490 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



fore, be compelled to diverge a little, and consider 

 the effects of temperature on our cultivated crops, 

 taken in conjunction with the amount of watery 

 vapoin which is so variable a component in the 

 elastic medium which surrounds our globe. B* 



— 



pump 



REPORT ON THE AGRICULTURAL SECTION 



OF THE GREAT EXHIBITION. 

 No. XII.- Of the dozen Portable Steam-engines in 

 Class 9, we can say little ; we content ourselves with 

 pointing out a few peculiarities in those which seem to 

 be the most pre-eminent. Garrettf s engine is noted for 

 having its fly-wheel axle and crank at one end of the 

 boiler, and the cylinder at the other ; so that by a great 

 length of connecting-rod, the usual friction against the 

 guide-bars is much diminished. The force pump, 

 worked from the crank shaft, is attached to a cistern 

 in such a way that the foot valve is below the water, 

 thus insuring a regular and unfailing action of the 



The waste steam passes through a box inside 

 the water- tank ; and from this box the steam which is 

 condensed is drawn off by a tap. All the working 

 parts are so low as to be easily oiled and adjusted from 



the ground. 



Clayton, Shuttleworth, and Co., of Lincoln, show two 

 of their celebrated Prize Steam-engines, with hori- 

 zontal cylinders on the top of the boiler, and fitted with 

 improved governors. Their nine horse-power threshes 

 out^' clean, from 70 to 00 quarters of mown Wheat in 

 nine houfs, consuming 8 to cwt. of coal : their seven I 

 horse-power, from 50 to 60 qrs., consumption of coal | 

 from 6 to 7 cwt. ; and their five horse-power, from 30 

 to 40 qrs., consumption from 5 to 6 cwt 



The Patent House Steam-engines of Tuxford and 

 Sons, Boston, have vertical cylinders enclosed, with their 

 connecting-rods, cranks, &c, in a case at one end of 

 the boiler. The wearing parts are thus effectually pro- 

 tected when at work from grit and dust, and at all times , 

 from the weather ; and they well deserve the appel- 

 lation of * safety engines," their working parts being 

 secured from mischievous interference under lock and 

 key. The vertical position of the cylinder is considered 

 superior to the horizontal ; as the weight of the piston 

 in the latter case tends to wear the cylinder oval. The 

 boilers are made upon an improved principle, having 

 fire boxes with water space flues leading from them, 

 and returning through lap- welded iron tubes over them. 

 The consumption of coal for a six horse-power engine 

 is about 4 cwt. per day ; and this engine is extremely 

 portable, being a moderate load for two horses on good 

 roads. One of the engines exhibited has an oscillating 

 cylinder, and in the other it is fixed. 



Hornsby's steam engine we should think to be not 

 only a first-rate agricultural engine, but one of the best 

 high- pressures ever constructed for any purpose ; for 

 at its trial we believe the amount of coal consumed 

 during two hours and four minutes, at six horse-power, 

 was only f cwt. ; or 6*f lbs. per horse-power per hour. 

 This extraordinary economy of fuel seems principally 

 owing to the cylinder's being enclosed and kept hot in 

 the steam chamber immediately above the fire box. All 

 the working parts can be easily reached, as they are not 

 cased in ; and the piston may be easily got at for packing, 

 notwithstanding the cylinder being within the boiler. 

 Besides effecting a great saving in fuel, this peculiar 

 construction is a certain preventive against injury from 

 frost affecting the condensed water in the cylinder, or 

 pipes connected with it. The engine, simple, elegant 

 and light— weighing little more than 2§ tons, is mounted 

 upon four strong carriage wheels, which being of wood 

 are particularly adapted to rude farm roads, and being 

 large and near together are of comparatively light 

 draught. The hindermost, or cylinder and fire-door end 

 of the boiler is supported upon springs. The governor 

 k on an improved plan ; gun-metal caps being so placed 

 as to receive the heavy iron balls when not at work, 

 and prevent them from swaying about when travelling. 



