at the Salisbury Meeting, 1857. 435 



fully varnished, the iron work well burnished, or that the paint was of the 

 softest blue, but we mean that the workmanship of all and every part of the 

 machine was stronp; and excellent, and we were fully confirmed in our opinion 

 by the willinp; testimony of the consulting; engineer. Then as to the length of 

 the trials. In a very short time we satisfied ourselves as to which were the 

 three best machines. Some of the distributors we did not require to do much. 

 One can see as well in five minutes as in an hour what a machine cannot do, 

 but it requires a long and varied trial to say with certainty which machine, 

 out of a lot of good ones, is the hest. 



The liquid manure distributors were next tried. We consider these distri- 

 butors should also serve as water carts. Sowing artificial manures by such 

 means we think useless, and therefore did not much approve of Mr. Reeves's 

 ingenious machine for that purpose. The liquid drill may be of great service, 

 but when artificial manures are to be sown with water, they are best deposited 

 in the ground and covered up, not scattered over the surface of the soil. There 

 is plenty of liquid manure which now escapes from oiar yards ; we do not want 

 to make more, but rather economise what we have. The chief supply is in the 

 winter ; and as the distributor is hardly wanted in the summer months, it should 

 serve on the farm to carry water when most needed, and when it would be 

 otherwise idle. We tried several ; none showed any great superiority, and but 

 very few scattered the water well. Mr. James's worked the best ; it has a 

 large trough for distributing the liquid, and when this is removed it becomes an 

 excellent water cart. It has two strainers which prevent the admission of any- 

 thing that would choke the delivery, and the tap is easily worked by a man 

 who rides or walks in front. It holds 270 gallons and scatters the liquid 12 

 or 14 feet wide. The cart is all composed of wood, well seasoned, and well 

 made ; and so it ought to be, for 2U. is a great j)i"ice. We awarded Mr. James 

 the prize of 21. 



Wm. Chalcraft. 



Clare Sewell Read. 



HOESE-HOES. 



The statistics of the Society will show the vast increase in the number of 

 the implements that were exhibited at the Salisbury Meeting, and we are 

 enabled to report favourably of the continued improvement made from time to 

 time in their general details, not only in simplicity of construction, but in 

 workmanship. These improvements have been noticed before ; they still pro- 

 gress, not only in the articles exhibited for trial, and which came under our 

 adjudication, but in those which wait their turn in the triennial test. The 

 horse-hoes, both for corn and roots, were an interesting class. Of these 

 28 entered for trial, and 26 came to the field, and received our best care 

 and attention. Some of these hoes were adapted for both corn and roots, 

 being so arranged as to admit of changes in the details so as to accom- 

 modate wide or narrow drills. Although this may be apparently a con- 

 venience, yet we doubt if, in the end, it is so, satisfied as we are that if a 

 machine or implement will do one thing, and do it well, it is sufficient. The 

 principle of " general purposes," and the ease and facilities of change from one 

 kind of work to another, have been generally approved until a few years ago. 

 This is not at present so much in force, and, as before observed, to do one thing 

 well appears to be sufficient. In those districts of the country where the 

 Northumbrian or ridge system of growing turnips is practised (and this, it 

 must be admitted, is a verj^ extensive district), a common rule is observed 

 of drilling two rows at once by means of a double ridge drill. However im- 

 perfect the work may be, it is obvious, that if the two rows are not alwavs 



