THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



217 



work in ascertaining the capabilities and merits of nearly 

 fifty machines subjectid to trial. We can only, of 

 course, give such particulars as we could glean dur- 

 ing the trials, and after the determination of the 

 awards, and must leave all descriptions of the machines 

 themselves, as requiring more attention than it was 

 possible to give them. The working results, however, 

 will come hereafter in the judges' report. 



The labour which has been bestowed in testing the 

 machines cannot be appreciated unless we give a list of 

 the different points examined. A schedule was made, 

 with a number of columns, headed as follows, and filled 

 up with the judges' observations, numerals being taken to 

 represent the comparative excellence of each process. 

 We would here premise that long consideration was 

 taken in assigning what numbers at the head of the 

 column should denote " perfect work." The order 

 of the points was thus : Name of exhibiter — Stand — 

 Article — Time in thrashing 150 sheaves of wheat — 

 Horse-power for one minute — Real horse-power — 

 Clean- thrashed, 100 — Clean-shaken, 70 — Well-dressed, 

 70 — Cavings free from corn, 70 — Chaff free from corn, 

 50 — Chaff free from cavings, 20 — Corn uninjured, 50 

 — Barley hummelled — Straw unbroken, 20 — Chaff free 

 from seeds, 20 — Portability — Pi ice ; besides which, the 

 engineers gave their opinion on the simplicity of con- 

 struction, durability, and excellence of workmanship. 



To show what the application of severer tests will do, 

 it may be observed that at Carlisle, all the machines 

 were considered to have thrashed perfectly, and the 

 clean-shaking, riddling, &c., were thought to be more 

 favourable than the same operations at the present trials, 

 after three years' improvement in the machines. A 

 quantity of the cavings and chaff from every machine 

 was put through Howard's chaff-screen, the quan- 

 tity of grain extracted ascertained, the dressed corn run 

 down Boby's screen, and the respective products mea- 

 sured. 



In Class 9 — Portable combined thrashing-machines, 

 for preparing corn for market — 17 selected machines 

 were tried with wheat, and the more successful of them 

 still further with barley. The machine that performed 

 perfectly, in every process stated above, would obtain 

 470 points ; but so faulty were all, either in one respect 

 or another, that the best qualified machine, of all only 

 came up to 425 points. In what particular respects, 

 will it be supposed, are machines generally found de- 

 fective ? We are informed that of sixteen machines, 

 only one knocked out the corn cleanly, and six nearly 

 so; only one thrashed without injuring the grain, and 

 ten nearly so ; not one produced the straw quite un- 

 broken, but twelve nearly so; not one could shake 

 the straw perfectly clean of corn, and only sis nearly 

 so; not one riddled without carrying over corn among 

 the cavings, and but five nearly so; not one had the 

 chaff free from seeds, but four nearly so ; not one machine 

 dressed the corn perfectly, and only two nearly so ; 

 four blew out their chaff free from corn, and eight 

 nearly so ; while three produced chaff clear of cavings, 

 and five nearly so. That is, the general performances 

 of thrashing-machines rank in merit as follows ; chaffing 

 and producing whole straw are done the best ; next, the 

 corn uninjured ; only half the machines are respectable 

 in clean thrashing and nicely separating the cavings 

 from the chaff; scarcely more than a third shake any- 

 thing like cleanly ; less than a third deliver the cavings 

 without wasting a great deal of corn ; a fourth of the 

 machines make chaff tolerably free from seeds ; and 

 less than one-fifth of thera do the finishing-dressing at 

 all well. As regards simply the performance of the 

 different processes, wc believe that Clayton's and 

 Hornsby's were so closely watched that a microscopic 

 examination of the products must have been necessary 



to distinguish any difiercncc, excepting that one machine 

 (as bystanders could perceive of the trials) did the 

 best finishing-dressing, and the other the best rough 

 winnowing. Foster's machine came very near them ; 

 llansomes and Sims' but a little way behind in excellence ; 

 Huuiphrie's, Garretts', Holmes', Barrett Exall and 

 Andrewes', pretty fair work ; and some of the remainder 

 very far behind-hand. But the machines were also 

 tested with barley ; and the price — and more important 

 still — the power required to drive them, as well as the 

 comparative excellence of the construction and the 

 clear condition of the shakers and riddles after working, 

 were all taken into account in striking a balance of ad- 

 vantage in favour of the prize and commended machines. 

 In power required, llansomes and Sims', Humphries', 

 Foster's, Clayton and Shuttleworth's, Bariettand Exall's, 

 Garrett's, Cambridge's, Gilbert's, and Robey and Scott's, 

 were all meritorious. 



We cannot make special remarks on the several 

 machines, but in adding a word or two on the mechanical 

 peculiarities of some that came under our notice, let it 

 be understood that we by no means wish to favour 

 such by selection, or ignore the merits of others. The 

 workmanship of Clayton and Shuttleworth's machine is 

 admirable in every respect : the working-parts are 

 simplified by having only one crank-shaft tor actuating 

 the five box-shakers, while the eflective jumping at both 

 ends is still retained by three of the boxes rocking at 

 one end, and two at the other. However, we counted 

 no less than nine straps. The rotary screen is im- 

 proved by having bkdes fixed inside, passing through 

 the corn with a combing action. The two shogging- 

 boards are nicely balanced by attaching the riddle to the 

 upper board, making the machine very steady; but 

 there should be a greater space beneath the caving 

 riddle to take the chaff and corn which drop through. 

 The riddle is of perforated wood, the round holes 

 bevelled off at the top, and it appears to act well. An 

 ingenious riddle also, used in this machine, made of 

 incline wood slats, with zinc slats crossing them, showed 

 great capacity and perfect action. We much admired 

 the beautifully-finished working-parts of Hornsby and 

 Son's machine. Only one screw for feeding the riddles 

 is now employed, and revolving an inch-and-a-half 

 above the bottom of its fixed slanting trough, it does 

 not grind the corn. The barley-hummeller and smutter 

 are one shaft. Across the top of the machine is a very 

 simple and excellent arrangement. Owing to the blast 

 being directed up through the Venetian slat riddle, a num- 

 ber of perforated riddles are requisite to dress the chaff. 

 In Ransomes and Sims' machine, we have another con- 

 trivance for avoiding the shocks and wear attending the 

 use of shogging-boards, namely Brinsmead's rotary 

 shaker, which while dancing the straw over a series of 

 revolving combs, passes the corn back underneath 

 to the riddle. It worked very well, with the assistance 

 of a singular-looking oscillating rake to divide the 

 lumps of straw, and showed but slight tendency to 

 wrap. The riddle is wood, fluted and perforated. 

 There were only five straps ; the elevators driven by 

 spur-wheel and pinion. The drum has the new patent 

 screw-beaters. Oliver Maggs and Co. had a skaker on 

 a somewhat similar principle ; a riddle of angle laths 

 crossing upon the top ot diagonally- arranged square 

 laths, and a very remarkable arrangement of 

 the five straps round the riggers, by which 

 fewer of the continually-breaking and troublesome 

 straps are required. The bearings were fitted with 

 spherical brasses, which, adjusting themselves accurately 

 to the movements of the shaft, prevent gulling, and 

 save the delays and expense consequent upon heating 

 and excessive wear. Tuxford and Sons have wood 

 bearings f(like several other machines) for their box- 