Ransome and May exhibit a portable engine fitted 



with one of Penn's patent trunk engines, in which a 



small sliding cylinder within the fixed one, takes the 



place of the usual piston rod— the connecting rod being 



attached by a joint to the centre of the inner tube. We 



are unacquainted with the peculiar merits of this form 

 of engine. 



We will now complete our notices of articles in 

 Qass IX., before proceeding to a general account of 

 some among the many objects interesting to agricul- 

 turists distributed through the various departments of 

 the Crystal Palace. And first of all we have to ask the 

 leader's attention again to the subject of steam culture ; 

 for scanty as we may have thought inventions toward 

 this end, we find that, once touched upon, this is not a 

 subject t be easily got rid of. Steam is resolved to try 

 its skill in the mole and rabbit line ; and inventions of 

 machinery for doing tillage work are crowding so 

 thickly into the present period that, depend upon it, 

 alluvial land without stones means to get ploughed, dug, 

 forked, or otherwise comminuted and upturned before 

 the 20th century arrives. We have now to describe in a 

 word or two a « digging machine," which seemsmore likely 

 to be useful than any other steam cultivator in the Exhibi- 

 tion ; but we question whether, even before this model 

 has got manufactured on a large and ultimate scale, i 

 has not been already eclipsed by a machine just in- 

 vented we hear somewhere in the north ; a machine 

 which tears the ground up with tines or teeth arranged 

 upon a revolving bar. As we have before said, some- 

 «ung of this sort, that shall pulverise the soil fine 

 enough for a seed-bed, yet not so fine as to be undulv 



liable to "strike" and run together with a little rain, 

 appears to us most likely to accomplish the desired 

 object. The machine in question is a working model of 

 a digging-machine, invented and manufactured by 

 J. Parsons, of Craven Farm, Stamford-hill, Middlesex. 

 This model has eight spades (or rather seven spades and 

 a fork, to show that the form of the tools may be varied), 

 attached to a bar in such a way that each spade can be 

 turned, as it were, on its axis. This bar is raised and 

 lowered by means of two large wheels at right angles to it, 

 one at each end, carrying peculiarly shaped grooves. The 

 bar is also partially turned, so as to set the lower edge of 

 the spades backwarder or forwarder ; and this motion 

 is effected by a lever and connecting rod working in a 

 groove in another large wheel. This groove is of pecu- 

 liar form, and occasions an oscillating motion of the 

 spades in their descent, and moves forward their lower 

 or cutting edges as they rise. In planning this machine 

 the inventor has kept in view the movements communi- 

 cated to a common spade in working by hand ; the 

 oscillation of the spades in descending into the ground 

 is intended to ease them into it ; as the spades rise they 

 slope forwards, so as to take up the spits of earth upon 

 them ; and when they reach a certain height they are 

 simultaneously turned round one quarter of a revolution 

 by an inclined curve and rod for the purpose, so as t 

 turn the spits upside down as they fall from the tools. 

 A steam-engine, which can be used for other purposes 

 on the farm, is to be placed upon the platform of the 

 machine, which is stationary while the spades are 

 loosening, raising, and turning over the soil, but moves 

 forward a little, to the distance required, before the 

 spades again enter the ground. According to calcula- 

 tion, about a quarter of a horse steam power ought to 

 lift one acre of ground 1 foot in thickness 2 feet high, 

 in the course of 10 hours ; a small engine, therefore, 

 might work, if well arranged, 8 or 10 spades very easily, 

 and not make a very weighty machine. On soft ground 

 the inventor proposes to have four planks ; the machine 

 to be working upon two of them whilst the attendant is 

 taking up the other two from behind, and laying them 

 down in front. This would be necessary, we imagine, 

 as the carriage wheels on one side would have to travel 

 over the dug land ; if the wheels are not made so wide 

 apart, the planks would be in the way of the spades. 

 The machine is thus to advance by successive steps upon 

 a soi*t of temporary tram line, or on the bare ground, 

 as the cas% may be ; leaving a breadth of some 8 or 1 

 feet dug over behind it. 



