at the Fiijmoutli Meeting. 387 



.sliapcd plallurni, and leave the slicaf lying' cm tlie ground removed some 5 feet 

 I'rom the standing grain. These rakes arc timed iu such a way as to make a 

 sheaf for every 11 feet inches advance of machine ; but this speed, and con- 

 sequently the size of sheai", can be altered. To assist the operation of laying 

 the grain towards the cutters, and also, pcrha^JS, to add steadiness to the revo- 

 lution, two reel arms are also pivoted to the vertical shaft at right angles to 

 the rakes. These revolve with the rakes, but are set some 12 inches above 

 the platibrm, so as not to remove the sheaf from it, but merely lay the grain 

 towards the knife. In very heavy crops these reel arms may be replaced by 

 rakes, when a sheaf will be thrown out at every 5 feet 9 inches advance of the 

 machine, in which case they will lie almost touching, and thus secure to a 

 certain extent -whatever advantages may be claimed for swathe-delivery ; 

 while iu very light crops one rake only may be used, and the sheaves will 

 tlien be 23 feet apart, centre to centre. The knife work's on the " double 

 throw" principle, that is to say, it runs through two fmgers instead of one at 

 each revolution of the crank. The object being simply to halve tlie speed of 

 the shafts, and so decrease wear and tear in the bearings. The smooth rotary 

 motion of the delivery apparatus and the manner in which rakes and reel 

 arms enter into the corn is commendable. 



Nos. 315 and 316, The Machines exhibited hy the Beverley Iron D^orls, arc 

 upon the same principle, tliough considerably improved, as Crosskill's Leeds 

 I'rize Reaper. The horses work behind, and the machines charge into the 

 crop, laying the swathe right or left. These machines are much liked in their 

 own district. The platform is fixed at a lower angle than formerly, and there 

 arc alterations in the reel and driving gear. We preferred the 2-horse 

 machine as more manageable, considering that an 8-feet cut leaves too large 

 a swathe. The stubble was not cut close or evenly, and the front travelling 

 wheel which supports the platform clogged occasionally. We noticed that 

 the reel knocked out some of the oats. These machines were not tried with 

 the dynamometer, but the draft was evidently considerable, and the work, 

 though on the whole well done, was inferior to that of Hornsby's machine. 



Messrs. Burgess and Key exhibited Nos. 2020 and 2021 , the former being 

 the original M'Cormack's Automaton Eeaper, first introduced into this country 

 in 18G2. We will confine our remarks to 2021, as it was an improvement on 

 2020, the weight and size being reduced, and the machine being made more 

 manageable, so as to work easily Avith 2 horses. The size of the sheaves can be 

 regulated by change wheels. This machine cut well, but delivered badly, 

 the rake sweeping off the corn with a jerk, owing to its too great velocity ; it 

 was noticealvle that a sensible check Avas given to the machine each time the 

 rake came on to the platform ; where the coi*n was laid badly, portions of the 

 sheaf were elevated by the rake. There is considerable merit in this reaper, 

 and we ]i(.)pe to see it improved in those points to which we have alluded — it 

 certainly appears to us a better machine than 2020. 



No. 44, W. A. Wood's ^ea^jcr, though an ingenious iiiece of mechanism, did 

 not work satisfactorily. This is a sheaf-laying machine, working somewhat 

 in the same way as the Automaton licaper. It is furnished with a revolving 

 rake and reel acting independently of eacli other. The former in its revolu- 

 tion comes unpleasantly near the driver, and serious accidents are to be appre- 

 hended. The driver can control the rake, and thus regulate the size of the 

 sheaves, a matter of considerable importance in a variable crop. The draught 

 of this machine is moderate and the price reasonable. 



Our award in this class was as follows : — 



To Messrs. Hornsby and Sons, No. 1901 .. 

 To Samuelson and Co., No. 1 



