THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



253 



gear is hang. The rope passed over this is brought 

 down and passed over pulleys, the other end being 

 fastened by a sling to the body of the cart : the long end 

 of the rope is passed over a i)ulley, and pulled by a 

 horsa walking along, and the cart-body lifted off the 

 axle, suspended in the air, and raised to any desired 

 height, when its contents are taken ofi' by the stack- 

 builders, in tlie usual manner. Two of these lifts have 

 been in use the last season at the " home farm" of His 

 Royal Highness Prince Albert. A great saving of time 

 is effected by their use. By the use of the lift, the 

 rick or stack can be built of twice the usual height ; 

 and a rick of 40 or 50 loads can be built with the saving 

 of the labour of three men. The time occupied in 

 attaching the slings to and raising the load, is less than 

 two minutes. 



Amongst the minor novelties exhibited was one by a 

 Frenchman, having for its object the sharpening of the 

 edge of scythes, &c., or rather the maintenance of its 

 smoothness and freedom from jags or wrinkles. This 

 is effected by placing the edge of the scythe upon a 

 small anvil, and subjecting it to a series of smart blows 

 given by striking with a hammer a small "punch" 

 above. The punch is provided with a spring, which 

 gives the return movement, that is, lifts it quickly after 

 the blow is given. We are inclined to doubt of the 

 perfection of the cutting-edge thus given. The inventor 

 is Mon. P. C Ratel, of Paris ; the London agents 

 James Rushforth and Co., Ironmonger-lane, Cheap- 

 side. 



The improved smut or wheat-cleaning machine exhi- 

 bited by Mr. Wm. R. Dell, 72, Mark-lane, London, 

 deserves notice, from the compactness of its arrange- 

 ments. It consists of a series of cylinders, kept 

 together by flanges, the whole placed vertically within 

 a neat frame, which is bolted down to the floor. The 

 lower cylinder contains a revolving horizontal fan. The 

 wheat to be cleansed, in entering the upper cylinder, 

 passes over a corrugated iron plate, then between two 

 cylinders of rough wire, and is fiunlly subjected to the 

 strong blast proceeding from the fan. Making 650 re- 

 volutions a minute, it is calculated to clean 5 to 6 qrs. 

 per hour. 



Mr. Braggins, of Banbury, exhibited his " combined 

 and strap hinge." By this simple and ingenious inven- 

 tion, the hanging of a gate can be adjusted with great 

 simplicity. The bolt which is passed through the ver- 

 tical bar of the gate, and the end of which turns upon 

 the swivel in the hind post, is screwed at its inner 

 termination. This is connected with the strap which 

 embraces the upper and vertical bars of the gate by a 

 bolt, at the lower end of which is a nut, working with 

 the screw of the bolt. By shortening or lengthening 

 this, the gate can be raised or lowered. 



In concluding our brief notice of the Smithfield 

 Show, we may be permitted to refer once more to the 

 subject of catalogues. Some two or three years ago, we 

 made bold to devote a column or so in this journal to 

 pointing out what we considered to be the defects of 

 many of our implement catalogues, these deficieucies 



having more particular reference to the vagueness of the 

 descriptions of michines and implements — if, indeed, 

 the term " descrij)tion" was, in many cases, at all admis- 

 sible, seeing that little or nothing of the peculiarities of 

 the machine or implement was described. From this 

 vagueness of general outline, as well as the absence of 

 details, it is, indeed, very difficult to gain any idea of 

 the nature of the machines illustrated in some of the 

 catalogues. They present, in this respect, most marked 

 contrasts to the clearly-drawn and explicit descriptions 

 of machines and inventions which are brought out in 

 the manufacturing districts. 



In addition, moreover, to the lack of what should he, 

 there is, in one or two instances we could point 

 out, an unfortunate superabundance of what should 

 not be in a catalogue — vague assertions, crudity of style, 

 a remarkable indifference to — we do not say the 

 graces — but the absolute requirements of good and cor- 

 rect composition. In this last respect, however, few 

 sin. At the same time we see no reason why all oar 

 catalogues should not be drawn up in a comprehensively 

 philosophic way, the machines and implements classified 

 according to their uses, their illustrations so pre- 

 pared, and their descriptions so drawn up, that their 

 peculiarities of arrangement and construction could be 

 at once noted by the reader. A series of catalogues 

 thus prepared by the different manufacturers would be 

 eminently useful, as affording trustworthy guides to the 

 principles of arrangement as well as the points of con- 

 struction of the whole range of our agricultural me- 

 chanism — a range so comprehensive and so diversified 

 in its aims, that its judicious illustration and description 

 is a matter of no small importance. We do not here 

 advocate the doing-away with the present series of cata- 

 logues — as in certain points of business importance they 

 are doubtless of great value — but we advocate the sup- 

 plementing of these by others having claims to that 

 completeness and fulness which the importance of the 

 branch of mechanism which they are designed to illus- 

 trate most assuredly demands. For obvious reasons we 

 do not point out the catalogues which fail in coming up 

 to this standard ; but the same reasons do not or should 

 not influence us in pointing out those which do, or at 

 least aim at reaching it. FSr excellence of mechanically- 

 drawn illustrations we refer to a recent supplementary 

 catalogue issued by Messrs. Richmond and Chandler, of 

 Salford; and for a cdjdnWY -edited and well-written 

 catalogue of known and approved implements, to that of 

 Messrs. J. B.Brown, of 18, Cannon-street, City, London. 

 These catalogues do not, however, quite come up to the 

 standard we have in view ; but they certainly have the 

 merit— if merit it is— of approaching it more nearly 

 than many others we could name. We are certainly 

 ambitious to see the mechanism which our leading ma- 

 nufacturers have brought out at such a vast expenditure 

 of time, skill, and money, illustrated and explained in 

 the style to which its importance justly entitles it. 



R. S. B. 



