Report of Implements shown at Liverpool. cvii 



To James Smith, of Deanston, near Stirling, for his Chain Brush, or 

 Web Harrow, 2 sovs. 



Special Commendations. 



The Rev. W. L. Rham's Dibbling Machine. 

 The Earl of Ducie's Hand Threshing Machine. 

 Messrs. Ransome's Double-Lever Hand Threshing Machine. 

 Messrs. Ransome's Portable Disc Steam-Engine, for Agricultural pur- 

 poses. 



Before proceeding to comment upon several of the implements which, 

 on account either of their originality, perfection, or general utility, ap- 

 peared to deserve special mention, the Judges beg expressly to state that 

 there were others of well-known and acknowledged practical worth, not 

 the less entitled to notice, the mere enumeration of which would exceed 

 the limits of a Report. 



To Messrs. Ransome, of Ipswich, the Society is indebted for what 

 m.ay be termed the great novelty of the meeting, viz. the exhibition of 

 a portable Steam-engine for the purposes of threshing corn, as applied 

 by this enterprising and well-known firm, to whom agriculturists are 

 already greatly indebted for their improvements in ploughs, and particu- 

 larly for the introduction of the cast-iron case-hardened shares, &c. 

 The advantages of steam-power for working fixed threshing-mills have 

 long been acknowledged in the northern parts of England and in Scot- 

 land ; but we believe this is the first attempt to render it portable, so 

 that it may be transported from one farm to another, or from one part 

 of a farm to another, as easily and as expeditiously as the present ma- 

 chines with horse-works. The patent disc engine invented by Mr. 

 Davies, of Birmingham, is the class of engine selected by Messrs. Ran- 

 some for this purpose. This engine has but one moving part, and that 

 of such simple construction and uniform action as to be liable to little 

 depreciation from wear and tear. It has no beam, fly-wheel, parallel 

 motion, guide rods, condenser, air-pump, or other intricate mechanism 

 subject to derangement in work, or to accident from travelling over un- 

 even country roads or fields: nor is its weight an impediment; the 

 engine and boiler of five-horse power, with its carriage on a pair of 

 wheels, not exceeding 35 cwt. By the peculiar construction of the 

 boiler, and method of disposing of the waste steam, danger of ignition 

 from sparks seems to be avoided, and the Judges confidently express 

 their opinion that, with prudence, as great safety may be experienced in 

 the use of this portable steam threshing machine in the stack-yard as is 

 found to be the case with the fixed engine in the barn. As the show- 

 yard offered no convenience for determining the performance of the 

 engine, the Judges refer for more details to a trial made of it by one of 

 their number at the instance of the Council, as also of three threshing- 

 machines at Mr. Falkner's farm at Fairfield, near Liverpool, on the 

 24th of July. 



A prize of 10/. was awarded to Mr. Wedlake, of Hornchurch, Essex, 

 for his ingenious and well-executed dibbling machine. This machine 



