at the Norwick Meeting, 1849. 



545 



any additional trampling. In such cases the ribbing-plough is fre- 

 quently had recourse to, nor is there any better method of securing 

 a good plant of wheat: though the slowness of the process and the 

 necessity for sowing the seed by hand are decided drawbacks to 

 this mode of preparing the land. Mr. Busby's implement adopts 

 the mode of opening the seed-furrow which forms the peculiar 

 merit of the ribbing-plough, but combines with it the method of 

 delivering the seed which is usual in corn-drills ; so that it 

 promises to be an implement of great utility, especially in those 

 cases where other drills fail. The Judges found fault with 

 the appearance of this implement ; this will probably be im- 

 proved when it next comes before the public: but it is to 

 be hoped that in any extra finishing which Mr. Busby may 

 bestow upon it, he will not lose sight of one of its great merits 

 at present, viz., that it is a cheap as well as effective drill for small 

 farmers. 



Harrows for Light Land. — (Judges' Report.) " This prize 

 was awarded to Art. 12, stand 122, exhibited by Messrs. Williams 

 and Taylor. For strength of construction and steadiness in 

 working the Judges consider these harrows superior to any others 

 exhibited. With respect to Howard's jointed harrows, they wish 

 to remark that though they would in all probability work exceed- 

 ingly well under ordinary circumstances, on the hard ground on 

 which they were compelled to try them they worked very unsteadily, 

 pulling up the furrow instead of cutting through it, and conse- 

 quently leaving the surface very rough." 



Harrows for Heavy Land. — " This prize was also awarded to 

 Messrs. Williams and Taylor, for Art. 3, stand 122, for the same 

 reasons as the above/' 



6< Mr. Coleman, stand 32, exhibited a set of expanding lever 

 harrows, which worked exceedingly well ; but they are nearly 

 double the price of the above, and more liable to get out of 

 order." 



Norwegian Harrows. — " This prize was awarded to Messrs. 

 Stratton. Their Norwegian harrow, after having been closely 

 tried with others on both heavy and light land, performed 

 its work most to the satisfaction of the Judges. It, however, did 

 very little good on the heavy land, and they are of opinion that 

 this implement is not of that general utility which it was expected 

 it would have been." 



Scarifiers. — "This prize was awarded to Messrs. Ransome for 

 their BiddelTs scarifier, as it was the only one, with the exception 

 of Smith's, of Stamford, that would enter the ground in its then 

 hard state. The Judges consider the light scarifiers can never 

 fairly compete with the heavy ones, and that a separate prize 

 should be given for them, as they are, as to price, within the 



