514 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



[July 27, 



meut should be mad- »ith ■hort small teeth." Im- 

 proved as here suggested ie would, we believe, prove an 

 efficient implement.— A serrated chain or web Harrow 

 beinc an improvement upon that invented by Mr. Smith 

 of Deaostow, was exhibited by Messrs. Cottain and 



Halien. of Winslev Street, London. 



Drill -Machines — We extract the following: account 



of the origin and progress of drill machines from the 

 Report of the Derby Show published in a late volume of 

 the Society's Journal :— M The following concise history 

 of the first introduction and progress of the manuring 

 drill-system in Lincolnshire* has been obtained from 

 sources on which it is believed full reliance may be 

 placed ; and its relation may have the effect of nciting 

 the farmers or more backward districts to emulate those 

 of a county excelled by none in Britain, in respect of the 

 quantify o'f its produce, though far inferior to many in 

 the natural fertility of its soil and character of its cli- 

 mate. The introduction of manure drills info Lincoln- 

 shire is comparatively of recent date. Previously to 

 J 814, small smgle-row drills, attached to the plough for 

 depositing Beans in every alternate furrow, and Turnip- 

 seed drills, were the only seed-sowing machines used in 

 the county. In 1814, the firm of Seaman and Hornsby, 

 of Grantham, made a drill for depositing bones with 

 Turnip-seed. In 1816 Mr. Gregory, of Nottingham, 

 brought a sample of crushed bones to Grantham market, 

 in a mahogany box, to exhibit to the farmers the per- 

 fection he had attained in reducing them to a small size. 

 In the sime year several spirited farmers purchased drills 

 for bones. In 1817 these drills became general. In 

 1819 portable bone-mills were first introduced : these 

 flourished but a short period, giving place to the large 

 fixed steam- mills. In 1828 we first began to drill ashes 

 mixed with bones. In 1839 originated the first attempt 

 to improve the delivery of manure by means of stirrer 

 in the dnli-box ; and by these improved machines the 

 drilling of compost was effected. At present (1843) we 

 presume to be able to deposit, by the drill, fold and 

 stable-yard mock wirh our seed. For the rapid adapta- 

 tion o f the drill to this latter purpose we feel to be much 

 indebted to the stimulus given to our mechanics by the 

 Society. Neiaer Jethro Tull, the honoured father of 

 the drill-system, nor the Rev. Mr. Cooke, the inventor 

 of the 8 iffolk drill, dreamed of depositing manure of any 

 kind with the seed; an addition which we consider to 

 belong to the eastern counties' farmers, ambitious only 

 at first to economise their then favourite manure, the 

 bone. The Society's Prize of 30/. was awarded to 

 Messrs. R. Garrett and Son, of Saxmundham, for their 

 drill for general purposes. A mode of steerage was 

 applied to this implement, which was thought to be cal- 

 culated to render its use less difficult to novices, and to 

 insure straight new in the lines. Facility in the guidance 

 and management of these implements is a property of 

 unqu able importance, as providing for the more 



complete and safe action of the horse-hoe. It may not, 

 however, be out of place to observe that experienced drill- 

 men reject refined appliances of this kind as incumbrances. 

 The late Earl of Leicester is said to have remarked that 

 ' he would not employ a labourer who could not lead a 

 drill horse straight from Holkham to St. Paul's."' — 

 *' isrs. Garrett, of Saxmundham, received the Society's 



that of the run of the drill wheels, the seed is <l. 



at intervals of ( .) inches in the rows, that being the distant 



of the cups fr.nn one another On the strap. — A S 1- 



Depositing or Planting Machine, exhibited by Mr. Henri 



Vmgo, of Pensanoe, Cornwall, anil another wh hfl 



been previously exhibited at Bristol, acted on a priaoipk 

 peculiar to itself. The bottom of tne see as 



double, consisting of a fi\ed plate pierced at re lar 

 intervals, and a moveable one, also regularly fixed. The 



r-d, it is evident, could only drop out of* the boi wh 

 these holes coincided ; and by an arrangement, the motion 

 of the under plate was regulated, so that this con nd- 



ence of the holes took p * at regular m vals ot time, 

 oducmg an effect, in fact, somewhat simi ftr to that ol 

 e drop drill. In one of these cases the motion ot the 

 under plate was a circular one, and in the other it bad a 

 reciprocating sliding motion. 



