24 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



pretty appearance. Mr. John Gray, of Somerton, 

 officiated as steward of implements, and was most inde- 

 fatigable in attention to his duties. Mr. Widdicombe, 

 of Fonhil], Wybridge, was the director of the show, and 

 Mr. T. E, Knollys, of Fitzhead, near Taunton, the field 

 steward. We attended most of the trials, and it cer- 

 tainly did strike us that we had never seen the arrange- 

 ments better, or carried out with greater readiness. No 

 sooner did the judges demand a team or an implement, 

 but it was at once at their disposal. The chief secret of 

 this is in having a responsible man, under the stewards 

 — one who doea much to curtail the labours of the field 

 judges. These, again, we learnt, not only at Cardiff, but 

 on most other occasions, at the meetings of the Batli 

 and West of England Society, have been treated with 

 every attention — the best of accommodation, and other 

 creature-comforts liberally provided for them. This is 

 quite right for men who leave their business for many 

 days together, to serve such societies without remunera- 

 tion. Wo only hope the Council of the Royal Agricul- 

 tural Society of England may take a lesson from the 

 manner in which matters were managed here. 



Messrs. Caldwell and Wallis, as Judges, took the 

 thrashing machines and other implements for trial in 

 the yard ; Messrs. Lister and Scott the miscellaneous 

 department; Messrs. C. S. Read and John Clarke the 

 field implements and their trials ; and Messrs. Easton 

 and Gooch the engineering department. The trials com- 

 menced on Saturday morning, the 29th of May (Royal 

 Oak day, much observed here), Messrs. Easton and 

 Gooch commencing with the brakes. All being ready 

 the steam-engines were proceeded with, followed bj' 

 thrashing-machines. This was an interesting trial, con- 

 ducted as it was by two of our most experienced judges. 

 We are inclined to think highly of the adjudication, 

 which was said to be upon the plan laid down in a letter 

 addressed to the Council of the Royal Agricultural 

 Society of England a few weeks since, namely, the 

 system of points of merit and other details. Mr. 

 Humphrey may congratulate himself upon his dis- 

 tinguished success, upon such sound principles. The 

 Judges put those machines purporting to dress a per- 

 fect sample thr^jugh severe tests; and JJoby's celebrated 

 screen proved what everybody knew before, that per- 

 fection is unattainable in mundane affairs. The trial of 

 horse-gear, waggons, curts, churns, cheese-presses, 

 cooking-apparatus, together with the above machines, 

 took place on Monday. On Tuesday, chaff-engines, 

 cake-bruisc-rs, and other machines driven by power, as 

 well as miscellaneous articles, were tried both by the 

 above gentlemen, and also by Messrs. Lister and Scott, 

 the results of which will be found in the prize list. 



Messrs. Read and Clarke conducted the field trials, 

 and on Saturday they were enabled to get through muny 

 of these. The implements tried consisted of cultivators, 

 grubbers and scarifiers, single and double drags, sets of 

 general-purpose harrows, seta of seed-harrows, chain- 

 harrows, clod-cruslicrs, and pulverizers. On Monday 

 they proceeded with the plough trials, both gener.il pur- 

 poso ploughs and turnwrest plouglis, parcrs, and sub- 

 Boilers. On Tuesday they proceeded with horse-lioes, 



both for ridge and flat work, and hill-sides ; turnip 

 thinners, liquid manure drills, and general manure dis- 

 tributors. The corn drills were not tried, but the prizes 

 were adjudged in the yard, as were some others. We 

 were much interested in noticing the judges applying the 

 dynamometer to several field-rollers and clod-crushers, 

 although the grass-field being dry and hard-trodden, no 

 satisfactory result was arrived at. Still, sufficient was 

 shown to prove that those rollers having discs of different 

 diameters worked with less draught than those all of like 

 diameter. 



Having gone through these preliminary remarks, 

 we will now take our accustomed walk through the im- 

 plement yard. 



The first thing which attracted our attention, as 

 possessing some new features, was Boby's improved 

 screen. It is fitted with small fixed square plates 

 instead of the little revolvers as heretofore ; and, by a 

 very simple adjustment, every alternate wire is made to 

 rise up, so as to make the screen fine or coarse as re- 

 quired. 



Coleman and Sons exhibited a selection of their ex- 

 panding harrows, potato digger, and celebrated scarifier. 

 They also sent one of these implements fitted for steam 

 cultivation. 



Comes had his chaff engines in variety. We noticed, ■ 

 as new, his feeding trough ; which, being 13 in. at the 

 feeding end in width, and 16 in. at the further end, thus 

 contracts the feed gradually. 



Mr. Bentall had a large assortment of scarifiers shown 

 in variety. lie has greatly improved his cake-breaker. 

 By means of a roller under the top rollers, and the ap- 

 plication of a plate of peculiar character, the cake can 

 be broken fine at pleasure. 



Glidden showed his kitchen ranges. His new roller is 

 commendable. 



Hughes and Sons showed some exceedingly good mill- 

 stones. 



Eddy had a capital stand of ploughs, harrows, &c. 

 We thought his plough made good work in the field ; 

 but the mole-turner is too long — z. e., 3 ft. 8 in. His 

 harrows are good, as is also his subsoiler. Of the 

 trials we will give a more detailed account next week. 

 We have seldom seen a comparatively new man come 

 cut so well. 



Huxham and Brow show good millstones. 



James had, in addition to his liquid (or water) 

 carts, &c., a chaff engine of remarkable make. It feeds 

 by an endless web, and only when the knife is from it, 

 and will cut at great differences in length. Rather too 

 old-fashioned we thought. 



Arclier had a good collection of coffee-mills, mincing- 

 machines, apple-parers, turnip-thiimers, &c., some ca- 

 pable of cutting two rows at once, and hoeing the 

 interstices at the same time — of which more in field- 

 trials. 



Lyon's machine, for cutting raw roofs and meat, de- 

 serves notice. 



Monro & Co. exhibited a number of excellent harvest- 

 carts, with wheels of four end five feet diameter. The 

 four-feet wheels are too low for rutty roads. 



