139 



. Water is by far the cheapest and the test power t 

 fee applied to threshing-mills. From the equality and 

 the smoothness of the motion, the machine will last 

 double the time to one drove by horses ; and as water- 

 mills generally do much more work when in motion, 

 they do not require to be so frequently used *. It is 

 calculated, that in threshing a crop of any extent, a pair 

 of horses may be saved upon the farm, by the use of a 

 water-:: ill, which is a great consideration. 



Mr Stewart of Hilhead has a threshing mill driven by 

 Water collected from springs in the upper part of his 

 farm, and gathered in a dam. It has seldom been stopt 

 for want of water, and then only in extreme frosts, when 

 the ploughmen thresh, having little other work to do. 

 Mr Stewart adds, that the barley is cleared of awns, by 

 putting it through the mill with a grater upon it, which 

 is done at the rate of three bushels in the minute. This 

 seems to be a useful appendage to the threshing mill. 



6. Mr Hunter of Tynefield has a threshing mill 

 wrought by water, and by horse*, when water is scarce. 

 About half his crop is* threshed by the water, which 

 saves about TO per cent, on the expence, whereas, by the 

 labour of horses only, about 5 per cent, is gained. I con- 

 sider this to be a very useful suggestion. There arc 

 many situations, where, by collecting spiings, and form- 

 ing dams, half the labour of threshing might be done by 

 'water, without. much additional expence of machinery. 



7. The last power to be applied is steam. It is said, 

 that on some new plan, steam-engines have been invent- 

 ed at Hull, which would furnish power sufficient to 

 drive a threshing-machine, at the expence of about 



Remarks by Mr James Cuthbertson. 



