THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



117 



apparatus is only that of a ton of oilcake or guano. A 

 somewhat similar machine was exhibited at the Paris 

 agricultural show, but the work is more rapid and easy 

 in the present one, and the fabric is of a superior de- 

 scription when made. In the French loom, two wires 

 embrace the handfuls of straw introduced between them, 

 by simply crossing each other ; the result being that the 

 fabric is a succession of small bundles, with a thin par- 

 tition between which can almost be seen through ; 

 whereas in this machine one stout wire runs along one 

 side of the fabric, preserving a flat and even face, while 

 the other wire, being much finer, is passed round the 

 stronger one, and ties the straw to it, the fabric being 

 ribbed only on one side — this makes a fabric of continu- 

 ous thickness without apertures for rain to penetrate 

 through. There should be the facility of being able to 

 set the rows of wire at a closer or wider distance apart, 

 to suit different lengths of straw. The inventor declares 

 that water will not soak or drive through this thatch ; 

 but it may be made of several inches' tliickness, and 

 in placing upon the rick the '• lap" may be made so 

 great as to give two or more thicknesses, like "courses" 

 of ordinary thatch. More space, however, should be 

 made between the two intervening wires, so that a much 

 thicker and coarser fabric might be made. Still, some 

 of the thatch has served admirably during one year, and 

 is now stored up, and in good order for being used a 

 second time in the coming harvest. Of course the ap- 

 plications of such a fabric are very numerous, and brick- 

 makers, poultry-keepers, sheep-folders, gardeners, and 

 wall-fruit growers, will find the value of such a cheap 

 and effective shelter or shade. Messrs. Picksley and Sims, 

 of Manchester, exhibit chaff-cutting machines, grinding- 

 mills, and lawn-mowers. Page and Co., of Bedford, 

 show their new chaff-cutter, their " Eclipse" iron plough, 

 horse-hoes, scufliers, diagonal iron harrows, and their 

 brick and tile machine, calculated to make, by hand- 

 power, 20,000 two-inch pipes, or 14,000 bricks per 

 day, or by steam-power 40,000 pipes, or 30,000 bricks 

 per day. The price is low for so efficient a machine. 

 On the stand of Messrs. Brown and May, of Devizes, 

 we see models of Romaine's forthcoming rotary steam- 

 cultivator, and of the endless railway, which is to sup- 

 port its weight over soft ground, a great improvement 

 upon the shoes of Mr. Boydell's engine. Hill and 

 Smith, of Dudley, have a very extensive stand, com- 

 prising an immense assortment of their implements, 

 fencing, and gates. Mr. Bentall, of Heybridge, shows, 

 in addition to his broadshare pulpers and harrows, a 

 new and improved chaff-cutter, with fly-wheel, made 

 with stiffer arms, to preserve truth of cut when in rapid 

 motion, a simple arrangement of the change-wheels for 

 different speeds of the feed-rollers, with an internal 

 toothed wheel, which is thus its own case ; he has also a 

 new and extremely simple and cheap, yet strong, efficient, 

 and durable bean-cutter. Messrs. Mapplebeck and 

 Lowe, of Birmingham, have a great variety of machines, 

 implements, and articles indispensable to the farmer, 

 and also to the gardener and the housekeeper. Woods 

 and Son, of Stowmarket, have an extensive show of 

 mills, pulpers, root-cutters, corn-crushers, carts, thrash- 

 ing-machines, and rollers. Mr. Ball, of Kettering, 

 shows his iron ploughs, scarifiers, and waggons and 

 carts. Mr. Ferrabee, of Stroud, exhibits chaff-cutters, 

 and mowing-machines. Ilensmanand Son, ofLeighton- 

 Buzzard, show thrashing machines, drills, steerage corn- 

 drills, and iron ploughs. Messrs. Newton, Wilson, and 

 Co., of Holborn, enter the sewing-machine for all 

 purposes, and of all patterns, for ladies or sempstresses. 

 These marvellous little machines are now offered at an 

 extremely low price, so that even the " cottage" is ex- 

 pected to avail itself of the rapid stitch, which in au 

 hour performs about a day's old-fashioned labour. 



