92 FARM IMPLEMENTS. 



the assurances given by those "who had it in their power to exhibit. 

 But as " beggars should not be choosers," we will make the best 

 we can of what we saw. There was an entire failure, on the part 

 of claimants, to conform to the conditions on which premiums were 

 offered ; so that no one will have any good reason to complain if no 

 award is made in their favor. 



Several Mowers, or machines for the cutting of grass by the 

 power of horses or oxen, were presented. One by Ruggles & Co., 

 of Boston, a new machine, made by Ketchum, of Buffalo ; — one 

 other of Ketchum's machines, by W. F. Porter, of Bradford, which 

 had been used on his farm the past season ; — and one by Fisk 

 Russell, of Boston, claimed to be an improvement on Ketchum's. 

 The committee took much pains in the course of the season to wit- 

 ness the practical operation of these implements. On the farm of 

 Mr Waters, in Beverly, they saw this operation more extensively 

 than anywhere else. Mr Waters thus describes it : 



"• One of your Committee used Ketchum's two-horse Mower, the 

 past season, and mowed over fifty acres, with great satisfaction. 

 All the different varieties of English grass were cut with it, and it 

 operated well on all, especially on heavy grass, of two or more tons 

 to the acre. It surprised many who witnessed its operations to see 

 with what facility it cut over uneven surfaces, where before trial it 

 was supposed it would not be made to work. The horses used were 

 common farm-horses — the pair weighing about 1900 lbs. While 

 being operated it frequently came in contact with fast stones, and 

 stumps of trees, and proved itself equal to the encounter, receiving 

 no injury whatever. The points or guards have a wonderful effect 

 in protecting the cutters from injury." 



Mr. Sutton also operated one of Ketchum's Mowers on his farm, 

 to his entire satisfaction. He used a pair of active, seven foot cat- 

 tle, by the aid of which he was able to cut an acre of heavy 

 grass in one hour ; and so to continue to work for four or five suc- 

 cessive hours — this on uneven land, not well adapted to this kind 

 ■of operation. 



The Committee took pains to ascertain the operation of this im- 

 plement, on the Piokman farm in Salem, on Porter's farm in Brad- 

 ford, on Barker's farm in Andover — and generally, wherever it was 

 tried, and those who undertook to manage it, knew how to use it, 

 they found it well spoken of. Most of the imperfections with which 