Threshing and Winnowing Ma ink.— Many 

 threshing machines were exhibited by different makers, 

 and a great variety of horse engines a- ►, for connecting 

 hor^e-power wit4i them. In one of these a rew pro- 

 peller was used for converting the horizontal rotatory 

 motion of the horses into the vertical rotatory motion ot 

 the shaft connecting with the machine, t. e. the spur 

 wheel on the vertical axle around which the horses walked 

 was toothed obliquely into a worm on the aforesaid shaft. 

 This simple arrangement was stated, though obviously 

 erroneously, to lessen the power required to work the 

 machine; the loss of power by it from fric n must be 

 very great. — A threshing machine on a new prio 

 invented by Messrs. Clyburn and Parsons, was exhibited 

 by the Earl of Ducie. It consists of a revolving cone or 

 bearer, inclosed in an outer fixed concave case. The 

 outer case is open work. The Corn is fed in at the 

 smaller end of the concave case, and (by the differenr 

 in the velocity between the large and small end of the 

 revolving cone or beater) the straw is carried rapidly to 

 the larger end and discharged. The grain, as it is sepa- 

 rated from the ear, is thrown through the trellis or open 

 work, so thHt a complete separation takes place. Tl 

 wind caused by the revolution of the beater is brought 

 to operate upon the threshed grain, and blows out 

 the greater portion of chaff; thus, at one operation, 

 the threshing and first winnowing is performed — 

 Ir. Horusby, of Grantham, exhibited a Winnowing 

 Machine, to which was attached an admirable feed a\ 

 ' paratus, capable of taking in and delivering regular, 

 Grain and Chaff in the roughest condition. It consists 

 simply of a peculiarly toothed roller, working in the bot- 

 tom of a hopper. It is capable of chaffing Corn as it 

 comes from the threshing machine, and dressing the 

 same.— A Winnowing Maching, on an entirely original 

 principle, demonstrating much ingenuity, was exhioited 

 by the Earl of Ducie, Dursley, Gloucestershire, invented 

 by Mr. Clyburn. The current of air was driven by 

 means of an arrangement somewhat like the arm of a 

 windmill, only that the radial arms of which it con- 

 sisted were much more numerous, and twisted further 

 round, so that, revolving as they did in a vertical plane, 

 the air was caught by them at an angle, and propelled 

 forward. A current of air, of a section equal to the 

 surface of this arrangement of fans, was thus produced, 

 and in the midst of this, a riddle, having a lateral oscil- 

 latory motion was placed ; the Corn fell on this from a 

 hopper above ; the straw was separated and some of 

 the Chaff blown off. All that passed the riddle was 

 then collected in a very shallow hopper below the riddk 

 from the bottom of which it was sgain delivered up in a 

 thin stream to the influence of the current of air. The dou- 

 ble action of this current of air proved efficient as a Win- 

 nowing Machine. — A simple and apparently efficient Bar- 

 ley Hummeler, for w n a Silver Medal was awarded, was 

 exhioited by Mr. J. Cooch, of Harlstnn, near Northamp- 

 ton. To this in ement was attached an endless chain 

 of feeding buckets, for the purpose of lifting the grain 

 from the floor, and throwing it into the machine — a 

 useful attachment ; for the efficiency ot implements of 

 this class depends much upon the regularity with which 

 they are fed. 



Cakr-Crushers, Turnip and Cfiaff-Cuttrm, 

 Sec. — The Society's Prize of 5/. was awarded to Mr. 

 Hornsby, for the best Cake-crasher. Instead of having 

 rollers with t« hed surfaces, presenting the appearance, 

 in fact, ot a series of toothed wheels, strung, at short in- 

 tervals, on a common axis, Mr. Hornby covers his 

 rollers with a series of point"! teeth, or short pinnacles 

 of case-hardened metal, the teeth on one roller corre- 

 sponding in position to the intervals between those on 

 the other. — A good Com crusher was exhibited by the 

 Earl of Ducie, which differed from other machines 

 being grooved neither ins line with the axis nor spirally. 

 It has a large and small roller, with a series of grooves 

 turned lo each in the form of a V, and fitting each other, 

 the sharp edge of the V penetrating tbe grain; while 

 the velocity of the grooves varying, produce a grinding 

 motion. — Mr. Gardner, of Banbury, Oxon, exhibited his 

 simple and efficient Turnip-cutter again, and was re 

 warded with a Prize of 5/. Many unsuccessful attempts 





If 



Prize of 20/. this year also, for their Drill for general 

 purposes. Since last year, they had added an arrange- 

 ment by which the opening between the manure-box and 

 manure-drill, up -n which the quantity thrown out de- 

 pends, may be easily regulated as the machine proceeds. 

