514 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



equally well, and the cogs stood their ground, and the straps 

 kept their position, the judges would be warranted in re- 

 warding the machine that performed well and escaped these 

 accidents. (Hear, hear.) The case named by Mr. Ransame 

 Btrongly reminded him of what took place some years since^ 

 where he (Mr. Bennett) acted as one of the judges, in the 

 trial of the chaff machines, some eighteen in number. The 

 judges placed them in competition, and requiring them all 

 to cut a certain length, allowed them to employ any man 

 they pleased — he thought it was for five minutes. When 

 they coucluded that the machine which did the work well, 

 and the most of it in the time, was the best, the lot fell upon 

 Mr. Cornea, and he thought they pretty well succeeded, as 

 that maker had kept his poeiti on nearly ever since (Hear, 

 hear). Now, on that occasion he recollected a very excellent 

 maker, Mr. Garrett, was unlucky enough to have hia 

 machine choked, performing next to nothing. That gen- 

 tleman begged for another trial ; but our reply was, we 

 felt bound to select for reward if possible a machine that 

 would not choke. Now, it is doubtless known to most 

 of the gentlemen present that certain very eminent manu- 

 facturers of implements had become weary of these trials, 

 and resolved to discountenance them by ceasing to ex- 

 hibit at the Royal Society's meeting (" Order "), He con- 

 tended he was in order ; the question was, could any 

 better system be adopted of bringing out and keeping before 

 thepubUc the best class of agricultural implements.' He, 

 for one, could not consent to have the present system abused 

 or discountenanced till a better one was substituted. If, 

 however, the truth must come out, these gentlemen are 

 the very Leviathans of their order, and they are resolved 

 not again to swim in these shallow waters ; the con- 

 sequence is that the smaller of the fiuny tribe can revel 

 now in their absence with far less danger to them- 

 selves. But to drop all figure, he contended these 

 gentlemen were in great error. It might be very inconve- 

 nient, and doubtless was, to keep up this competition, and 

 they had to pay individually a heavy penalty for their own 

 popularity, still the community reaped the benefit. And 

 he would contend that the proceedings of the Royal 

 Society, ever since its establishment, had by encouraging 

 competition effected immense benefit to the country, and 

 was making British agriculture the envy and admiration of 

 surrounding nations. No one would rejoice more than him- 

 self to see any improvement effected in the mode of testing 

 the merits of different implements ; but let well alone, and 

 he begged them most of all not to cease to encourage the 

 spirit of emulation among all classes of the agricultural 

 community (cheers). 



Mr. S. Sidney thought that Mr. Hobbs had clearly shown 

 that the trials had hitherto been in the highest degree un- 

 satisfactory. He agreed with Mr. Bennett that the Eoyal 

 Agricultural Society had, by exciting competition, done a 

 great deal of good to the cause of agricultural improvement. 

 But when gentlemen claimed the whole merit of the im- 

 provements of the last twenty years for that society, they 

 forgot that machinery not Agricultural was, comparatively 

 speaking, in a very backward state twenty years ago, and 

 that it had improved without the help of judges. If he now 

 had occasion to buy a watch, a locomotive engine, or a 

 printing press, he would find that mechanical skill had 

 made great strides of late years, and it would be great in 

 justice to the ngriculturisls, as a class, to suppose that if 

 they had been left to themselves they would not have made 

 any advance. As regarded steam cultivation, he could not 

 help remarking that Mr. Smith, of Woolston, had on one 



occasion been entirely excluded from the competition ; and 

 although he had done more to promote that kind of culti- 

 vation than any other man in the Kingdom, he had been en- 

 tirely ignored by the Society. But, like many others, 

 he had earned a very fair share of success without 

 winning one prize. He agreed with the preceding speakers, 

 that many of the decisions of the judges were alto- 

 gether contradictory. As regarded mowing machines, 

 one year the palm was given to one machiue, the next year 

 to another, and the next to a third. He would defy any one 

 to form a correct idea from the reports as to which was the. 

 best mowing or reaping machines ; under these circum- 

 stances he would not undertake to say whether or not it 

 was desirable that the trials should be continued, but 

 he would undertake to prove that up to the present time 

 they had rendered no service to the agriculturists of Eng- 

 land, except by leading to increased inquiry. If any advan- 

 tange was to be derived from trials, they must be conducted 

 in a different manner from that now practised. 



Mr. Skelton : You don't say how. 



Mr. SiDXEY : I do not pretend to say how ; it is too diffi- 

 cult a point for me to pronounce an opinion upon. 



Mr. Shackel (Erleigh Court, Eeading) said, as one of 

 tlie judges at Chester, he must say that he felt very much 

 indebted, personally, to the Koyal Agricultural Society for 

 increasing his knowledge of agricultural machinery. He 

 believed that the tiials had rendered very great assistance 

 to the agriculture of this country. He had attended every 

 meeting of the Society since the Oxford meeting, twenty 

 years ago, and he had observed a vast improvement, which 

 extended throughout the country. It was very easy to say 

 that agriculturists would have improved without trials, but 

 he very much doubted that they would have improved at the 

 same rate as other classes of society. They were a slow- 

 moving body (" Hear, hear," from Mr. Sidney^, and they 

 could not be expected to move unless there were something 

 to impel them forward. He agreed with Mr. Hobbs that it 

 was desirable thai in some cases more regard should be 

 paid to the season which was most suitable for trials. The 

 greatest facilities had been aflForded for the trial of thrash- 

 ing machines: but as respected ploughing, he agreed with 

 preceding speakers, that the conclusions arrived at had not 

 been as satisfactory as they would have been if the trials 

 had taken place at the proper season. No man could fail 

 to see that Mr. Hobbs had on that occasion come forward 

 fearlessly on behalf of the Royal Agricultural Society. At 

 the last meeting there was something which manifestly re- 

 quired to be adjusted in some w.iy. He trusted that the 

 difiference of opinion which had arisen would ere long dis- 

 appear. He thought the best course, under the circum- 

 Btances, was to form a committee, in which the Society and 

 the implement makers could be represented, with a view to 

 a proper settlement of the dispute. He would fearlessly 

 assert that there were gentlemen representing the Royal 

 Agi-icultural Society who knew no more of ploughing, reap- 

 ing, or sowing than one of his cart-horses (laughter). In 

 this case there should be practical men to meet practical 

 men. Farmers and implement makers should meet to- 

 gether in consultation, and he had no doubt the result 

 would be satisfactory. 



Mr. B. Samuelson (Banbury) said, the gentleman who 

 spoke last hud hit on one of the most vulnerable points in the 

 trials, namely, the want of practical knowledge on the part 

 of those who laid down the conditions according to which the 

 judges were to give their awards. He thought that if, instead 

 of gentlemen whose knowledge of the subject was very slight 



