THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



135 



Mark Fothergill, C.E., are testing the steam-engines; 

 and Mr. Amos and his assistants are recording time and 

 units of power evolved or consumed in all these mani- 

 fold operations, by means of the brakes, springs, and 

 clockwork of their dynamometers. 



THRASHING MACHINES. 



The thrashing-machines are being worked in a shed 

 erected for the purpose ; but so numerous are they, that 

 the judges have been driven either to work each one a 

 few minutes only — a time utterly insufficient for afford- 

 ing any criterion of merit — or else select machines for 

 trial ; and the latter course is the one they appear to be 

 adopting. Twenty sheaves are allowed to any exhibitor 

 requiring to adjust his machine beforehand, and it is 

 then tried with 150 sheaves of wheat ; of course very 

 nice dry stuff. 



If this performance be tolerably satisfactory, a fur- 

 ther ordeal is instituted, with twenty sheaves of barley. 

 The products are then inspected, and what is still better, 

 are scrutinized by the test of dressing over again, the 

 chaff being put through a new chaff-screener, invented 

 by Howard, of Bedford, which separates pieces of 

 cavings from the chaff, cleans out the dust, and extracts 

 any corn that may be present, and the head corn tried 

 upon Boby's infallible screen. We heard a spectator's 

 opinion, that, " between Howard and Boby the machine- 

 makers would have a deuce of a time of it!" — as was 

 no doubt the case with many of them. 



On Friday were tried the finishing-dressing combined 

 thrashing machines of Heywood, Ransomes and Sims, 

 Savory, Nalder, and Bobey and Scott, Ransome's ap- 

 pearing to give the best results. 



Other machines were tested on Saturday, including 

 that of Messrs. Fowler and M' Collin, Garrett, Clayton and 

 Shuttlewortb, Hornsby, &c. — Clayton's appearing to 

 excel in most respects. It is understood that the 

 hard-working judges in this department are paying 

 strict attention to the state of the shaker and riddles 

 when the trial is concluded ; as many which answer ad- 

 mirably for a few minutes are not calculated to keep 

 clear for several hours, particularly with a damp sam- 

 ple of stuff to thrash. In fact, the experiments are being 

 conducted in pretty close conformity with the sugges- 

 tions contained in a letter recently addressed to the So- 

 ciety's council and published in our columns by Mr. 

 John Algernon Clarke. The trials of chaff-cutters, 

 pulpers, &c., &c., are carried on by other judges, namely, 

 Messrs. Druce, Hicken, and Professor Wilson ; and the 

 " miscellaneous" articles are sought out and examined 

 by Messrs. King and Wilshire. 



STEAM ENGINES. 



The trials of portable 8-horse engines have given the 

 following results, from Thursday up to Saturday night, 

 when all were finished ; the 12-horse engines coming on 

 for Monday : 



Brown and May's .. ran 2 hours 35 minutes 

 Clayton and Shuttleworth's „ 3 „ 2 „ 



Clay's ., 1 „ 28 „ 



Foster's .. .. .. „ 1 „ 35 „ 



Fowler and McCoilla's.. „ 1 „ 43 „ 



Heywood's „ 2 „ — - „ 



Horusby and Sin's ., „ 2 

 Tuxford and Sons' , . „ 3 



By the time-test, then, Tuxford stands firut, Clayton and 

 Sliutlleworth second, and llorn^by third — the three 

 being Lincolnshire firms. With the fixed engines, 

 Hornsby is first, Ransomes and Sims the second, and 

 Ferrabee third. 



40 

 35 



THE SHOW WEEK AT CHESTER. 



Notwithstanding one or two memorable Meetings 

 held, yeai's gone by, in this quarter, the Society broke 

 comparatively fresh ground at Chester. Never were 

 the visitors to the Show-yard so numerous, and never 

 wore there so many who had little or no previous ex- 

 perience of such a national celebration. This was a 

 I'emarkable and encouraging feature in the history of 

 the week; showing, as it did, there are yet districts 

 where the lesson may be given with mutual advantage. 

 What with an eai'ly harvest, and a still low range of 

 prices, there was not so great a number of strangers — 

 men coming from longdistances — as usual. We missed, 

 indeed, many whose names and faces have almost from 

 the first been identified with these occasions. Their 

 place, however, was well filled by others, who had no 

 suth round of recollections to fall back upon. The old 

 member' or habitue may have often felt himself alone 

 here — jostled by an eager crowd of sight-seers, who 

 hurried on, with that first of incentives to enjoyment 

 and inquiry, the utter novelty of the scene and the 

 proceeding's. 



Fortunately these were worthy of the support they 

 received. It is still the old story, that the Society has 

 never had such a thoroughly successful gathering, as 

 that just now held in the quaint old city of Chester. 

 It speaks in every way to the gradual advancement of 

 the Institution. It was not merely one of the best 

 Meetings so far as either the entries of Stock or Imple- 

 ments were concerned, but it was altogether one of the 

 best conducted. We never remember one where there 

 was so little to cavil at in the arrangements, or where 

 the business passed off so pleasantly. All this, of course, 

 is but the effect of experience profitably employed. 

 Year by year there is more to do ; but it is better done. 

 We may honestly embody in one general compliment 

 all the working-men of this busy time. Officers, 

 stewards, and judges ably did their duty, while 

 they must regard the unparalleled success of the Show 

 as the most grateful return that can be made them. 



Few, but those actually engaged in such a business, 

 can imagine the life of a steward, a judge, or an exhibitor, 

 for the eight or nine days he is thus employed. How 

 he gets up with the earliest, and is too often to bed 

 with the last. How he dines irregularly and hastily of 

 cold meat, neatly spread-out on the tail-board of a 

 waggon, or with a plate nicely balanced on the handle 

 of a plough. How he works with the eyes of some of 

 the keenest men of the day resolutely fixed on him— 

 feeliii ■ ['.y''. u V.: ^should make a mistake, all the world 

 will very soon know it— and thinking it the height of 

 good fortune if he can " pass" without being too much 

 talked about. It is almost surprising how some can 

 bear such periodical excitement ; and no wonder, when 



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