248 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



Smith's cultivator. The mowers, haymakers, and rakes 

 were tried in the Meadow Park, Baghill-lane, a field of 

 some twenty-seven acres. There were only four mowers 

 entered for competition, though there were about a 

 dozen catalogued for exhibition. These were Burgess 

 and Key's (£30), shown by Clay, of Walton, near 

 Wakefield; Wood's reaper and mower combined 

 (£'35), an American machine, shown by Robinson, of 

 Leeds ; Bamlet's improved, shown by Kearnsley, 

 of Ripon ; and a second American machine (£20), 

 shown by Brigham and Beckerton, Berwick-upon- 

 Tweed. 



Last year, at Hull, the trial of reapers was the 

 best and most satisfactory we ever witnessed ; and 

 this year the mowing machines were well tested, 

 and the reaper trials were very properly postponed 

 till the corn was ready for harvesting. The steam- 

 cultivation trials were rightly managed, and, we 

 believe, a right result was arrived at, viz. , to prove 

 that it could be done as well and cheaper than by 

 horse labour, and failing that, the prize was withheld. 

 Mr. Fowler's steam-plough did its work in a masterly 

 way, ploughing deep and straight, and laying its work 

 as well as a Ransome, Howard, or Hornsby could have 

 laid it ; indeed, it was universally admired. On calcu- 

 lation of cost, compared with horse power, it was found 

 to be about 45 per cent, cheaper than by horses, and 

 this on comparatively light land, too. We have long 

 set it down as an accomplished fact, that on heavy lands 

 and in deep ploughing it was incomparably better and 

 cheaper ; but we were not prepared for such a proof of 

 its efficiency on a mild loam. This trial will go far to 

 prove its general applicability to all soils — a great desi- 

 deratum. Mr. Fowler next applied his cultivating ap- 

 paratus ; this was a similar balance-plough, without the 

 mould- board, and having a sort of goose-necked prong 

 to beat in pieces the soil as broken up by the plough 

 with its skeleton shares. This operation also made ex- 

 cellent work, which met also general approval. We 

 have seen Mr. Fowler's steam-plough and cultivator at 

 work many times, but we have never seen such good 

 work performed as at Pontefract. The only regret was 

 the small area allotted him. 



Robertson, of Spalding, brought forward, rather late 

 in the trial, a set of Smith's tackle and cultivators; 

 but in attempting too much, like other ambitious exhi- 

 bitors, he failed to do the work satisfactorily, and con- 

 sequently the judges could not give his apparatus an 

 honourable place. It showed, however, great power 

 and applicability. 



The grass- mowers were put to work upon a 

 strong crop of old grass, and, to the surprise of 

 everybody, the greater portion of the work was 

 done in a way that could not have been attained by 

 the scythe. The field was one of those high ridge-and- 

 furrow lands which so greatly obstruct modern improve- 

 ments. The mowers cleverly cleaned out the furrows 

 and bounded over the ridges, scattering the grass behind 

 so as scarcely to need a tedder. The difficulty was to 

 decide the prize, the competition being the closest be- 

 tween Burgess and Key's machine and Cranston's : the 

 latter, having the advantage of price and compactness, 

 carried the palm. Brigham and Buckston's mower made 

 also excellent work. 



The hay-tedders came next, and a close com- 

 petition ensued between the tedders of Ashby and Co. 

 and of Kearsley. The hay-rakes came next : and here 

 we must remark that this unavoidable circumstance of 

 having to undergo the trial upon fresh-mown grass 

 cannot be considered a fair test of the efficiency of the 

 majority of the sixteen hay-rakes tried ; consequently, 

 those provided with means to press down the tines 

 closely to the ground and keep them there bad the best 



of it. Coultas obtained the prize with a very useful 

 implement. 



The other trials were in the yard, and, v?ilh the excep- 

 tion of Bradley and Craven's brickmaking machine, were 

 merely nominal. Our readers may probably recollect 

 the full account we gave ef the trials of Chamberlain's 

 machine at the Warwick Meeting. It professed to take 

 the clay or material (for it was not particular 

 as to the substance) from the clay-pit or hill-side, and 

 make it into solid bricks at one combined operation of 

 the machine. This was upon a similar principle, and 

 exhibiting great power, it certainly appeared capable of 

 fulfilling its promises. The earth in the present trial 

 was, however, rather moist, but unkneaded. This was 

 thrown by a shovel into the pugging-hopper, where it 

 was apparently ground, and from which it was pressed 

 into moulds fixed in a revolving table. These moulds, 

 on coming immediately under the presser, were, by the 

 nice adjustment of the machinery, detained for an in- 

 stant to receive the requisite pressure, this vary- 

 ing according to the nature of the material to the 

 extent of three hundred and forty pounds. The table 

 then moves on, and, owing to the same nice adjustment, 

 they are pressed out of the moulds on to an endless web, 

 so arranged as to carry them free of the machine. The 

 time being taken, proved it capable of making 1,800 

 bricks per hour. Price ^220. Bentall again takes 

 first prize for his pulper ; the trustees of Mr. 

 Crosskill for waggon ; Busby and Co. for cart; James 

 Coultas, for corn and turnip drill, and for another with 

 artificial manure and small seed drill ; Watkinson 

 for liquid manure drill ; R. and J. Reeve for manure 

 distributor ; and Bradley and Craven received the first- 

 class silver medal for their brick-moulding machine. 

 These were the special prizes ; for the remaining honours 

 we must refer to the prize list. 



The implement show was a superior one, and was 

 exhibited in a very convenient field adjoining the town, 

 and chiefly under shedding. Our leading houses were 

 nearly all represented, either in person or by agents, so 

 that buyers or visitors might inspect their peculiar manu- 

 factures in a comparatively short time. There were 119 

 stands, with implements and articles in great variety, 

 and under more judicious selection than we frequently 

 see at these meetings — the reaping and mowing 

 machines occupying a large space, there being 

 thirty-three entries. For steam engines and 

 thrashing machines there were thirty-two entries. 

 The waggon and cart classes were well filled, as 

 were also the various drill classes. In the miscella- 

 neous department, for which no specific prizes were 

 off"ered, we saw many very useful implements, machines, 

 and other necessary articles ; amongst which we would 

 name Pike's cylinder pump or fire engine, which we 

 saw in work at Canterbury, throwing water in very large 

 quantities to the distance of 80 to 90 feet, requiring but 

 four men to work it, and the price of the five-inch 

 cylinder not exceeding £15. In a recent trial at Spald- 

 ing it threw water faster than a large engine requiring ten 

 men to work it. It is very compact, and could be easily 

 moved in a common wheelbarrow. Mason had a capital 

 collection of weighing machines in variety. E. Hum- 

 phries has at length perfected his white water or smut 

 machine attached to his thrashing machine. Goucher's 

 beaters and presses deserve notice. Turners are indefati- 

 gable in their exhibition of excellent crushing and other 

 mills. The collection shown by Puckering and Houlgate 

 attracted great attention. Hornsby and the North of 

 England Company declined competition for the prizes ; 

 but both showed excellent stands, and Hornsby's 

 ploughs were set out in regular gradation for their 

 several orders of ploughing. Milton's revolving screen 

 deserves mention : it is so arranged, that the wires can 



