THE DAILY LIFE OF OUR FARM. 9 



the most perfect cob of the lot;" and when this was 

 sold at a good figure, out came the partner, and from the 

 *lips of the oracle, to our astonishment, " Now, here is a 

 better." There were a number of his audience who 

 lost confidence in his statements in a moment. I have 

 spoken more than once to implement-makers and their 

 agents upon the subject ; but the only answer one gets 

 is, " If you only knew the expense and trouble we go 

 to in perfecting our machine, you would not wonder 

 or complain." That, excuse me, is nothing to the 

 point. There should be no gross defect left when you 

 offer it for sale. If an implement be fairly tried in 

 the service for which it is intended — grass-cutting, 

 reaping, and so on — defects that will disgust and dis- 

 hearten the farmer would be at once apparent and 

 remedied : after which the sale at a fair price of a 

 really efficient, simple implement to facilitate labour 

 would surpass calculation. The gross inefficiency of so 

 much machinery when first brought out is the reason 

 why men decline to invest therein. There is always a 

 very general prejudice against a new implement, and 

 the least defect consequently gets highly exaggerated. 

 Let the inventor and the improver take this to mind : 

 " Don't attempt to introduce until you have perfected 

 and simplified :" and he would be surprised at the 

 difference of the haul that would follow. 



But I don't like complaining, and hush ! there's the 

 music of the merry beagles across the w^ater : and as 

 I iTin to the window, there my friend pops so cleverly 

 over a quickset on his cob ! and is waving his cap, 

 that I must be off, to show our bantlings the fun. 



