The Trials of Potato Diggers and Potato Sorters. 240 



The Judges were occupied after luncheon on Wednesday, 

 September 27, in the trials of the above six sorters, which were 

 entered for competition, and all of which put in an appearance. 



The owners were called together to arrange procedure, and 

 told that 2 tons of " Evergoods " would be put down for 

 them, and that they were to weigh the ware up in bags, take 

 the seed out to the size of 1| by 1^ in., and place the diseased 

 and pig stuff oii a heap. 



Alas ! (sic) Messrs. Dennis & Sons had no disease in their 

 crop, so the foreman was asked if he had any " Early Rose " 

 (which are pink), and 2 cwt. of these were put into each 

 heap by way of subterfuge, and the competitors told to sort 

 them out as if diseased. 



Fig. 3.— Cooch's First Prize Potato Sorter. 



A mechanical sorter may divide the tubers into ware, seed, 

 and chats perfectly, but human aid must be brought in to take 

 out the damaged and diseased, which in bad years may often 

 amount to 25 or more per cent. 



Hence, midst many other points noted by the Judges, such 

 as time, power, and labour required, especial cognizance was 

 taken as to the opportunities the workers had of seizing 

 blights as they passed along the riddle or up the elevator to 

 the bags. Circular or hexagonal riddles perfoi'ce give no 

 chance of this being done until they reach the elevator. The 

 trials amply showed that for this purpose flat riddles are 

 superior. 



At a given signal three of the above machines, Nos. 15, 17, 

 and 18, attacked their respective heaps of 2 tons. 



Messrs. Edlington, No. 17, finished with the help of five 

 men and no manager in forty-nine minutes, although the 

 breakage of a link in a chain delayed them a short time. 



