The Trials of Potato Diggers and Potato Sorters. 251 



An especially good point in this machine was the room and 

 facilities given for sorting disease from the seed as they fell 

 through the riddle. 



Messrs. Cooch, with No. 15, their small machine, did the 

 work well in fifty-one minutes, with five men and a manager. 

 A little time was lost in picking up the scattered tubers at the 

 finish. 



This was a machine for a small farm, and diseased tubers 

 could be picked out at a reasonable pace. 



George H. Lawson, with a small hand machine, No. 18, 

 elected to tackle the 2 tons all by himself, but only getting 

 7 cwt. of ware in an hour, he was told to stop. 



If this man could have brought his wife and a big lad it 

 would have been interesting to small holders totsee what they 

 could have done. As it was, by himself, he was beaten. 



Fig. 5.— Messrs. Edlington's Cylindrical Potato Sorter. 



After this the potatoes were re-mixed, and the remaining 

 three machines tried. 



No. 16, Messrs. Cooch & Son's large sorter, catalogued at 

 9Z. 10s., made excellent work in a very short time, only taking 

 twenty-three minutes, with six men and a manager, to get the 

 2 tons sorted and weighed up. 



The shoe containing the riddles worked nicely on its 

 hangers, and the handle was easily turned. If the blights 

 were very numerous, there would be room for three or four 

 persons to stand by and pick them out. 



The first prize of 10/. was deservedly won by this machine, 

 the larger of their two exhibits. 



No. 19, a large and somewhat expensive machine, cata- 

 logued at 14/., exhibited by Walter Ness, had the well-known 

 zigzag motion imparted to the riddle and a very long elevator, 

 which gave a good chance to get the diseased tubers out. 

 Altogether it did the work well with six men in thirty-five 

 minutes, and was awarded the second prize of 61. 



