32 WILLIAM GOSSAGE 



that "'a babbled of green fields." It was 

 taken out in the following year, and the 

 purport of it was to enable the farmer to 

 overcome the uncertain conditions of an 

 English summer, and secure his hay in good 

 condition whatever the weather might be. 

 Along the base of a hay-rick formed under- 

 neath a shed, flues or pipes were laid ; these 

 were connected with a fan or blower which 

 forced hot air along them and up through the 

 rick, which was built of uncured grass ; by 

 this means the moisture was driven out and 

 the hay was "made." This invention was 

 successfully applied by his neighbour, Mr. 

 Robert Neilson, of Hale-wood but we never 

 heard of it being adopted by anyone else. 

 The English farmer is one of the slowest 

 creatures to adopt any innovation, however 

 great an improvement it may be. 



The manufacture of sulphuric acid, and the 

 best way of working the chambers, had not 

 escaped his careful ingenuity. There are 

 several patents for which he specified im- 

 provements in the manufacture of sulphuric 

 acid and the construction of apparatus used 

 therein. He appears to have had a confirmed 

 opinion that vertical chambers were superior 

 to horizontal ones, and he proposed that from 



