THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



193 



exist Uoo excellent machines at least. Last year, at the 

 meeting thfit was held, as this year, on the rural domain 

 established by the Emperor at Fouilleuse, it had been 

 stated that agriculture had already brought into use 

 machines that were calculated to render the harvest in- 

 dependent of the scarcity of hands and the inclemency 

 of the seasons ; but there remains still a great number 

 of improvements to be wished for. Can the machines 

 reap upon the ridge and upon hilly ground ? Will they 

 resist stones ? Will they cut at need the laid wheat ? 

 Will they be constructed so as to meet all the varied 

 conditions of a morcelled system of agriculture in an 

 undulating country, intersected only with narrow lanes? 

 We can reply to all these questions only by working the 

 machines upon such land, and watching their operation. 

 Besides, the Minister of Agriculture has decided that 

 the prizes proposed for the reaping machines exhibited 

 at the national and general meeting at Paris, shall not 

 be awarded until after careful trials made at a proper 

 time. 



But the problem to be solved possesses a general im- 

 portance, and interests entire humanity. The govern- 

 ment of the Emperor takes a broad view of these ques- 

 tions ; it assigns no limits to inventors, and has resolved 

 that the late competition of mechanical reapers should 

 be open to foreign machinists, of whatever country, 

 without at the same time the French machinists having 

 to run the chance of seeing themselves deprived of the 

 rewards they have deserved by their efforts. Conse- 

 quently, the machines sent for competition have been 

 divided into two classes, the foreign and the French 

 machines ; and to each of the classes have been assigned 

 three prizes of 1,000, 500, and 300 francs, accompanied 

 with medals of gold, silver, and bronze, besides honour- 

 able mentions confirmed by bronze medals. The Minister 

 of Agriculture has also decided that a large gold medal 

 shall be awarded, with the title of honorary prize, to the 

 exhibitor of the machine acknowledged to be the best 

 in the collection of the exhibition, be it foreign or 

 French. In order to .avoid all misconception and dis- 

 putes between the exhibitors of a machine of a similar 

 system which should be re-produced by a manufacturer 

 without evident improvements, the administration of 

 agriculture had, besides causing to be placed, as a note 

 inserted at the end of the catalogue of the machines ex- 

 hibited, the following extract from the report of the 

 International Jury of Vincennes, in accordance with the 

 jurisprudence adopted in 1859 at the meeting of Fouil- 

 leuse, also decided that the nationality of the inventor, 

 and not that of the constructor, shall constitute the 

 nationality of the machine in such a way as that we 

 ought to regard as foreign every machine invented by 

 a foreigner, and first tried in another country, when 

 even it should now be manufactured in a French 

 workshop. But it was at the same time admitted that 

 evident and useful improvementsmadein the construction 

 of machines primarily invented by a foreigner should 

 suffice to have those machines recognised in future as 

 French machines. " These principles having, moreover, 

 been adopted by the new jury of Fouilleuse, it cannot 

 foresee any difficulty in the distributio:i of awards, 

 which, in the estimation of the government, ought to 

 encourage all the deserving in proportion to the service 

 rendered, the inventors as well as the importers, the 

 constructors, the distributors of new machines, and the 

 workmen who contributed by their zeal and perseverance 

 in causing them to be adopted." 



2nd. The new competition of Fouilleuse reckons 43 

 machines, of which 19 were foreign and 24 French. 

 In this number there were several hand-machines, in 

 which one might certainly discover laborious efforts of 

 imagination ; but a rapid examination did not fail to 

 convince us that the inventors had designed to inter- 



pose between the scythe and theengineman ; employing 

 to pure loss, considerable power in order to obtain use- 

 less or insignificant results. The handle of his scythe, 

 and his hand, when it is necessary to have recourse to 

 the man to make it move, are certainly the best ma- 

 chines imaginable. The jury think it right to warn 

 those inventors who persevere in endeavouring to find 

 means of pushing forward such machines, that they 

 spend in vain their time and talents in a search destitute 

 of any practical utility. 



Deducting the absent exhibitors and the impracticable 

 machines, there remained 22 really useful for harvest- 

 work, and dividing themselves in the following manner. 

 The selling prices indicated arc those of machines taken 

 at the factories : — 



Four machines by Messis. Burgess and Key, ex- 

 hibited either by those makers, by Clubb and Smith, by 

 M. Laurent or by M. Ganneron, price 1,662 francs 50 

 cents. 



The celebrated machine invented in 1828 by Patrick 

 Bell, of Scotland, and brought from the county of 

 Perth to Paris by his brother, Mr. George Bell, price 

 1,250 francs. 



Five machines, invented in America, by Mr. Wood, 

 and exhibited by Messrs. Cranstoun, Clubb and Smith, 

 and Claudon, price 950 to 1,050 francs. 



One machine invented by Mr. Cuthbert, of Bedule, 

 Yorkshire (England), price 587 fr. 60 c. 



Two machines on Hussey's system, exhibited by 

 Messrs. Clubb and Smith, and by M. Ganneron, price 

 750 to 800 francs. 



The American machine, with automatic arms, by 

 Adkins, exhibited by Ganneron, and made by Bediard, 

 price 930 francs. 



Two machines on Manny's system, made by Roberts, 

 and exhibited by that manufacturer and M. Peltier, 

 price 800 francs. 



A machin* invented, constructed, and exhibited by 

 M. Cournier, of St. Roman's (Isere), price 800 francs. 



Three machines invented and made by M. Mazier, of 

 Laigle (Orne), exhibited by that inventor and M. Gan- 

 neron, price 800 francs. 



A machine, invented, made, and exhibited by M. 

 Lallier, of Venizel (Aisne), price 1,000 francs. 



A machine, invented, made, and exhibited by M. 

 Legendre, of St. Jean-d'Angely (Charente-inferieure), 

 price 350 francs. 



A machine constructed by Messrs. Renaud and Lotz, 

 invented and exhibited by M. Robin, of Nantes (Loire- 

 inferieure), price 1,400 francs. 



3rd. The director of the farm of Fouilleuse had par- 

 celled out, for the trials of the jury, and those for the 

 public, thirty-nine lots, containing from 15 to 18 ares. 

 The jury decided that each machine belonging to a spe- 

 cial system should be first called to perform in twelve 

 parcels, constituted as equally as possible, presenting 

 wheat standing, and of an average produce. The par- 

 eels were drawn by lot amongst the competitors. A 

 number of the jury was besides appointed to follow, 

 step by step, each machine during its work, to note all 

 the circumstances of its progress, and to appreciate all 

 the particularities of the ground or the crop. After the 

 iirst trials, the machines were also engaged by compari- 

 son in parcels bearing wheat much thicker, partially 

 beaten down in different directions, and growing upon a 

 clay soil, yielding readily under the weight of the wheels. 



The machines, of the systems of Bell, Burgess and 

 Key, Woods, Cuthbert, Manny, Cournier, Mazier, and 

 Legendre have alone succeeded in the tasks imposed 

 upon them in the first experiments. 



The following table exhibits the resume of the results 

 stated, such as they have been collected by each mem- 

 ber of the jury :— 



