu Euglaud have liscu from a broader 

 origin, aud exhibit much more diversity in their 

 structure thau the Scotch ones. It would be need- 

 less to go over all the improvements real or supposed 

 that have from time 1o time been patented and 

 brought before the public. 1 may raeution shortly, 

 that Mr. H. P. Lee, of Maidenhead Thicket, first 

 introduced the principle of feeding without rollers, 

 and his machine is supposed to contain the germ of 

 the best English thrashing machines of the present 

 day. The peg drum machine was invented by Mr. 

 Aitkinson, of Masham in Yorkshire ; it likewise has 

 a high speed drum, but it has not obtained the suc- 

 cess at first anticipated from it. lUibbiug, bolting, 

 or high speed drums have always in England been 

 more iu favour than those on the beater principle. 

 Eor long the thrashing mills in general use there, 

 have been carried about from one farm to another, 

 and let out for a time to those who required them ; 

 they used to be only made for thrashing, and had 

 seldom either circular rake or fanner attached, the 

 want 'of which enabled them more easily to obtain 

 the requisite siieed for these drums. A few years 

 ago they were all propelled by horses ; but now steam, 

 with improved niachiuery, which not only thrashes, 

 but dresses, sacks, and weighs the corn ready for the 

 market all at one operation, has completely banished 

 Ihese horse machines. Of course, men who make a 

 livelihood by going about witli thrashing machines 

 are in a very different position from Scotch farmers, 

 who consider it absolutely necessary to have a fixed 

 machine on every farm. When the latter erect a 

 mill, they expect it will rerve their sons after them, 

 and that it should thrash tolerably clean is all that 

 has hitherto been expected from it. J3ut a machine 

 that is made to be let out goes at once to the wall, 

 if another appears iu the district with a single point 

 of superiority. The introduction of portable steam 

 engines gave the means of working a higher class 

 of machinery, aud the possessor of one improved 

 machine compelled the purchase of many, which 

 must have created a large demand, and accounts at 

 once for the spring that has been lately made by the 

 English makers, and the perfection to which their 

 juachiaes have so suddenly aud recently attained. It 

 was only in] 84:2 that the first portable thrashing 

 machine on wheels driven by steam was made by 

 Messrs Tuxford of Boston. The first combined 

 thrashing machine was also brought out by them in 

 iSi-i for Mr. George Holland of Carriugtou ; the 

 combination consisting in this case of only one part 

 besides the thrashing drum. They were speedily 

 followed and iraproveel on by other firms and makers ; 

 and doubtless Messrs. Tuxford's machines are now 

 something very different, and their originals will 

 long ago have been thrown aside as useless lumber. 

 In 18.51, Messrs. Clayton & Shuttleworth of Lincoln 

 constructed ))ortable machines, which dressed the 

 corn twice at one operation, which was considered a 

 great stretch, until iu 18.55 the machine was made 

 to dress and finish it for market. In describing 

 these improvements, I have no intention of singling 

 out particular firms as being superior to others ; in 

 fact, I know too little of the construction that dis- 

 tinguishes the machines of many eminent makers, to 

 be able to draw comparisons. But having been for 

 a long time much dissatisfied with my thrashing 



machuic, and thinking of having a new one, I paid 

 some attention to the portable machines at the 

 lloyal Enghsh Agricultural Society's Show at Car- 

 lisle, aud was much struck with their performances. 

 Several of Clayton and Co's machines having 

 been put up in Scotland, I took an early opportunity 

 or iuspccting the one obtained by my friend, Mr. 

 Ciulland, at Monktonhall. I was so pleased with it 

 tliat I was resolved to have one of the same con- 

 siruction. Accordingly, Messrs Clayton, Shuttle- 

 worth & Co. fixed one for me last summer. It is 

 driven by a six-horse engine, erected by Mr. Sked, 

 in 183(3. I have got a new boiler 18 feet long, and 

 02 feet diameter ; the old one, being barely 12 feet, 

 was considered too small. I find 1 have abundance 

 of power, and now consume considerably less eoal 

 than formerly. This machine gives me entire satis- 

 faction. I have now thmshed nearly a whole year's 

 crop with it, and we have never had any breakage 

 or the slightest trouble with it, aud it continues to 

 go as smoothly aud efficiently as the day it was 

 started. It thrashes and dresses white corn equal 

 to the average samples iu Haddington market ; 

 beans come from it rough, but it thrashes them well, 

 only requiring the concave beloAV the drum to be 

 thrown well back. I generally put the grain through 

 the hand fanners previous to measuring it up, as this 

 equalises the sample ; and though previously well 

 cleaned, every practical man knows that grain is well 

 dressed indeed, if you cannot blow or riddle some- 

 thing out of it. I will now attempt to give you a 

 short description of this machine. There are no 

 feeding rollers, but the opening to the drum is 

 rather below the centre of it, and the straw or grain 

 is put in crossways, for it does not signify whether 

 the heads come first or not, and they pass Ijelow the 

 drum, iu place of above it, as in the Scotch drum. 

 This drum is styled Goueher's patent, with Clayton's 

 improvements. Both it and the concave below it, 

 through which a great part of the grain passes at 

 ouce, arc made of wrought iron. The drum is 4 ft. 

 6 in length, aud 1 ft . 1 in diameter. It presents a 

 rounded surface to the corn, grooved in an oblique 

 direction ; one arm is grooved obliquely from right 

 to left, the next from left to right. The drum 

 makes 1000 revolutions in a minute. The straw is 

 thrown by its rapid motion at once on the shaker, 

 which is termed Goods' Patent Shaker. It is di- 

 vided into five boxes, three of which are on rocking 

 arms at the receiving end, and two at the delivery 

 end, which causes three at the delivery end to re- 

 ceive a jerking action, and two at the receiving end 

 the same; the cranks being placed iu the centre, 

 cause an equal upright jerking movement through- 

 out. As the one set of boxes ascends the other set 

 descends, by which means the straw receives a suc- 

 cession of sharp blows, which effectually shakes out 

 all loose graiu. This succession of blows also car- 

 ries forward the straw from the drura,^ and makes 

 room for the succeeding portion. Except this 

 shaker, which has boxes below it requiring to be 

 filled with grease once a dajr, all the other bearings 

 or parts requiring to be oiled are outside the ma- 

 chine. A great part of the corn falls at once 

 through the concave on to a plaiu board, which ex- 

 teuds also below the shakers. This board has^ a 

 reciprocating action on an inclination, which cames 



