TFlE FARMER'S MAGAZINfi. 



107 



trade. Mr. Tuxford answered for the agricultural 

 Press, and Mr. Peppercorn acted as aid-de-camp to 

 Mr. Trethewy in doing tlio honours of the daj'. 



Such " days" are now becoming characteristic of tlic 

 times; but we never remember one that jiasscd olf so 

 thoroughly well. There was a general spirit of good 

 fellowship prevailing, mainly due of course to the Chih 

 association. There was the best taste aj^ain cvinceil in 

 the reception of the comj)any, and no making of " great 

 men" nor fine compliments. The consequence of this 

 was that every one was in the best humour to be 

 pleased, and we are sure there was not a man but who 

 will remember this as one of the plcasantest visits he 

 ever paid. In fact, aslie drove round the well-farmed 

 estate, inspected the capital homesteads now in the 

 gradual course of erection, convinced himself of the 

 actual benefits of the allotments, or (h\mk the health of 

 his Lordship, with the beautiful demesne spreuding out 

 before him in all the combined luxuriance of nature 

 and art — when the visitor, in the full enjoyment of 

 such a scene and such a party, came to I'eflect upon 

 what brought him there, he would not put down his 

 guinea subscription as badly laid out. 



It is not our intention to anticipate the discussion 

 that will follow, in due course, on the use and abuse of 

 allotments. In a private party like this, we must hold 



oven as sacred what was said on the subject ; but we do 

 ho])e to hear again such remarks as those of Mr. Ben- 

 nett, more particularly. In the speech of the occasion, 

 he strikingly supported, from his experience on the 

 Woburn property, the advantage of what is being so 

 well done at Silsoo. The proper use of allotment land 

 raises the tone of the labourer's character as much as 

 it increases his household comf irts. It soars far above 

 the influence of mere charity, and teaches him to de- 

 l)cnd, as he should, on his own exertions. On Lord 

 de Grey's estates the utmost liberty of action is per- 

 mitted, so long as the man does fair justice to his holding. 

 He grows wheat, potatoes, or cabbages as it best suits 

 him ; and the result is, there is scarcely a taking but is 

 creditably worked. In eight-and-twenty yeai's, says 

 Mr. Bennett, he has not lost eight-and-twenty shil- 

 lings rent ; and no doubt Mr. Trethewy could say as 

 much.' 



The nioi'al of this visit is a very high one. It is a 

 good sign when the landlords of the country ask a body 

 of stranger agriculturists to come and judge of what 

 they are doing. They can reckon only on an independent 

 opinion ; and it shows tliey do not fear it. We hope to 

 see the example set by Lord de Grey followed up by 

 many anotlier such a visitation — cither in or out of 

 Bedfordshire. 



NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



MEETING AT GRANTHAM. 



Lincolnshire farmers, though busily reaping in some j 

 localities, and with harvest close upon them in others — | 

 though disconsolate about their spoilt peas and gloomy- ] 

 looking bean crop — with turnips moderate on the heath, } 

 and bad on the wolds — and the fen-land wheats flattened | 

 by storms to a degree unknown fjr years — yet come up 

 in goodly numbers to their annual holiday, and have 

 this time furnished the best show of stock the county 

 has ever produced. 



Wednesday, July 28, was the implement day, when trials 

 of Bentall's, Coleman's, and Archer's Lever-Bentall 

 broadshares and grubbers took place in a piece of barley 

 stubble, on light stony soil, up Spittlegate-hill. In 

 land of this description, Coleman's and Bentall's imple- 

 ments made the best work. Woofe's patent paring- 

 plough, that pares so accurately and eff'ectively an inch 

 deep, on suitable ground, turned up the stony soil very 

 well, but in this situation was considered inferior to the 

 broadsharing scarifiers. Cartwright's chain-harrows 

 showed their ability for collecting couch and rubbish 

 into rolls, and thus saving much hand-raking or pick- 

 ing. In an adjoining turnip field were tried Archer's 

 and Caborn's horse-hoes, and a very simple, ingenious, 

 and efficient revolving turnip-thinner, the bunching- 

 knives rotating nearly horizontally instead of vertically, 

 as in Huckvale's. In the afternoon three reaping- 

 machines were at work in a field of wheat on the other 

 side of the town. The crop was heavy enough to be 

 very much laid, though in no place quite flat, and was 

 pretty clear cf weeds. Dray's " Champion," with tip- 

 ping platform, cut well — a man delivering with great 

 labour the bunches of corn in the rear : the laid 

 portions could only be cut effectually by going one 

 way, so as always to meet the prostrated corn. Burgess 

 and Key's larger machine, with screw platform side 

 swathe delivery, did not cut well, owing, it is said, to 

 some mismanagement ; but the stubble left was long 

 and ragged, and the machine could not cut the laid 

 portions more than one way. Crosskill's machine has 



been improved by the addition of a separate pole for the 

 horses, leaving the steerage- pole at liberty : it cut 

 beautifully, both backwards and forwards, or in any 

 direction, the endless-band delivering and laying the 

 swathe (with the assistance of one man) in an admirable 

 form for gathering into sheaves. The draught appeared 

 rather heavy for the horses. A better test could not 

 have been applied, as far as slanting, twisted, and 

 tangled crops are concerned ; and great was the as- 

 tonishment of the thousands present at the neat and 

 rapid manner in which the reaping (or rather mowing) 

 was accomplished. 



In the show-yard a few thrashing-machines were tried, 

 and there were many good assortments of implements, 

 steam-engines, and thrashing-machines, including those 

 of Robey and Scott, Hornsby and Sons, Forster, 

 Ruston, Procter and Burton, and the handy little 2\ 

 horse portables of Messrs. Smith and Ashby of Stam- 

 ford, and Smith of Sleaford : Bentall, Coleman, Picks- 

 ley and Sims, Stanley, and other well known manufac- 

 turers had stands ; besides numerous local and country 

 firms exhibiting — Samuelson's, Richmond and Chand- 

 ler's, Ransome's, and Howard's, first-class machinery 

 and implements ; Boydell's elegant carriages, etc., of 

 which the list of prizes must be a sufficient report on 

 the present occasion. It is unfortunate that the ma- 

 chinery of several exhibitors was absent, owing to delays 

 by railroad in coming from Chester. 



On Thursday a very large number of persons visited 

 the show, including a great many country gentlemen 

 and influential agriculturists, and a most beautiful day 

 shone upon the whole proceedings of a most successful 

 meeting. To appreciate the excellence of the present 

 show, our readers should remember that last year, at 

 Louth, we had t)ie best classes of live-stock ever before 

 collected in the county ; the nearly two hundred horses 

 forming the great feature, the shott-horns in smaller force, 

 but of better quality than before ; the sheep and pigs no- 

 thing to boast of, and the poultry a poor show. The prizes 



