at the Plymouth Meeting. 



389 



Class II. 

 Machines loithout Self Side-Delivery. 

 Seven machines were selected for this trial, viz : — 



Name of Exhibitor. 



Bowhay 



Cuthbert's 



W. Brenton 



Dicker 



Picksley, Sims and Co 



Hornsby and Sons' semi-manual 

 Hornsby and Sons' manual machine 



Number iu 

 Catalogue. 



260 

 377 

 608 

 852 

 1662 

 1903 

 1904 



Price. 



£. S. 



24 



24 



23 



22 



22 10 



23 

 18 



Messrs. Ilornslys, No. 1903, described as a semi-mam;al side-sheaf delivery 

 reaper, is the fjrcat novelty of the class ; first exhibited at the Hereford meeting of 

 the Bath and West of Eni^land Society in June, and considerably altered and im- 

 ])roved since, it made capital work, and proved its superiority over all " Manual " 

 ]!ea]jers, and its capacity for dealing with every variety of crop. Eeference to 

 Table B will show that these advantages arc gained at the cost of considerable 

 draft, but the saving of labour to the man, the increased opportunities given him 

 for collecting the coi'n, the delivery of an even sheaf, clear of the horses' track, 

 are all points of great importance. 



In districts where the crops arc as a rule heavy and laid, manual machines 

 are difficult to work, and self-acting machines, as hitherto constructed, cannot 

 be adapted to the variations of the crop ; this combination of Hornsby's meets 

 the difficulty. We believe that the makers will be able to effect considerable 

 improvements, and possibly so construct a machine that it will deliver either a 

 swathe or sheaf as required. We can only say that, in the trials of Plymouth, 

 this machine distanced all competitors, and was very much admired by the 

 public. It may best be described as a combination of the grated drop-sheaf 

 delivery platform, with the steel-forked endless chains already described. The 

 workman, pressing a treadle, raises the grated platform to receive the corn ; 

 when sufficient is cut he allows the platform to drop, the endless-chains travelling 

 in an oblique direction enter between the slats of the platform and carry oft" 

 the sheaf to the side whilst the man is collecting a fresh portion of the crop. 

 The raker can regulate the size of the sheaves, and does his work with com- 

 parative case. The gearing and cutting parts are precisely similar to No. 1901 

 already described. Possibly the endless-chains jerk the corn along rather 

 more than is absolutely necessary — all such matters of detail will be improved 

 upon. 



Messrs. Hornshy's, No. 1904, is a purely manual reaper, furnished with the 

 open-slatted tipping platform Avorking with a hinge. The dividing-board is 

 broad, and projects backwards over the platform. By this arrangement the 

 corn is collected more easily and left well clear of the standing corn, a point of 

 considerable importance. The advantage of the open-slatted platform consists 

 in its lightness, and the fact that the stubble catches the sheaf, and thus assists 

 in the delivery, so that the man can quickly raise the grating to receive the 

 next sheaf. Tlie corn is also delivered without a jerk. The draft of this 

 machine was considerable. 



Messrs. Picksley and Sims, No. 1662, is a light well-made machine, with a 

 " pendulum" sling to lessen the friction of the connecting-rod, a main driving- 

 wheel of large dimensions, and a balance-platform, the backward half of which 

 tips from the weight of the sheaf, and regains its position by a counterpoise. 



