127 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURAL 

 IMPLEMENTS. 



With but few exceptions the exhibit of implements at the 

 fair were confined to the lots exhibited by the local dealers, 

 but these included a large variety, and on the whole the 

 fair in this department was about up to the average. The 

 only decidedly original implement was a mowing machine, 

 in which each knife had an independent action, instead of, 

 as usual, being firmly fixed to the cross bar. A gentle- 

 man who had seen one of the same kind in use, stated to 

 the chairman, that while it worked well in heavy grass it 

 did but poor work where the grass was light. The Com- 

 mittee regret that there was no opportunity to see it in 

 action. There is an opportunity to improve the practical 

 work of our society just here; we have plows compete in 

 actual operation, and harrows, of late, to follow them, but 

 no competing meeting of rival mowers. Now while it is 

 always rather difficult to find leisure for leaving the farm 

 in haying time, yet I believe if it were known that half a 

 dozen or more different machines were to test their capaci- 

 ties in a contest with each other in some centrally located 

 field, many farmers, especially those who were thinking of 

 buying a mower, would manage to snatch a half day and be 

 on hand. Had such a contest been had in years past it 

 may be doubted whether that endless chain mower, which 

 was one of the striking novelties at the last Mechanics' 

 Fair, would ever liave been put upon the market. As the 

 matter now stands, farmers at our fairs, have no opportu- 

 nity to see mowing machines, cultivators, seed sowers, 

 hoes, forks, hay rakes, or hand rakes in actual use, and 

 have, therefore, to make their selections to a large degree 

 under the guidance of the exhibitor, who often times is 

 merely a salesman from some agricultural house, repeating 

 faithfully the lesson taught before sending him out, but in 

 reality without a particle of practical knowledge about the 

 implement over whose excellencies he is so eloquent. We 