Digging is preferable to ploughing ; and if this engine 

 can accomplish what it promises, no farmer need care 

 in future for either tariff or hariff ; he will prosper 

 without a corn duty, and will have plenty of hands for 

 cleaning and weeding. We cannot tell, of course, how 

 the mechanism will answer in the field ; but we have 

 certainly misgivings as to the oscillatory motion of the 

 tools as they enter the ground ; perhaps experiments may 

 have proved such a movement possible, but we should 

 not think it likely that these spades would do other than 

 break directly they entered the earth, which, as far as 

 our personal experience in delving informs us, stoutly 

 resists any other than a straightforward, downward 

 movement of the inserted blade, except a certain 

 prising motion, the leverage of which seems indispensable, 

 in penetrating hard ground, and which does not exist 

 in this machine. A spade, we think, ought to be thrust 

 straightly into the ground, or, if it be necessary to ease 

 it a little, let the prising be done by moving the bottom 

 of the spade slightly away from the un-dug land, for the 

 square or spit of soil to be dug will yield to sue] a 

 movement ; but it seems impossible to move the bottom 

 of the spade towards the hard and undug ground (as 

 must be the case with an oscillating tool) where an 

 advance can only be made by an actual compression of 

 the soil. We do not know whether our meaning is 

 clearly expressed ; but with this exception (a fault 

 which, if needful, may be easily remedied) we are of 

 opinion that this digging machine is very well calcu- 

 lated for performing what we wish. I. A. & 



Supplementary List of Prizes awarded in Class IX., 



Agricultural Implements. 



crowded court, and it mav 



officers .engaged in it l,a»e rfiscov £5T* « ^uT?^ 



disposed of on it. 



ships in which it was'imported £ ^° nit «**jlnZ 

 the buyer, and other .tuff of o Q 1 £*!..'"- i E 



in which this has bee d eTe^'-W fi 



said than Messrs. Antonv Gibb s anri V tbe »"W 

 the Peruvian Government, and shf™ ° M W.22S 

 guano, end they considered ?t theirX^* * n<1 '•»!* 

 tbe protection of themselves and the ™m-° < * >m * '«"£?£ 

 nefarious system of fraud. He C ouM £ "* * «5L* 

 evidence that day, but he should pu LPIlT**^. 

 magistrate as would justify a remand h.I5f . fceta ^^5 

 and the receiver. * ' emalla both of the eC* _* 



Mr. Geo.ge Drory, the master of the slo™ nv, 

 ssel, stated that, on the 15th \f t, A°? AM *»», a 



last he i^ 



"«s ho use of 



vesse 



• co..., .^i™ iiwl, go me loth of Jin* t* ~ . ~»WL. 



Gibbs to receive «0 bags of guano from 

 India dock. Long was directed at the sa 



stand he would bring it alongside the A?wJ? blmt0 «5 

 day. The barge did not cornel^ 

 following Monday morning, the wTof i* it^^ 



asked Long the cause of the delav *„££ 1 ?'** 



Witness 



a y, and he i 



bring his barge 



Catalogue. 



128 



5X0 



404 

 1028 



Name of Exhibitor. 



— . 



Subjects included in the 



Award. 



Barrett, Exall, and 

 Andrews, Reading. 



Delstamhe P., Brabant, 



Belgium. 



Jenkeu, \\\, Utrecht. 



Proutv «fc Blears, Boston, 



United States. 



Talbot, Brothers, near 



Bourges, France. 



Viehon, Lyons. 



For their steam-engine, 

 • threshing-machine, and 



patent gear and Linseed 



and corn-crusher. 

 A plough. 



A plough. 

 A plough. 



A plough. % 



A seed and corn separator. 



23 a 



HOKOtTBABLE MENTION. 



Fowle r. J., Brist ol. Drvning plough. 



July 



*>i 



J. A. Lloyd, Special Commissioner, Deputy 



in charge of Jury IX. 



