38 Af/ricidtural Implements and Produce. 



of Industry were summoned to Paris ; I had not -the good fortune 

 myself to see the show. The deputation who accompanied the 

 President of the Royal English Agricultural Society were greatly 

 pleased with the excellent arrangements of the show, and with 

 some of the continental breeds of cattle, especially with the French 

 Charolais race, as very good in themselves, and offering a stock 

 very suitable for crossing with short-horn bulls ; also with the 

 Metis-merino sheep, pointing out the road which French breeders 

 must pursue to accomplish the end of their mission — the supply 

 of meat at a reasonable price to the markets of France, Though 

 horses formed no part of the show, I must not omit to mention 

 the race of draught horses, known by the name of Percheron. 

 They are strong, muscular, hardy horses, of great power and 

 activity, worthy the attention of English breeders, better suited for 

 the quickened step of improved farming than the heavier sort of 

 English cart horse. 



The collection of agricultural implements was formed by Mr. 

 Brandreth Gibbs, under the direction of the Board of Trade, 

 assisted by a committee of the English Agricultural Society. 

 The selection was made with great judgment ; the implements 

 sent were not too numerous, and they were all of established 

 excellence. They consisted of ploughs, harrows, cultivators, 

 broadshares, drills, horse-hoes, rakes, rollers, reaping machines, 

 haymakers, &c., portable steam-engines, threshing-machines, 

 chaff-cutters, corn-crushers, and machines for making draining 

 tiles. But the French system of classification placed in the list 

 of agricultural implements those implements only which are used 

 in the fields. It removed the articles last on the list — threshing- 

 machines, chaff-cutters, corn-crushers, machines for making drain- 

 ing tiles — from the jury of agriculture, and placed them in Class 

 VI., " Mecanique speciale." This led to some practical incon- 

 venience in the conduct of the trials, and to a seeming incon- 

 sistency connected v/ith the change made in the tariff of duties, 

 of which I shall presently speak. 



The first trial of implements took place on the 7th of July, at 

 Trappes, about ten miles beyond Versailles, on the farm of M. 

 Dailly, a member of the jury, who afforded every possible accom- 

 modation and the most liberal hospitality both to the exhibitors 

 and the members of the jury. 



The day was chiefly devjoted to the trial of ploughs ; an 

 English hay-maker was exhibited, and tried on newly-mown 

 lucern. In England it is employed generally only for meadow 

 grass, for which it is best suited. Though a machine of very 

 long standing in this country, it appeared to be a novelty in 

 France, and was much admired and approved. 



