50 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



philosophically-arranged museum, to fill up the de- 

 partments of which, they send their articles. The truth 

 is, they show, in order that they may sell; and this 

 consideration is with them— and very fairly and justly 

 too— the primary one. We are inclined to think that 

 all the advantages, to the judges, of the present system 

 of classification, may be secured with all the ad- 

 vantages of the system of general grouping to the 

 exhibitors, by a compromise, the principle of which 

 emanates, we believe, from some of the leading manu- 

 facturers, and which is simply this— The system of 

 classification now adopted to be adhered to until the 

 judges have made their inspection and given in their 

 awards, which can be done before the public opening 

 of the yard; after which, the exhibitors to be allowed to 

 collect their articles from the various groups, and place 

 them under their own immediate control. This princi- 

 ple of compromise, meeting as it does the authorities of 

 the Society half way, should at once be acceded to ; it 

 enables them to maintain the system of classification up 

 to that point at which it is useful for the purposes of the 

 Society, and to discard it when it assumes an aspect of 

 inconvenience, and brings into action influences detri- 

 mental to the interests of that class to whom the Society 

 owes much of its attractiveness and practical utility. 



In glancing at the leading features of the show, our 

 task will be somewhat of the easiest; for to one ac- 

 quainted with the recent additions to agricultural me- 

 chanism as exhibited at other shows, little novelty was 

 displayed. Offering itself here and there only, we shall 

 therefore adopt no classified method of presenting our 

 readers with the results of our observation; but shall 

 put them just as circumstances may dictate. 



1. In corn-dressing apparatus, the great novelty ex- 

 hibited was the machine invented by Mr. R. Hislop, 

 Prestonpans, near Edinburgh. This apparatus received 

 the approval of most practical men who inspected it ; and 

 in addition to the honour of being " highly commended" 

 by the judges, it was considered worthy of the special 

 mark of a silver medal. The peculiarities of its arrange- 

 ment and mode of operation we now proceed to describe. 



As in the ordinary fanners, the grain is cleaned in 

 Mr. Hislop's machine by the two agencies of the 

 " blast," which the inventor calls the " test of gravity," 

 and by the " riddle," which he terms the "test of size." 

 But the mode in which the grain to be cleaned is sub- 

 jected to these two tests in the machine now under con- 

 sideration is essentially different in principle from 

 that displayed in the fanners of the ordinary descrip- 

 tion. For the reciprocating riddle put in motion in 

 alternate directions by the agency of a crank, Mr. 

 Hislop substitutes a cylindrical screen, capable of re- 

 ceiving a slow rotary motion. The cylindrical screen 

 is constructed of wire cloth, and in the interior an 

 Archimedean screw is placed, in such a manner that the 

 grain as it passes along is forced to follow the convolu- 

 tion of the screw, and kept continually in contact with 

 the wire surface of the cylinder. The diameter of the 

 cylinder being 18 inches, and the screw taking four 

 turns in a foot lineal, the grain is made to pass over a 

 surface of 19 feet 4 inches for every foot of length of 



cylinder. The wire cloth is kept clean on its outer surface, 

 and the meshes open, by a brush fitted on the top of the 

 cylinder, and stretching along its whole length. The 

 cylinder is not composed of wire cloth of uniform mesh 

 throughout its length, but has various lengths of differ- 

 ent fineness of mesh. Nearest the end where the grain first 

 enters the cylinder, the mesh is finest, sufficient only to 

 pass inferior corn, mustard seed, and other foreign seed; 

 the next length is of larger mesh, sufficient to pass the 

 " grey;" while the third length is of mesh sufficiently 

 large to pass the good corn. The various qualities of 

 corn, seed, &c., are delivered to spouts, the orifices of 

 which are of height sufficient from the ground to admit 

 of sacks being placed below to be filled. All large sub- 

 stances — as sticks, parts of poppy heads, &c. — pass out 

 at the further end of the cylinder. 



So much for the "test of size," and the mode 

 by which Mr. Hislop applies it in his machine. 

 We now glance at the " test of gravity," and the 

 method of its application. The principal feature in 

 this department, is the way in which each indi- 

 vidual grain is subjected to the blast. This is effected 

 by passing the grain through a valve or opening three 

 feet six inches in width, allowing it to fall in a thin 

 stream, not more than one grain thick, and which is 

 subjected to the action of the blast. All the grain which 

 stands the " test of gravity" falls directly into a trough, 

 from which a screw or carrier removes it to the spout 

 which passes off the " good corn." All grain which 

 cannot stand the test of gravity is blown forward to a 

 trough, from which a second screw or carrier removes 

 it to the spout which passes off the "grey." By this 

 arrangement the grain is subjected to the test of gra- 

 vity, independently of and after the operation of the 

 test of size ; whereas in the ordinary fanners both are 

 attempted to be carried out at once. Again, in Mr. 

 Hislop's arrangement the grain is subjected to the blast 

 in the form of a thin stream, which admits of every grain 

 being acted upon ; whereas in the ordinary fanners the 

 grain lies in a thick stratum on the riddles, and the blast 

 acts in a direction opposed to the passage of the good 

 corn through the meshes, so that in great measure the 

 blast acts counter to the very effect which it is intended 

 to produce, and, instead of aiding the test of gravity, 

 actually resists it by preventing the good corn from 

 passing through the meshes of the riddle, and sends it 

 forward to be mixed with the inferior corn, SiC, &c. 



From the adoption of the rotary principle, Mr. 

 Hislop's machine absorbs comparatively little power in 

 its working : doing the work of three fanners, it takes 

 the power necessary to drive one only. It is capable 

 of dressing ten quarters per hour. The machine is 

 placed on an indejiendent cast-iron framing ; and by at- 

 taching it to a thrashing machine all the labour of re- 

 dressing may be saved, and the two qualities of grain 

 are found distinct and separate when the macliine stops. 

 Only one set of elevators is required to lift the grain to 

 the revolving cylinder ; all the qualities being delivered 

 through spouts placed at such a height as to admit of 

 sacks being placed beneath them. 



2. The Britannia Reaper, introduced by Mr. Bernhard 



