358 Report on the Exhibition and Trial of Implements 



ment than Messrs. Howard's, which received the prize, would be 

 required. 



Horse-Hoe on the Flat. — Mr. Garrett's kept the position it 

 has so long maintained.* A patent universal horse-hoe, invented 

 by Mr. Robert H. Nicholls, of Bedford, and shown by Mr. 

 Williams, possesses a new steerage principle, by which the hoes 

 can be readily directed along (to the extent of 1 j'^ard) drills that 

 may happen to diverge from the course in which the horse is 

 walking. The advantage of this principle could not be well 

 tested for want of corn-drills, either in a springing state or in 

 stubble, in which the required defect in drilling existed. 



Norioegian Harrows. — These tools had not the opportunity 

 given of showing themselves to the best advantage — such as per- 

 forming the double operation of harrowing and rolling in fresh 

 ploughed ground, or in teazing grassy clods, &c. ; but none that 

 were tried appeared calculated to work more efficiently than Mr. 

 Crosskill's. 



Clod- Crushers. — A fair trial was given to these implements, 

 and the contest lay between Crosskill's and Gibson's ; and the 

 former was found still to be the best crusher, for, though the 

 work of Gibson's presented a finer surface, it was found on again 



Having last year recommended the cross-hoeing of turnips, 

 five rows at a time, with Garrett's horse-hoe instead of singling 

 them by hand, or leaving them, when labour is scarce, till the 

 proper time is gone by, I beg strongly from further experience to 

 renew that recommendation. A writer has said that this plan 

 can be rarely adopted, because the plants seldom stand thick 

 enough in the row ; but, apart from cross-hoeing, seed enough 

 should be used to make them stand thick enough in the row as a 

 safeguard against the turnip-beetle. One of the largest and best 

 English farmers, in his Report on Cambridgeshire, recommends^ 

 the use of 3 or 4 lbs. of seed to the acre, which certainly will 

 give more than enough plants for cross-hoeing. Another, Mr. 

 Hudson of Castleacre, has this year bought two newly-invented 

 horse-hoes, expressly made for singling out turnips grown 07i the 

 ridge, which of course cannot be cross-hoed. But on the flat, as 

 I have shown (Journal, vol. xiii. p. 202), no new or expensive 

 implement need be bought. The same horse-hoe can be worked 

 both ways, which surely is some advantage. This year a large 

 piece of Swedes so cross-hoed at this place averaged 20 tons to 

 the acre, and a large piece of turnips gave 30 tons. They were 

 seen by good farmers at the trial of reaping-machines, and con- 

 sidered large crops. They certainly showed no blank spaces. 

 Mr. Eggar informs me that on Lord Portman's farm he cross- 

 hoed this year 200 acres of turnips in the same way. — Ph. Pusey. 



