THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



;i'j7 



from the shaft d. The short end of the lever y is 

 provided with a weight (i), and the other with a dish, in 

 which weights are placed, 'ihe shaft d is provided 

 with a toothed-wheel (k), which engages with another 

 wheel (l), keyed on the shaft (/«). To the outer extre- 

 mity of the shaft h, a fiy-wheel (»«) is keyed on, pro- 

 vided with a handle (»), the radius of which is equal to 

 the radius of the pulley b or c. When the machine is 

 at rest, the weight {{) at the end of the lever (g) is such, 

 that the end (e) of the shaft d reiniiins balanceil or un- 

 supported in the slot (/) of the lever {(/). The force 

 required to turn the pulley (6) of the machine under 

 trial, is represented by that which is required to turn 

 the fly-wheel (r«) with the handle («). In commencing 

 to turn the fly-wheel (ni), the tendency of the machine 

 which is being tried, is to prevent the toothed wheel (A) 

 in the shaft d from turning, but rather to lift it up, so 

 that the end (e) of the shaft d rises up in the rectan- 

 gular slot (/) in the lever (g), which is in its turn raised, 

 so that the end with its dish (i) is lifted up. In this 

 dish weights are placed till the end (e) of the shaft (d) 

 falls in the slot (/") of the lever (g) ; and the toothed 

 wheels (A and I) begin to revolve. The weights thus 

 obtained in the dish at the end of the lever {g) is a mea- 

 sure of the force in lbs. raised one foot high per 

 minute, which the machine takes to work it ; the num- 

 ber of revolutions made during the time of working 

 being; registered by a counter attached to the dynamo- 

 meter. 



The straw cutters were divided into two classes — 

 "hand-worked," and " steam- worked ;" the former 

 being subjected to a trial of 5, the " steam-worked" to 

 3 minutes. The machines worked by hand were, ac- 

 cording to the conditions of trial, to be limited to the 

 following speed — the length of " cut" taken by each 

 being f ths of an inch — 42 revolutions per minute for a 

 12-inch handle or crank, 37 for a 14.inch, and 32 for a 

 16-inch lever. The driving pulley of the dynamometer 

 to be worked at the rate of 3H revolutions per minute. 

 For " steam-worked" machines, the breadth of driving- 

 pulley to be not less than 5 inches, working with a cir- 

 cumferential velocity of 900 feet per minute. 



In the department of straw cutters there was little 

 novelty ; the only two machines possessing any being 

 those of Mr. Snowden of Gloucester, and Mr. F. P. 

 Walker of Manchester, The former of these machines 

 we described in our article on the " Novelties of the 

 Smithfield Show of 1857 ;" the latter we may now briefly 

 glance at. In Mr. Walker's machine the knife is straight 

 edged, and is easily removed for repair or sharpening. 

 Its motion exactly resembles that of the connecting rod 

 which connects the driving wheels of a locomotive 

 engine ; having thus a double motion— lateral or sideways, 

 and downwards : in this, according to the inventor, 

 getting an exact imitation of the razor-like movement 

 which gives a clean cut at the least expenditure of power. 

 The straw is not fed continuously, but is brought up to 

 the action of the knife at intervals, these corresponding 

 to the periods when the knife is at that part of its path 

 where it is away from the mouth of the feeder. The 

 straw in Ihii way, therefore, never presses against the 



knife ; a fault possessed by nearly eveiy other machine, 

 in a manner more or less decided. From the mode in 

 which the " feed rollers" receive their motion, the length 

 of " cut" is very rapidly adjusted. A vertical wheel, 

 attached to the end of the feed roller, receives alternate 

 movements, through the medium of a click at the end 

 of a lever, this lever being jointed to a stud placed in a 

 slot in a face-wheel, having continuous motion. By 

 moving this stud to or from the centre of the face- 

 wheel, the length of stroke of the click-levev is shortened 

 or extended, and the feed-roller receives movement at 

 intervals more or less remote, thus altering the length 

 of cut as desired. 



The following is a statement of the results of the trials 

 of straw cutters : — 



WORKED BY HAND ; TIME OP WORKING FIVE MINUTES. 



Exhibitera. Quantity cut. devolutions. 



Turner, Ipswich 22ilbs, 20,500 



Richmond and Chandler, Salford 24ilbs 18,500 , 



Smith and Ashby, Stamford 20|lba 19,800 



Ransomes and Sims, Ipawich .... 25^1b8. 16,965 



G. Page and Co., Bedford 24|lha. 18,575 



Mellard, Rugeley 15 iba. 18,420 



Hill and Smith, Brierley 23|lb3. 20,410 



Barrett, Exall, aud Audrewes, 



Reading igjlba. 16,100 



WORKED BY STEAM-POWER; TIME OF WORKING THREE 

 MINUTES. 



Barrett, Exall, aud Andrevpes, 



Reading 99^11.8. 137,000 



Smith and Ashby, Stamford ... . 107Jlb8. 181,050 



Alcock, Radcliffe-on-Treut. . .... GS^lba, 105,040 



H. Carson. Warminster IH^lbs. 143,260 



Walker, Maryport 28 lbs. 75,050 



Cornea, Nantwich I27ilbs. 126,650 



Bentall, Heybaidge 63i-lb3. 162,430 



Ransomea aud Sims, Ipswich. .. . 152 lbs, 72,066 



Garrett and Sons, Saxmundham.. 160 lbs. 132,786 



Richmond and Chandler, Salford 173^1bs. 79,733 



As in the department of straw cutters, so in that of 

 root cutters and pulpers, there was little novelty to 

 notice; the most notable exception to this being the 

 root-cutter of Ransomes and Sims, the invention of Mr. 

 Biddell, their talented and enterprising manager. This, 

 whether from the decided novelty yet simplicity of its 

 arrangements, or from the high class of work which it 

 performed, is worthy of detailed notice here. Unlike 

 other machines of this class, the cutters are stationary, 

 while the roots to be cut by them are put in motion. 

 The roots are placed in receptacles, three in number, in 

 a revolving hopper, which at a considerable velocity re- 

 volves horizontally through the medium of a vertical 

 pinion engaging with a circular rack or toothed wheel 

 provided to the under side of hopper. The hopper is 

 conical, the sides forming a considerable angle with its 

 bottom, and provided with a series of rectangular slits, 

 through which stones, &c., are allowed to pass. As 

 before stated, the hopper is divided into three recepta- 

 cles ; the sides of these are not at right-angles to the 

 bottom of hopper, but slope inwards as they descend, 

 their surfaces being waved or curved like that of a screw 

 propeller. The compartments are wider at the bottom 

 than the top, all the sides presenting sloping or curved 

 surfaces. By this form of compartment, the roots have 

 always a tendencv to press toward the bottom of the re- 



