ON THE THRASHING-MACHINE. 63 



agg'regate force of at least 8000 horses : but, owing- to the 

 great extent of the county, tliis is a point which it is very 

 difficult correctly to ascertain. 



The motive powers employed in this county for the pur- 

 pose of impelling thrashing-machines are water and horses. 

 The former, as being not only the most economical, but 

 likewise the most effective agent, is, of course, invariably 

 preferred, and used wherever an adequate supply of it can 

 conveniently be procured ; and as the many hills and dales 

 Avith which the sm-face of the county is diversified give rise 

 to numerous rivulets, water -impelled machines are very 

 general throughout Aberdeenshire. The superiority of this 

 power over horses (irrespective of its gTeater economy) con- 

 sists in imparting a more uniform motion to the machinery 

 and in enabling the farmer to thrash and prepare his corn 

 for market or other purposes in all states of the weather, 

 when a sufficiency of water is available. Horse and water 

 power are occasionally employed in conjunction, which, in 

 some situations, is found a very usefid arrangement. During* 

 the droughty months of summer, the former is put in requi- 

 sition either by itself or as an auxiliary to the latter, though 

 at other seasons the supply of water may be quite adequate 

 to impel the whole machinery. In order to convey some 

 idea of the comparative advantages of the three modes of 

 propulsion referred to, viz. by horse -power, water-power, 

 and both conjointly, a great mimber of farms of different 

 sizes have been selected ; and the actual power of the 

 thrashing-machine employed on each having been ascer- 

 tained, it has been found that on those farms on which 

 animals alone constitute the motive force, one-horse power 

 is required for every twenty-four acres on an average ; but 

 that where water alone is emplo3^ed, one-horse power is found 

 to be sufficient for thirty-three acres; while on those on 

 ■R-hich both agents are used in conjunction when necessary, 

 the same power is quite adeqvuite for every thirty-fuur acre* 

 of arable land. 



The steam-engine has recently been resorted to by a few 

 farmers in tliis county for impelling the thrashing-machine ; 

 but, for several reasons, this all-powerful agent is by no 

 means likely to be either much or very profitabl}^ applied to 

 farm purposes in Aberdeenshire. In the first place, it is 

 more expensive than either horse or water power. As no 

 coal is found in the county, the cost of fuel would amount 

 to a considerable sum per annum in the internal parts, not 