Priest and Woolnough, of Kingston-on-Thames, show 

 drills and horse-hoes, and the turnip-duster and fly- 

 destroyer. Dray and Taylor, of London-bridge, have 

 a large assortment of first-class implements and ma- 

 chines. Mr. Thompson, of Lewes, shows his horse-rake, 

 hay-making machine, pumps, and levers. Mr. Weir, of 

 Oxford-street, sends models of Mr. Halkett's me- 

 thod of guideway steam agriculture. Cottam & Co., 

 of Oxford-street, show stable-fittings, and an im- 

 mense variety of articles, useful in farm-buildings and 

 gentlemen's premises. Messrs. Drury & Bigglestone, 

 of Canterbury, have the largest stand in the yard, filled 

 with machinery and implements of their own and of 

 most of the first-class manufacturers. Messrs. Han- 

 cock, of Gloucester, show their pulverizer plough, a 

 valuable implement for slicing up the furrow instead of 

 turning it over in a solid piece ; also their new butter- 

 making machine, which cools the hutter and extracts 

 the butter-milk even in the hottest weather without the 

 dairy maid touching the butter with her hands. Messrs. 

 Howard, Riches, and Watts, of Norwich, have a very 

 simple, strong, and durable grist mill ; Child's American 

 grain separator, operating by an " exhaust," which sub- 

 jects every grain to the test of gravity ; and also Child's 

 clever little machine for broadcasting seed, consisting of 

 a bag and hopper carried in front of the operator, hav- 

 ing a rapidly revolving small cone beneath, which flings 

 out the seed in a conical shower — a most ingenious little 

 instrument. Messrs. Thomas Gibbs and Co., of Half- 

 moon-street, the seedsmen to the Society, exhibit their 

 usually splendid collection of specimens in the ear, 

 grasses, enormous roots of fine quality, and samples 

 of pasture seeds. Mr. Thorley, of Newgate-street, 

 offers his cattle-food ; and Messrs. Lawson and Son, of 

 Edinburgh, a beautiful collection of seeds, samples and 

 specimens of grains, and roots. 



On Wednesday morning came off the event expected 

 with such thrilling interest by the Kentish farmers and 

 their men— the grand occasion when the whole world of 

 scientific implement-manufacturers were to be struck 

 dumb in presence of the inimitable feats of the genuine 

 Kentish plough. Twenty-six Kentish turn-rists, with 

 four horses and two men each — one of these being an 

 iron turn-rist of the same Kentish pattern, and newly 

 introduced as an improvement upon the primeval im- 

 plement of wood — forced their way to the trial field. 

 This proved to be a field of terrible trial and tribulation. 

 There was also with them one of Lowcock's 

 turnrest ploughs, as manufactured by Mr. Eddy, 

 of Exeter, which won the prize at Warwick last 

 year. The piece was a complete take-in to the 

 bold ploughmen, being an old pasture with a heavy 

 though dry soil, and a subsoil of stones and gravel con- 

 creted in clay. Certainly a good iron plough would 

 make fair work even in such an untoward situation ; 

 but unfortunately, none came up to show what might 

 be done with a proper tool, for the terms of competition 

 precluded all but ploughs performing their work " on 

 the Kentish system." Now, what this system is, nobody 

 seemed to know, and even half-a-dozen Kentish farrners 

 give as many different opinions as to the points required 

 in good ploughing. However, we believe the preference 

 is for a furrow cut and turned abruptly so as to shatter 

 and break it. The stubble or sward surface is to be com- 

 pletely turned over and buried with its face downwards, 

 and the furrow slice left in a round form. A ploughed 

 field consequently looks like a number of brown rope 

 cables lying side by side, with creases between. 

 Thus the oiig'-nl surface is perfectly buried, yet 

 the top is left not flat or with sharp angular 

 harrow edges, but corrugated, so that there is 

 plenty of mould for harrows to catch and spread. 

 To effect this object, tlic Kent ploughs have a 



