THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



57 



brought most carefully to the show, laid down on its 

 side, and the greatest care tuKen to prevent its being 

 suffocated. They laid on fat at an immense cost, and 

 took it off at great risk." 



There have been few short speeches that have ever 

 contained more good practical matter, or sound sensi- 

 ble argument than tliis. It thus appears that the 

 direction of the Dorchester Meeting was in this some- 

 what anomalous position — A majority of the Council 

 declared against the Prize List, wliile their Chairman 

 and an immense majority of the farmers themselves 

 are in favour of such a test. But Lord Rivers was 

 answered, and first by another noble lord and past 

 President of the Society. "Lord Purtnian, although 

 he was not one of those who had the slightest notion 

 of the existence of finality, still thought the science of 

 agricultural machinery and implements was so far ad- 

 vanced, and the task of deciding which exhibitor had 

 the highest claims was so difficult, that it was not de- 

 sirable for the society to give prizes for agricultural 

 machinery, and thus giving its authoritative opinion, 

 but rather leave it open to anybody to test the merits 

 of the implements exhibitefl." And Mr. Acland, 

 again, miuntained " that the Society by offering pre- 

 miums would incur too great a responsibility, and 

 thought it better to leave everybody to choose for him- 

 self, without being biassed by the Society's judgment." 

 Lord Rivers may be well left to defend himself, and 

 we would only counsel his lordship to not too readily 

 question the soundness of his own opinion. There are 

 hundreds on hundreds even in the Society he presides 

 over who think with him. Let him ofiier the premium 

 for the new implement by all manner of means, and 

 let him direct Mr. Samuelson to enter for it. 



As it was, the President led the way witli the entries 

 exhibited at work in the field. lie sent a clod-crusher 

 on the Northumberland form, pulverizing the land by 

 friction, and driven from a seat fixed on the machine. 

 Then Mr. Coleman showed off the merits of one of his 

 well-known cultivators ; while ploughs were ordered 

 out by the Hornsbys, the Howards, the Ransomes, 

 Page of Bedford, Reeves, Pearse, Wallis and Haslam, 

 and Galpin. Hornsby had three ploughs at work during 

 the two days at different depths, and Ransome, Page, 

 and Wallis and Haslam two each. According to general 

 opinion, so far as we could gather it, the names of these 

 first three or four makers are' given as they would have 

 been placed had prizes been awarded. The point of excel- 

 lence was clearly between these two now registered com- 

 Ijetitors — the Hornsbys and tlie Howards, with the for- 

 mer for choice. The Grantham people were thought 

 never to have performed better; and they had from the 

 first the lion's share of attention. Ransome improved 

 considerably on the second day in what they had to offei", 

 and Page and Reeves came close up with him. Com- 

 bined reapers and mowers were put into action by 

 Cranston, with Wood's American machine, and by 

 Prentice; reapers by Cuthbert of Bedale, and Hellandof 

 Taunton; and mowers by Cranston (Wood's), 

 Samuelson, and Prentice. Of all these the only 

 one that did really good work was Cranston 



with Wood's American combined machine, which 

 took amazingly, and is just what all the world is look- 

 ing for. Mr. Burgess, although in the yard, declined 

 on the part of his firm to go into the field without 

 judges were appointed by the Society. He has, 

 it appears on some occasions, done so, when 

 nearly everyone of his opponents publicly announced 

 hereafter that they had beaten the famous Newgate- 

 street reaper. Indeed, we have very little doubt but 

 that it will turn outby-and-bye that every bit of ma- 

 chinery in work at Dorchester was the best of its 

 sort, and tliat every body said so. Wallis and Haslam 

 had their harrows in use, and Ashby his rotary 

 harrow, as well as a hay-maker and horse-rake. Page, 

 of Bedford, had also a horse-rake, which acted very 

 efficiently. But the crowning point of the exhibition 

 a-field was Smith's (of Woolston) cultivator, as shown 

 by the Howards. It was put to work in a ley on a hill 

 side, a piece of ground that from its rise, two or three 

 years since would have been considered almost alto- 

 gether impracticable for the purposes of steam cul- 

 tivation. The Smith, however, did its duty admirably, 

 and with a certain ease and regularity in the arrange- 

 ments that shows how certainly it is coming into conve- 

 nient use. Still the Dorestshire farmers as a body hardly 

 appreciated the services of so valuable an ally. In a 

 word, we believe they did not practically understand it. 

 They were unaccustomed to the smashing and tearing 

 up, and so were disappointed in not finding something 

 more sightly and neat in appearance. In the yard a 

 long line of engines with the steam up was becomingly 

 headed by Tuxfoids with their now "double first," 

 while in something of succession followed Haywood, 

 Turner of Ipswich, Clayton and Shuttleworth, Hornsby, 

 Maggs, Cambridge, Garrett, Barrett and Exall, Ran- 

 some, Humphreys, Picklesby. and others. And then, 

 scattered over an unusually large area, a great deal too 

 much scattered in fact, were the stands or business 

 depots of all the houses we have mentioned, amjily fur- 

 nished with those commodities for which each is more 

 or less famous, and that the very names of the different 

 firms will suggest. To these we may add Richmond 

 and Chandler, Nicholson, Smith of Stamford, Priest 

 and Woolnough, Fry, Gardner, Carson, Busby, 

 Crosskill, Holmes of Norwich, James, George Parsons, 

 Tasker, Boby, Barnard, and an almost infinite et 

 ccBtera, some of whom "under the circumstances" 

 were nearly inaccessible. Even had the show ground 

 been in a better condition, the strength of this section 

 should have been more concentrated. As it was, a 

 brook or bog, or some such a queer place, had to be 

 negotiated, and one little colony was anxiously awaiting 

 the extension of the telegraph to its shores. There was 

 really no other means of convenient communication. 



And, then, alas ! the Aits Department boarded over 

 and covered in, where ladies could find shelter, " com- 

 bined with instruction and amusement," was at the ut- 

 termost extremity. Literally through that Slough of 

 Despond had they to travel ere they could reach 

 "the Moment of Victory," or learn from Mr. Acland 

 how they should be really rigged out for rough weather. 



