Implement Show at Bury St. Edmunds. 



593 



Class A. — House -power Machines. 



Wc \>e.% to submit for consideration of the Implement Committee that this 

 prize be discontinued, and the money offered for a cheap and simple straw- 

 elevator, or any other labour-saving application, in the Threshing Section. 

 Horse-power machines, though still in use in some districts, are generally so 

 indicative of a backward condition of agriculture, the process is altogether 

 so clumsy, and the power consumed so great for the ^vork performed, that 

 we think it is a positive mistake to encourage by prizes machines that oiight 

 to be bye-gones in English agriculture. The plea may be raised that a large 

 foreign demand still exists for these rude contrivances; it may be so, but 

 this must yearly diminish as the advantages and economy of steam become 

 more apparent. The primary object of our Society moreover, in offering 

 prizes is to develope machinery valuable to the British farmer — the benefitting 

 exhibitors being incidental. 



The five competing machines were tested as follows : — A pulley being placed 

 on the drum-spindle, each machine with horse-gear was driven through the 

 dynamometer by one of Burrell's engines, the governors being adjusted for a 

 slow speed ; after putting through a few sheaves, to see that everything was in. 

 order, 100 sheaves were allowed, the time of threshing noted, the dyna- 

 mometer indicating the total horse-power, from which the average horse- 

 power per minute was ascertained. The results are recorded in the subjoined 

 table : — 



Class A. — Table Xo. 1. 



Number 



of 

 Article. 



Price 

 Complete. 



Time 



during 



Experiment. 



Work Done. 



Total 

 Horse- 

 power 

 for imin. 



Average ^ 

 Horse-power. 



Wallis, Haslam, and"! 



Stevens / 



Tasker and Sons 

 Eansome and Sims . . 



Turner and Fardon . . 



Woods and Cocksedce 



4754 



4609 

 3562 

 627 

 and 

 628 

 2318 



57 



50 

 60 



55 



49 



mm. sec. 

 12 40 \ 



100 Sheaves 

 of Wheat. 



18 

 14 



20 

 47 



4 30 

 27 34 



^45-94 



72-40 

 68-31 



69-37 



60-82 



3-63 



3-95 

 4-62 



15-41 



4-40 



No. 1. Wallis and Haslam's gearing is fitted with wrought-iron spindles and 

 brass spherical bearings to reduce friction. The driving-wheel is large and 

 strong ; the horse-gear is on a frame running on four wheels, and is expe- 

 ditiously packed up ; the horse-poles appear to be too high to secure the easiest 

 draft, a defect that may be easily put right ; the drum, 3 feet 6 inches by 

 20 inches, is fitted with Goucher's beaters. Most of these machines would be 

 improved if the slatted incline plane which receives the straw from the drum 

 were lengthened, so as to allow a better chance for the separation of straw and 

 grain ; as it is, a vast quantity is brought over, and more or less wasted. 



No. 2. Tasker and Sons entered a well-made, strong, and portable appa- 

 ratus ; the horse- work being carried on a frame with four high wheels, ou 

 which the drum is also packed ; the horses work either in shafts or traces ; the 

 gearing is light, and the speeds well arranged ; the straw is received on a tra- 

 velling web, and thus elevated to a greater height, allowing more space for 

 the grain to separate itself. An inclined slatted platform would be more 

 effectual. 



No. 3. Eansomes and Sims. The spindle is replaced by a cross strap, working 

 through an intermediate motion ; the drawing-wheel is in segments — sujiposed 