ADULTERATION 



NEFARIOUS SYSTEM OF BOBBERY.^ 



OF OUA5 0. 



Tba»s Bone* Statiow.— Philip Ion?, a lighterman and 

 barge owner of Kermondsey, and Thomas Pickering, described 

 as a merchant, who is the occupier of large waterside premises 

 in Narrow street, Itatcliffe, near the Beirtnt's Canal Docks 

 were brought before Air. Yardley in custody of Superintenden 

 Evans, of the Thame* police, and Daniel Forrester of the City 

 police, charged, the former wiih stealing 220 hags of guano 

 value *>0l. f the property of Messrs. Antony Gibbe anrt Co. of 

 Lime-street, nnd ?he other wirh feloniously receiving the 

 property, well knowing it to be stolen. 



The in vesugatum created an unusual degree of interest In a 



Monday morning The bags of* guano were^ohleS t^ 

 the prisoner s lighter, and witness observed to 1****** 

 not the same description of bags as those in whfoh ?2?* 

 freight of guano were deposited on a former vo»i» °n ir 

 were very different bags indeed. Long said he was — ^ 



na awn* 



there was any difference. 221 bags of guano were broart* 

 hoard the sloop, the order from Messrs Gihh* „?* 

 was only for 220. When they were ah — «-- ^ 



to Long, who said, " They have given you m 22*. 

 and witness observed it was a thing he had nerer feZ' 

 fcefore. He paid Long 14s. for lighterage, and Ml 

 if there were any other charges, to which he replkla 

 the negative. The prisoner's barge was called the Ok* fell 

 The guano was carefully stowed away in a room diitinet |J 

 the rest of the cargo, and never interfered with until it *Z 

 unshipped at Goole, and delivered on the iarm of Mr, Rife 

 Seoheld, adjoining the river there. Some of it was immediuib 

 taken into the held, and it was discovered that it aadbUJ 

 most extensively adulterated, and that it was, iaf&ct,«jfc 

 a different sort of stuff from the guano which was notafafc 

 rated, and which he had taken down to the same fsim 

 Messrs. Gibbs' account a few weeks previous. The bags 

 also different, and the weight of them less than the first e 

 The adulterated guano was heavier in weight, did not hare fc 

 same appearance in the shovel as the real guano, and he bi 

 since under*t<»< d that its fertilising properties were very mail, 

 Mr. Scofield's bailiff recommended him to take back abigrf 

 the adulterated guano, which was sealed up, and deli vend Jta 

 Messrs Gibbs' office in London, and he did so. The bag *» 

 opened by Messrs. Gibbs' people in the City, and he wasawstf 

 to take a sampie of it to Professor Way, at the Royal Agnwi. 

 tural Institution, in Cavendish. square, for the purpose offeig 

 analyzed. The analysis had not been completed. He had one 

 seen Long since he bad delivered the 221 bag sot ^niock gaaa»« 

 board the Albion" uutil that day. In cross* examinauoo bj 

 Mr. Pelham, who defended tne prisoner, Mr. Drory?aidhalf a 

 scoie of the bags were opened on Mr. Scofield's farm, tbe 

 stuff in all of them appeared to be the same. 



John Parsons, a labourer, said he was living ia Lqgjft. 

 buildings, Bow- common, and had been emplojed oa Ih. 

 Pickering's wharf. He recollected the Saturday preiioos to 

 the Ep*om race week there were two barges alongikte 

 Pickering's wharf. He heard they both came out of tht 1ft* 

 India Dock, lie was not sure of the names of either of iaim. 

