34- 



General Notices. 



being brittle, must last a very great length of time. Were it not for the 

 greater quantity of elay required, we should prefer the tallies broader at 

 bottom than at top ; because they would then be more certain of standing 

 upright, and would sink more slowly into the earth. It was thought that 

 a deviation from the shape of the common brick wOuld procure an exemp- 

 tion from the excise duty ; but Mr. Allardyce found this not to be the ease. 

 A tally a foot high, formed in the upper part like that of Mr. Allardyce, 

 with nearly straight sides, but spreading out a little at the base, made of 

 Mr. Peake's terro-metallic earth {fig. 12.), would, we think, approach very 

 near perfection ; and would be particularly useful in an arboretum, where, 

 as at Syon, for example, the trees were allowed to attain their full age 

 and growth. — Cond. 



Budding's Machine for cropping or shearing the vegetable _ burface of 

 Lawns, Grass-plots, §c. — A technical description of this machine is given 

 in the' Repertory of Patent Inventions, vol. x. p. 327., accompanied by an 



elevation of the left side (fig. 13.), and a ground-plan (fig. 14.). The 

 machine being pushed forward, the hollow cylinder or cast-iron roller (a) is 

 put in motion, and also the smaller cylinder or gage-roller (6), the pur- 

 pose of which is, to regulate the height of the rectangular steel plate (c). 

 The operation of shearing is performed by from four to eight spiral cutters 

 (d), which revolve on a horizontal axis. 



In the operation of pushing forward the machine, the cylinder (a) rolls 

 upon the ground like the wheel of a wheelbarrow ; and, by the wheels and 

 pinions connected with it, causes the revolving cutters (d) to act rapidly, by 

 their smooth outer edges, against the edge of the fixed rectangular steel plate 

 (c), so as to crop or shear the grass or vegetable surface. The smaller cylinder 

 (6) serves effectually to regulate the height, and to insure the steadiness of 

 the rectangular fixed cutter (c), against which the revolving cutters act. To 

 keep the smaller roller (b) sufficiently free from any adhering substances, 

 there is a horizontal box (<?), which serves as an axis for a thin iron scraper, 

 which is curved so as to form a portion of a cylinder, having its lower edge 

 bearing on the surface of the roller. 



The speed with which the machine is pushed forward when at work is 



