218 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



shakers, and cast-iron instead of brass for the smaller 

 crank bearings ; the riddles are so hung that the amount 

 of slope can be instantly altered to suit the free or clog- 

 ging character of the stuff, and the quantity passing ; 

 and the arrangement of the finishing dressing-machine 

 and barley-homer is very compact — the whole machine 

 being constructed to run with five straps, and as few 

 riggers as possible. In their table-shaker slings there 

 is an improvement, being a means of keeping them 

 nicely in place. Ruston, Procter, and Burton have a 

 lever motion, giving a vertical jump as well as ordi- 

 nary rocking to their shakers, a great length of cane- 

 riddle surface, a rotary screen, and a simple arrange- 

 ment of barley hummeller, smutter, and blast, all on one 

 shaft, driven by six straps. Humphries' machine is very 

 compact and portable; the riddle is of mahogany, or 

 other hard wood, perforated with holes in a slanting di- 

 rection, the holes bored upward with a taper auger, 

 so as to be widest at bottom, and thus prevent choking ; 

 the riddle is in steps, to break lumps of stuff by the full, 

 and obviate the disarrangement of the riddle by expan- 

 sion from damp ; the shakers are boxes with iron 

 slats. A. little screen, with revolving rubbers for taking 

 off capes or white- heads, is a good appliance in this 

 machine. There are seven straps. Robey and Co. have 

 adopted the travelling endless web, instead of the shog- 

 ging board, with a considerable economy of power ; the 

 canvas, with a belt along each side, has strips of wood 

 across it at intervals. Millington's corn screen is at- 

 tached, the whole having five straps. One of their ma- 

 chines has eccentrics in boxes at the side of the machine, 

 for driving the shogging boards, and the corn from the 

 board falls directly down upon the riddle. In Hay- 

 wood's machine both the shogging boards and even 

 the finishing riddles • are vibrated by connecting 

 rods and levers from the rocking-bars of the shakers 

 — an objectionable means of avoiding riggers, shafts, 

 and bearings. Savory's machine has also a novelty 

 in the table shaker (of slats and cane), having 

 a shogging board attached underneath, and jumping 

 with it. The riddle, made in four steps, is of 

 wooden slots, with cane strips running lengthwise 

 above them. A smutting and cleaning machine is used, 

 and all worked by four straps. In Fowler and M'CoUin's 

 machine we noticed a horizontal sling or radius-bar, 

 instead of guides, to hold the shogging-board from 

 sideway shaking. Garrett and Son's box-shakers are 

 of very peculiar form, providing a fall for the straw be- 

 fore it reaches the end : the wooden slats have wires 

 passing lengthwise through them ; the drum and other 

 shafts are driven by eight straps from an intermediate 

 shaft, which thus relieves the drum-bearings of much 

 friction. In J. Gilbert's shaker the wooden slats are 

 horizontal, with wires crossing through them : the drum- 

 shaft is prolonged in a singular manner to drive the 

 elevators by a small rigger and band. Hart and Gib- 

 bons drum- shaft is prolonged about twenty inches, 

 with three riggers upon it — which is certainly an ob- 

 jectionable arrangement. The shaker-boxes have sheet- 

 iron slats, with several wire-rod inclines, for holding up 

 and separating lumps of straw. The riddle (wood 

 slats across, with beech-strips lengthwise above them) 

 projects at the end of the machine, and the riddles of a 

 small winnowing machine are affixed to ic underneath. 

 Brown tind May have a very peculiarly-shaped riddle, 

 consisting of wood perforated, and angular gutters cut 

 across the top, presenting a series of inclines to the pro- 

 gress of the stuff. Cambridge's is an exceedingly good 

 riddle — Venetian wood slats across, with half-round 

 cane strips running lengthwise on the top. 



We much regret that the judges of thrashing-machines 

 were called upon to perform other duties as well ; as it 

 was important that they should be nhle to dpsoribe the 



peculiarities in mechanical construction, the processes 

 performed, the comparative meritof the performance, the 

 power, price, Ike, in the case of every machine selected 

 for trial. We do not know if the public are likely 

 to have the judges' report to tell them how many 

 qualities or sorts of corn and refuse are made by each 

 machine ; but many of these particulars are beyond the 

 grasp of the journalist, while others are to be ascer- 

 tained in tlic various makers' catalogues. It is grati- 

 fying to find so many "portable combined machines 

 with finishing-dressing machines," when we remember 

 how at Carlisle, three years ago, appeared the first of the 

 kind, then quite ahead of the Society's prize-sheet. 



It is not wise to deal captiously with decisions arrived 

 at by arbitrators appointed for the purpose ; but we 

 may be allowed to express an opinion that, when two or 

 more machines are found to come very closely together 

 in the final estimate of their merit, it is only fair to 

 suppose the possibility of trifling errors in one's judg- 

 ment about so many points and processes, and divide 

 the i^rize between competitors so nearly equal. Again, 

 in a case where a most satisfactory performance is ob- 

 tained from a machine appearing to have been almost 

 copied from another more famous one with which it is 

 in competition, it can hardly be fair for the judges to 

 interfere between the respective exhibitors, and prefer 

 the original machine merely because it is an original and 

 not a copy. We think they should just determine the 

 respective merits, and leave protests to be made by the 

 competing makers, if so minded. Excepting these two 

 much-talked-of inadvertencies, we believe the judges to 

 have discharged their arduous labours in a business-like, 

 able, and impartial manner. 



STEAM ENGINES. 



The mechanical time run by each of the Portable 

 Eight-horse Engines, with 141bs. of coal per horse- 

 power, was as follows : — 



HOURS. MINS. 



Tuxford and Sons 3 35 



Clayton, Shuttloworth, and Co. . 3 7 



Ilornsby and Sons 2 40 



llansomes and Sims 2 35 



Brown and I"vlay 2 35 



Haywood 2 



Fowler and McColliu 1 43^ 



Foster 1 3G 



Clay I 29 



Butlin 1 14.^ 



Barrett, Exall, and Andrewes (disqualified). 

 Garrett and Sons (disqualified). 



Portable Twelve-horse Engines, with 141bs. 

 of coal per horse-power : — 



HOURS. MINS. 



Tuxford and Sons 2 .'i? 



Clayton, Shuttleworth, and Co. . 2 41 



Ransomcs and Sons 2 29 



Hornsby and Sons 2 25 



Fixed Engines : — 



hours. mins 



J^arrett, Kxall, and Andrewes . . 3 



Ilornsby and Sons 2 9 



Ransomcs and Sims 2 7 



Ferrabeo , . . . 2 2 



Clayton, Shuttleworth and Co. . 1 54 



Johnson (of Chester) 1 54 



Brown and Mny 1 45 



MaRgs 1 28 



Nash 1 25 



Having given the times run by the highest- class en- 

 gines, we need do little more now than name some out 

 of the many exhibitors, with just a note or two on pe- 

 culiarities of construction. 



II a V wood's portable engine has a vertical cylinder 