 Couid not say whether one was the Old Soul. He had fern 

 oft n employed in loading and unloading barges :ot Pickena& 

 both in the Lea-cut and the river Thames. Heeonldw*** 

 whether either of the barges moored alongside to v*&m 

 contained guano. Ue did not know what guano was* 



Mr. Yardley .—Then you are the only man in Union tM 



ioes not. Mind, hi*, how you give your evidence. Jojsc 



know the smell and colour of guano I ^_ < , 



parson*.-**, yes, sir; I know the smell and ^«n£ 

 should say the two bai-es contained guano. W •*W[ 

 work between three and four in the ai.ernoon. .7™™ 

 one barge out, and then began the other We . W tajg 

 of guano to a place under cover, on Mr • P^W'J^ 

 w/clear. d one barge that night, and got afe* itog* of J 

 other. went to work again on the Su ndar J^JJ 



often worked for Mr. Pickering on .feunday. We 1 ^ tuna* 

 stuff over. I dou'c know whether it was &*™*]^£Z 

 something or ■ other—Mr. Hobfer put some other question 

 the. witness, whictl he answered evasively. awaretW 



Mr. Y:,rdey(indignant!y.)-Vou seem not t0 . be J^ a "^ 

 you are swori lo .peak the truth, the whole truth ^ and M 

 but the truth. You are giving your evidence m awayi» 

 makes me believe jou are concealing * ne ™\™' 



Parsons— I am telling the truth as t ar as 1™^^ * 



Mr Yardlev.— No, you are not ; attend to the <l a «*r'^ 



The WUneV,, W hoVve hte -idence^y «J«.^ 

 seemed anxious to screen the ^^mmw*. ^ff^ a ^^ m 



length. His evidence amounted to tt»a . '^L-, ^ 



master's premises on Saturday, the inn ot May , » • 

 him and o-hers to K o to work ; that they £«£$&*», 

 loading harges containing guano, J urn V D ^^ ^gwrtsj 

 guano, filling bags, and loading the barge *. . bo Hon £ 

 and Sinday 8 He took the bags out of the «al = ^ wWI 

 contents were weighed, into the bargee. , 11« eh •£ w ta(ta4 * 

 they were brought irom. He could no * fcaj m ^ 



barges with the same stuff that he brongbt ont^ ^^^ 

 of tne bag. taken out of the barges wer^carredup^^ 



You were more accurate this m*rnh* 





some below. He would not be sure 

 the barges he saw alongside the wharr. 

 Mr. Hobier. 



I* 



Sold me you saw the Old Soul. , , th€ East* 



Mr. William Know!es 6 aidhewas_employedby » ^ 



India Dock Company to take the > weig oM m 



orn vessels there. On the 17th of £^™3hE»I« 



irge Old SouJ, to the order ot Messrs. bibb* ana v ^ ^ 

 ■guano, containing 14 tonV T> cwt qr .an ^ 4 



West 

 from 



be 



of 



a* 



em* 



taken out of the ship Invermore, and aenv m0t6VfV - 



into the barge. Long was on the dick ot tne . br0 ,btf 



the barge was being loaded. He M *^„^^ i&** 

 was with blm-rie could not say. T °V tt u na ^ ' e lceU. ** 

 into the Old Soul between ifte hours ot I auu 1 - ^^ ** 

 said he was very anxious to get out next 1 uue, &*»*> 



was sent for and given to the labourers, » JJ^Si fr*Dft*l«.«J 

 All the bags containing the guano were **™Y\ the ba#- * 

 6201, inclusive. The dock company P^^d pi«ef^* 

 sample of guano was taken from erery cargo, 

 the dock. *„;«in fl ' tbe adal^rs-** 



Mr. Drory recalled, said the bags co n^W ^ mi && 

 guano or earth, brought on board * h |, A ^ vi J^s dock^ 8 ^ 

 bered at all. His sloop was lying at St. aavi ^ ..torn*** 

 leydown, on Saturday, ihe 17th of Kay. * am# |tr W" 

 5 o'clock tl*at at.ernoon, and Uiere waj j ■ k tobis?** 1 * 

 barge to be navigate . from the West Indian 

 before the tivle began to fall. rlelivered so *^" 



Mr. Vardley aani it was evident the bags a« ^ ^ % 

 the barge Oul" Stiul, were not ttiosc put on *\ h%m % f oWr * 

 appealed 10 Mr. iiivams superintendent 01 



