TbE FARMER^S MAGAZINE. 



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we have seen we fancy it is an experiment worth more 

 trial than it has yet had. 



In the next class Mr. Clayden took the first prize for 

 a two-year-old stallion, about whose merits there could 

 be no mistake. With a little greater girth and more 

 width of chest he would be something like a perfect 

 specimen of the sort. The Suffolks stand well again 

 in the mare and foal class. Mr. Walton's mare has mag- 

 nificent shoulders, and is altogether a fine animal, but 

 with a foal by no means worthy of her. As a class the 

 two-year-olds was but a middling one. 



There was a lot of hunting mares generally and 

 deservedly commended. There would appear to be 

 more good ones of this sort in the country than we give 

 ourselves credit for. The hunting mares were generally 

 commended at Newton, and a large entry of them 

 narrowly escaped a similar compliment at Ipswich. 

 Then, again, here atSalisburythereweresome thorough- 

 bred horses of repute to get hunters. Theon, Little 

 Brownie, Knight of Gwvnne, Hobbie A'oble, Lascelles, 

 Clumsy, and Spencer, all with some fame, either in the 

 Calendar or the Stud Book. So do not let the Council 

 despair of their show of riding horses. Singularly 

 enough the prize went just as a racing-man would 

 have decided it — to tiie best known, best bied, and cer- 

 tainly the best looking horse of the lot. This was Hobbie 

 Noble — rather a crack runner in his day, and with lots 

 of power and style about him to do credit to his selec- 

 tion as the hunter-stallion. He is about the highest 

 priced horse ever known, having once been sold for 

 six thousand guineas. The hack mares were but 

 indifferent ; and the hack stallions as curious a collec- 

 tion of all sorts as it is possible to imagine. They 

 began with a perfect picture of a pony, and ran 

 up to a big Cleveland horse. But " a good hack" 

 has always been rather a difficult thing to describe, 

 if not to alight on. There was still a good one here, 

 and another celebrated nag, one Hotspur, who ran 

 the Flying Dutchman to a head for the Derby. He 

 is a wonderfully good topped horse, as handsome and 

 lively as can be, and certainly looking as much like 

 getting a clever hack as anything we have seen for a 

 long day. Again, let not the Council despair. 



The second division of the Implement Prize-sheet, 

 as now adjusted, came under review at Salisbury. Ac- 

 cording to this classification, the Judges' duties were 

 devoted to drills, horse-lioes, hay-makers, horse-rakes, 

 reaping machines, waggons, carts, and similar appa- 

 ratus now used in preparing and harvesting our crops. 

 We must leave our own correspondent and the award 

 of prizes to announce the firms which distinguished 

 themselves on this occasion. The established houses, 

 however, would appear to have little to fear, for we find 

 still to "the fore," with inventions they have long been 

 famous for, such men as the Messrs. Garrett, Hornsby, 

 Ransome, Howard, Smith and Ashby, Barrett and 

 Exall, Holmes, Dray, Crosskill, Burgess and Key, and 

 others. The chief interest of this department was cen- 

 tred in the trials of the reapers, the relative merits of 

 which have for the last few years commanded extraor- 

 dinary interest. If anything this only increases; while 

 the grand secret of which really is the best, seems al- 

 most as much a matter of opinion as ever. It is still only 

 right to explain that the machine exhibited by Burgess 

 and Key has been strikingly improved since it was 

 last shown. That great point, the delivery, has been 

 further experimented upon, and with very signal suc- 

 cess; the entire credit of such amendment being, we 

 believe, on this occasion, due to the exhibitors them- 

 selves. Crosskill and Dray have of course still tlieir 

 numerous friends; but the public favourite was un- 

 questionably the prize machine, the sale of which dur- 

 ing the week was altogether unprecedented. The 



American mowing machine we have already spoken to 

 as one of the land-marks of the meeting. 



A yet greater attraction was the special prize for 

 steam-ploughing; At Chelmsford last year, it will be 

 remembered, the agricultural world began to look upon 

 this as a feat almost accomplished. With a little more 

 time and attention we should all be remodelling our 

 farmsteads, fields and gateways, for the admission of 

 this mighty power in a new phase. Twelve months 

 elapse, and we appear inclined to do nothing of the kind. 

 The result of the Salisbury week is, simply, that we 

 are but little if any nearer the attainment of ploughing 

 by steam. It is a system, as so far understood, by no 

 means economical ; if, indeed, it be, in any general way, 

 practicable. We rarely recollect so complete a revul- 

 sion oi public feeling. The trial-ground was cer- 

 tainly as trying a piece of land as could have 

 been selected, with a terrible hill to face in getting on 

 to it. With the exception of Boydell, this was accom- 

 plished under all sorts of mishaps and misfortunes. 

 Even when they did get to work the public did not 

 take very strongly to any of them. It was amusing 

 indeed, to hear how the farmers flew back to their old 

 love, when J^Ir. Howard, rather wickedly, sent up one of 

 his neat ploughs, and a pair of good stepping horses, 

 to go to work by the side of the leviathans — to plough 

 as well, as deep, and as fast as any of them. As 

 for economy, the grand pr.)viso of the undertaking, 

 that alone must have settled the question as to the five 

 hundred pounds offer. Fowler, as usual, did by far 

 the best, but with much waste of time and trouble 

 in adjusting his machinery ; while BoydtU scarcely 

 ploughs at all, but merely tears up or scarifies the 

 ground. The Judges have not yet published their re- 

 port, but no one imagines that the premium can be 

 awarded. 



We must leave the wondrous show of the implement 

 yard — the steam-engines at work on one side — the well- 

 arranged stands, and equally well-mapped-out avenues, 

 to our special correspondent, who will here and hereafter 

 endeavour to do justice to so prolific and laudable a 

 theme. Despite the increased numbers who visited 

 the ground on each of the three open days, we were told 

 '' business" with many was not quite so good as usual. 

 The same was the case with the stock, where the foreigner 

 was by no means so active as last year ; or we might 

 have had to record another twelve or fifteen hundred 

 guinea bull. Still most of the leading firms did well, 

 and one of the first of these, the Messrs. Garrett, as 

 they assured us, quite as ready a trade as ever. But 

 then they were " under more favourable circumstances 

 than some others, having many of their implements in 

 trial, and these having been very successful, the fact 

 of course gave an impetus to their sales." So much 

 for the prize system, which came under some further 

 discussion amongst the Society of Agricultural En- 

 gineers on Tuesday evening, the especial topic being 

 the pamphlet lately issued. Thiswould appear to have 

 several opponents even in the trade, and three or four 

 well-known firms have withdrawn from the Society, 

 in consequence of the essay being issued as under its 

 sanction. Some makers have since, we are told, signed 

 a protest, directly ignoring the argument thus advanced ; 

 while not a few others, supposed to be intimately asso- 

 ciated with " Agricultural machinery as a branch of 

 National Industry," by no means go the whole hog as 

 to having no prizes at all. 



The visit to Wilton, Mr. Squarry's Lecture, and the 

 Council Dinner, will all be found reported under their 

 several headings. As we said last week, the Council have 

 contrived, for this one year at any rate, to destroy the focus, 

 the one great rallying point of their meeting. They 

 thoughtit brtter to have no such rallying point, but, as 