 Tins object has been attained in a manner much simpler, 

 and practically, we apprehend, equally efficient, in a drill 

 exhibited by Mr. Woodbourne. Mr. Hornsby, of Gran- 

 tham, Lincolnshire, who received the Society's Prize of 

 10/. and a Silver Medal for the best Drill Presser, ex- 

 hibited a variety of efficient implements under this class, 

 among which was a two-rowed Turnip Drill, which was 

 probably the most efficient Manure Drill exhibited. The 

 union of the traversing with the rotatory motion in the 

 stirrers, for working pulverised manures, &c, down from 

 the supply-box to the cups, which originated with this 

 gentleman, wa< shown in several implements exhibited 

 in the yard ; but owing to its generally doing more than 

 is warned, and forcing the material out of the box faster 

 than the cups can remove it, Mr. Hornsby has ceased to 

 use it. If some simple means could be adopted for putting 

 this apparatus easily and quickly out of gear at pleasure, 

 as the maehme proceeds, we think it would still 

 he a useful attachment to tbe Manure Drill. — Mr. 

 dewberry, of Cl pmg Norton, Ox on, exhibited hie 

 4-wneet Dibbling Machine again. The efficiency of this 

 implement has been amply demonstrated during tbe two 

 seasons of Wheat-sowing m which it has been tried. A 

 very favourable repoa by several practical farmers was 



Siven of this machine in a late volume of tbe Society's 

 ournal. A field of Wheat near the trial ground had 

 been sown by this machine, and was looking well — Mr. 

 Barnes's Drop Drill, manufactured at Nether Wallop, 

 Hants, was constructed on a new principle. The inter- 

 mittent nature of the delivery from this machine, both of 

 the manure and seed, which constitutes its character as a have been made to produce an implement which shall 



drop drill, is obtained by means of an endless cha n of excel this in all the points which constitute the excellence 

 tin cups, fastened at intervals of inches on a revolving of sn agricultural implement, viz. cheapness, simplicity, 



strap; these revolve in front of each coulter, each • f the j and t fteiency. One of the best attempts is thai by Mr. 

 cups receiving a portion of the manure and seed supplied I Phillips, of Bristol, in which tbe knives which cut the 

 from their reepec :i*e boxes, and descending, deposit 

 their contends in succession ou tbe ground as the machine 

 proceeds ; the motion of these straps being the 



* e JiMigr* have set on inqoiiies relative to the ori 



fin f mfti --arli -he south-eastern counties, but have not 



?«t i IH m rauMmalnt the historical dates to their satis- 



*» 



different sides of the pieces as they come from the 

 •sac h we are detached from one another. In one of the 

 implements of this class exbibiteo by Mr. Phillips. 

 a crocs-cutting apparatus was attached, which shortened 

 the finger-shaped pieces, in which the Turnip is 

 delivered, into pieces an inch and a half long. — The 

 Society's Priae of 101. and Silver Medal was awarded 



Earl of Du ie, for bis Lordship'* Chaff-cutter . 

 This implement differs from all others of this class in 



wanting that intt rinitUu which eli.u icteriiec the cut- 

 ting- <>] .» of all other i (T-c utters. The cutters 

 0#nsist of thin blades or knives with serrated edges, 

 6 died spirally round a cylinder, thus insuring a conti- 

 nuous dra >g cut, and requiring less power to cut a 



en quantity of material. Prom the peculiar arrange- 

 tent of the cutters, the inconv nee and delay attend- 



ant upon removing them tor the purposes of sharpening 

 iTOided ; this is done by turning the cylinder the back 

 way round, aud advanc ng an em iy grinder towards the 

 cutters. A simple method is also adopted for changing 

 the I gth of cut, which is dune by shifting the strap 

 from one pair ot pulleys to another ; there are three pair ; 

