204 Miseelhineovs Implements J^o'hihited at T)onraster, 1912. 



Messrs. John Fowler & Co., Leeds, exhibit an Internal 

 Combustion Tractor which closely resembles an ordinary 

 steamer. The engine is horizontal, placed on the top of the 

 boiler, and the gear for driving the road wheels and also the 

 winding drum is placed in what corresponds to the fire box. 

 It is possible that the attempt to make a machine driven by an 

 internal combustion engine exactly on the same lines as the 

 well-tried steam engine type is correct, but there is no doubt a 

 too slavish copy would not be advantageous. 



A parallel instance may be cited as regards the Diesel 

 engine for marine work, that the main outline of the well-tried 

 ordinary steam marine engine with its side levers, &c., &c., 

 should be retained. The truth probably lies as usual between 

 the two extremes, and one may look for development of an 

 individual type of motor tractor. 



Several makers are attempting to effect economy by using 

 superheated steam. Messrs. Richard Garrett & Sons, Stand 

 2.52, show a traction engine with super heater. The smoke box, 

 looked at from the front, is TJ shaped. The bed of the super 

 heater forms the base of the chimney and the tubes project into 

 the smoke box, the whole closing in the top of the U would 

 appear to be fairly accessible. 



It will be interesting to see whether in practical use the 

 gain is sufficient to warrant the extra cost and complication of 

 this and other superheaters in view of the fact that tube clean- 

 ing must of necessity be rendered more difficult. 



The Daimler Stand 253 is rendered conspicuous by an 

 enormous tractor of 105 H.P., suitable it is stated for drawing 

 a 21 furrow plough. The engine is 6-cylinder of the usual 

 sleeve type and has to have a small single cylinder engine to 

 start it. 



An agricultural tractor and chassis with a well-designed 

 back axle are also shown. 



Messrs. Barford and Perkins, Stand 280, show a number of 

 road rollei's. No. 3217 would seem to be a somewhat new 

 departure on the principle of " a stitch in time " for road- 

 mending. It carries its own supply of water for sprinkling 

 and a certain amount of road material so that it can be taken 

 along a road and a few stones put down, watered, and rolled in 

 wherever an incipient pot hole is found — the same process of 

 mending as is so largely carried out on the best French roads 

 where a hole is filled in at once with a handful of stones which 

 are consolidated with a hand rammer. 



Several Suction Gas Plants are shown. No. 3192, Messrs. 

 Ruston, Proctor, & Co., is a producer which is fed with refuse 

 pieces of wood and sawdust from a sawmill. The fuel hopper has 

 not the usual slide at the bottom, which obviously could not be 



