S'8o;3. Q» Thrashing Machieidf, ^zi 



ihe skutch, and believe that whenever the experiment Is accii* 

 ratelj repeated, the result will be found dilFerent from whut 

 is stated- 



I shall now proceed to tlie last point in view, and sliew, that 

 thrashing machines of small size arc a real and positive loss 

 tp the Airmer ; and that the fiail is preferable to these weak, 

 and comparatively powerless implements. 



Here I may remark, that your correspondent appears a warna 

 advocate for small machines, but neglects to describe a singls 

 benefit which can be derived from such erections. Thrashing 

 machines are undoubtedly beneficial to the farmer, * both as 



* a saving of time, and manual labour, and also on account of 

 ^ the superior manner in which they detach tlie whole grain 



* from the straw;' but whether these objects are to be gain- 

 ed by employing machines wrought by one horse or two horses 

 is not to be learned from the paper under consideration. To 

 file it appears, that no saving of time or labour can take place 

 from such erections ; and it may be safely questioned, whether 

 grain can be separated from the straw in a superior manner by 

 jhe strokes which they are capable of giving. 



Whatever be the size of the machine employed, it is obvi- 

 ous, that, at all events, one man is required to feed it, and that 

 another, or at least a boy, is required to drive the horse, or 

 horses that are yoked to the implement. In these instances 

 the like expence is incurred, whether one horse or six horses 

 are employed, which makes a ditference in favour of the large 

 machine of at least twelve shillings and sixpence each day it 

 is employed ; seeing that an equal quantity of corn will be 

 thrashed by it in one day as is done by the otlier in six days, 

 and probably the separation will take place in a more complete 

 snanner : To this must be added the saving gained below 

 stairs in the wages of those employed to remove the strav/and 

 riddle the grain ; for you must have one man or woman for eacli 

 of these departments in the smallest machine, and two are 

 quite sufficient for the largest that is used. A like dif- 

 ference perhaps arises in the wages of those employed to open 

 out the corn, and hand it to the feeder ; all which, n-hea 

 added together, will amount to more than twenty shillings 

 iupon every Mtj bolls of grain thrashed in favour of the 

 larcre machine, even admitting that the work is equally well 

 done in both cases. 



I am aware, that though the above statement sufficiently 

 proves the superiority of large machines over small ones, yet 

 still it does not make out that the latter are a loss to the far- 



U u u 2 nier. 