 thus, when the str ip is upon the large pulley on the axis 

 of the cutting cylinder, and the small one on the shaft 

 that drives the feed-rollers, it will cut three quarters of 

 an Inch long, and shorter by a quarter of an inch in 

 every other pair of pulleys. — A Chaff-cutter exhibited by 

 M> re. Barrett and Eiall of Reading, possessed a very 

 simple mode of regulating the length of the cut at the 

 will of the workman. The length of cut depends upon 

 the relation between the rapidity with which the knives 

 are made to revolve, and that of the rate at which the 

 material to be rut is passed through the box. Now 

 these two motions in all chaff-cutters are connected with 

 one another by wheel and pinion, fcc, and the object to 

 be attained is some simple and easy means of varying 

 this connection so that the one motion, that of the 

 knives, being constant, the other, that of the material to 

 be cut, may vary. This is effected in the instance before 

 us by means of "a disc on t axis of one of the feeding- 

 rollers, on the face of which, in radial lines or nearly 

 so, several series of tappets or teeth are arranged in 

 circles about the centre of revolution. A shaft 

 whose motion depends on that of the knives, revolves in 

 front of this disc, and by means of a moveable pinion 

 working into the aforesaid tappets, communicates its own 

 motion to it. If this pinion work into one of the outer 

 circles, the angular motion of the iliac, and therefore 

 that of the feed in ^-rollers, will be slow, and the chaff cut 

 will be fine ; if, on the contrary, it works into one of the 

 inner circles, the chaff cut will be coarse. This important 

 point, the length of the chaff, can also be regulated in 

 another way. Suppose a toothed wheel be substituted 

 In the stead of this disc, and in place of the pinion, s 

 moveable worm be slipped on the aforesaid shaft ; several 

 worms for working thus into the wheel may bs employed, 

 according to the coarseness of chaff required, one taking 

 one tooth, another two teeth of the wheel at a time, and 

 so on. The motion of the shaft being constant, that of 

 the disc will thus vary, and, as before, our object will 

 have been attained. This mode of working chaff ma- 

 chines was exhi oted by several makers in the yard. We 

 single out one, M r. Ward's, of Stratford-on- Avon, because 



of several other peculiarities in the machine he exhibited. 

 One of them consisted in a beautiful arrangement by 

 which the feeding-rollers were stopped while the cut of 

 the machine was being made. It is evident that the effi- 

 ciency of the worm, in communic ng a motion to the 

 disc, into which it woiks, and thereby to the leeding-rol- 

 lers, depende on the obliquity of its thread to the axis of 

 the shaft on win it is wound. In the case before us, 

 tnc worm is of su a lorm, that its action in causing the 

 disc to revolve ceases during a portion of its revolution. 

 Two cuts being made during one of its revolutions, the 

 thread of the worm in the course of one circle round 

 tbe shaft on * i b it is wound is at two places oblique 

 to tbe axis of the shaft, there producing motion in the 

 feeding- rollers, and twice at rightangles to it, there 

 ceasing to produce motion ; it is at the two portions ot 

 the rev. lut.on, when the feeding-rollers are thus at rest, 

 that the cuta are made. Mr. Ward's Chaff-machine » 

 med " Guillotine," from the nature of the cut which it 

 makes ; the arrangement for this purpose is as follows : 

 By means of a crank on the fly-wheel axle, a reciprocating 

 vertical motion is given to a framework, which acts in 

 slides in front of and across the feed-Dux. to this frame- 

 work, a two-edged knife, inclined at an angle of aooui 

 30 deg., is placed in a vertical plane. This knife cuts 

 off m its descent and asceut-.ts two edges coming into 

 lay slternatciy-tte material protruded from tbe box 

 between its motions. * have mentioned three mod" 

 of regulating the cut of cbsff-machmes.— A very simi 

 arrangement, somewhat on the principle of the second 

 kind, was shown in a machine exhibited by Mr. uar 

 dener, of Banbury, Oxou. This implement had three 

 knives, two of which were »n action at once ; and by 

 means of a simple arrangement on thi- principle the 

 feeding-roller, stopped while each cut w" being made - 

 A good Chaff cutter, marked B, was exhibited by Messrs- 

 Kansome. of Ipswich. It is made entirely of metal, .and 

 combines the best points of Messrs. Ransome .former 



machines, with some important InP""™***^^ 

 . Tnese improvements consist in the facilities for chsnging 



. the length of the cut by means of toothed w».eela, and • 

 ' further varying the length, by shifting one knife withou 



detaching it, thus doubling tbe ^S^f each d a«g 

 Tbe mursvary in distance, according to the ecu, 

 from their spiral form, tbey draw it at a un «ft ™ /^ 



motion. The prefer- plate has • Pf« '" m £ 7bM 

 wis of the upper I >»«, ao that whether the feed oei 



or thin, a suffint pressure ^/^yi^^^M. 

 lb e cut is made clean without drawing tl* tho jm ^ 

 Two horses will work it well, and may be etu 

 lt lOcwt. of straw per hour intc i halMnch lengthy 



OrH.n ^™^^:;^« gained 



„bited tojftgJZS ££. and is now pretty 



prizes 



U 



