236 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 



they were only £\7Z. There were 700 implements, 

 besides other articles; at Salisbury 880. There were 93 

 exhibitors of implements ; at Salisbury 154. There were 

 100 shorthorns ; at Salisbury, the unprecedentedly large 

 show amounted to only 109. There were 177 horses ; 

 at Salisbury only 151. There were 220 entries of 

 poultry ; at Salisbury only 156 ! 



The city of York is well situated and well constituted 

 to insure a successful meeting. In the centre of the 

 county, with five different railways converging to it, and 

 each of these ramifying into innumerable branches and 

 junctions, it is just in the right centre for receiving 

 visitors from every part of all the three Ridings ; while 

 the city itself, having 40,000 inhabitants, and abounding 

 with good hotels, is admirably furnished with the means 

 of accommodating a large influx of business-folk and 

 sight-seers. 



The North Eastern, the London and North Western, 

 the Great Northern, the Midland, the Manchester Shef- 

 field and Lincolnshire, and the South Yorkshire railway 

 companies, conveyed stock to and from the show free of 

 charge, and implements and poultry at the ordinary 

 rates to the show, and free back. The Lancashire and 

 Yorkshire railway company took stock free away from 

 the meeting ; and free transit for live stock was given by 

 the Stockton and Darlington railway : and of course 

 return tickets and cheap trips for passengers have been 

 the order of the day on all the neighbouring lines. And 

 further, as accessory entertainments for holiday-makers, 

 we had a horticultural show, a ball, the theatre, and the 

 museums, public gardens, &c., open ; a display of fire- 

 works, and plenty of music ,and merriment everywhere. 



The labours of the judges commenced on Tuesday 

 morning; and the great public feature of the day was 

 the field-trials of the reaping-machines and the steam- 

 plough. 



The Yorkshire Agricultural Society, with that spirit 

 of laudable emulation to promote onward progress, 

 ofier this year the handsome prize of ^^30 for the best 

 application of machinery, impelled by steam power, to 

 the cultivation of the soil. The only competitor for 

 this prize was Mr. Jas. Boydell, who brought forward 

 his powerful locomotive, fitted with Boydcll's well- 

 known endless railway. The appearance of this sur- 

 prisingly unique and unnatural-looking carriage, per- 

 ambulating the streets of the good old city of York, 

 created extraordinary interest, and which continued to 

 increase as the time of trial drew near. It certainly is 

 a monstrous-looking carriage, and it seldom fails to 

 convey an unfavourable impression to the mind of every 

 beholder. The comparisons indulged in, and names 

 given to it, excite a smile : The Antediluvian, The Me- 

 gatherium, The Great Elephant on Stilts, &c., &c., &c. 

 But, passing these by, we take it as " BoydclVs Loco- 

 motive Traction Engine or Steam Horse," and view 

 it alone on its own intrinsic merits. It transports itself 

 with great ease and quickness to its rcqidred position ; 

 and, if need be, can drag a heavy load along with it, 

 even up a steep incline (as we saw it do at Salisbury, 

 an incline of one foot to seven and a-lialf elevation, 

 dragging with it seven tons weight). It can take the 

 place of a stationary or fixed engine ; it can be turned 

 in a comparatively narrow space, beirig entirely under 

 the control of the steersman; and it is fitted for the 

 draught of either carriages or implements of luis- 

 bamlry and cultivation. Now, taking it in this light, 

 where have we another machine to compare with 

 it ? Its power is great, and decidedly of usefu 

 application. 



The trial took place upon a farm in the occupation of 

 Mr. Wilberforee, of York, and about five miles from the 

 city (from which special trains ran), and was witnessed by 

 upwards of 3,000 persons, who manifested the deepest 



interest as to the result. The spirited firm of Richard 

 Coleman and Sons, of Chelmsford, have manufactured 

 a very powerful scarifier (after their well-known pat- 

 tern), which they have adapted for steam-power : with 

 this implement attached to the machine from the hind 

 beam the trial commenced. The scarifier takes a 

 breadth of 7 ft. 9 in., and is of proportionate v eight. The 

 steam-horse walked away, snorting as he went, and 

 without difficulty dragging his immense cultivatoi', 

 which breakes up the soil at various depths, as required 

 by the judges: now in 10 or 12 inches deep; in the 

 next few yai'ds, by a clever compound- lever lift, not 

 more than two or three inches ; again, 6, 6, 7, or 8 

 inches, as required, and without stopping to adjust the 

 lifting motion. In the soil, which had recently been 

 converted from woodland, were many annoying roots, 

 but these were torn up or run through readily. Once 

 or twice, owing to the broadshare being on, and to the 

 looseness of some portions of the soil, symptoms of 

 clogging appeared, but which were soon relieved by the 

 application of the lever lift. The course was round the 

 field, so as to give every visitor the best opportunity of 

 seeing the work done. After another turn the broad- 

 shares were removed and the chisel-points substituted. 

 In the mean time four of Belt's iron ploughs were at- 

 tached, and proceeded to work. This they did very 

 satisfactorily, and without apparent difficulty ; but 

 whilst proceeding steadily and at ease, the crank on the 

 upper i)art of the engine gave way and broke oiT : 

 this was a great disappointment to the assembled 

 thousands, as well as to Mr. Boydell and the Messrs. 

 Coleman, &c. Upon examination it proved to be 

 owing to a previous injury done to the crank iron at 

 some distant period, as the bar had been fractured over 

 two-thirds of its diameter : most probably the strain 

 upon the cultivator, when hold of a hidden root, 

 accelerated the disaster ; however, sufficient had been 

 effected to enable the judges to give a decided opinion 

 in favour of this wondrous, but not very handsome 

 steam horse, and lie was adjudged the prize of £30. 

 Harrows, rollers, clodcrusliers, cultivators, &c., &c., 

 were at hand, and would have been tested but for the 

 accidental, and trying misfortune. We hope that ere 

 long such improvements will be effected as to make it 

 an acquisition on every large farm. 



Prior to the trial of this tremendous engine, the 

 reapers were tested. There were three: Mr. J. Palmer's 

 Union reaper; Mr. Wray's reaper; and Mr. Busby's, 

 made by Dray and Co. The crop was of wheat, a light 

 one, and in most respects favourable for reaping, nearly 

 all being upright and ripe. It was arranged that each 

 reaper should take three turns round a plot of wheat, 

 the circuit being about 500 yards, previously opened 

 by a scythe. Mr. Palmer commenced. The Union 

 reaper requires the power of two horses : its chief 

 peculiarity is in liaving a side and back delivery, 

 facilitated by a series of rollers affixed in the delivering 

 frame. It requires two men, one directing the horses 

 the other sits at the back, and with a toothed rake 

 gathers the reaped corn into convenient quantities for 

 tying into sheaf. This, by the side delivery, can be 

 put so far aside as not to impede the machine in its 

 next course, which is a great advantage. The field was 

 not altogether clear of stones, some of which endangered 

 the knives ; this led the manager to gear it a little too 

 high at first, and the work consequently showed too 

 much stubble, and there were numerous bits of cut 

 straw strewn about ; but this was, immaterial as falling 

 between the rollers not in work, otherwise all was well 

 done ; and in the final trial, the cutting was low and 

 evenly cut, averaged about 4J- feet at each cut. The 

 great distinction of side-delivery (though not self- 

 acting) decided the judges here, as elsewhere, in giving 



