at the Leices Meeting^ 1852. 



303 



principle. Judges, however, can only deal with circumstances 

 as they find them, and the work was undoubtedly better per- 

 formed by Garrett's (Hussey) than by any other of the com- 

 peting machines. The only drawback to the goodness of its 

 performance on this occasion was the pace at which the horses 

 were required to walk, and its heavy draught. Crosskill's on 

 the Hussey, and Samuelson's on the M'Cormick principle, also 

 worked very well, but the first-mentioned machine was clearly 

 entitled to, and received the prize. 



Numerous trials of reaping-machines have since taken place, 

 the most important of which have been — 



1. At the Agricultural College, Cirencester, lasting for 

 several days, during which upwards of 100 acres of various grain 

 crops were cut. The official account of this very careful and im- 

 partial comparison of the rival machines is published in the 

 Appendix to this Report (see A), and gives the preference, in 

 some important particulars, to M'Cormick's machine ; but con- 

 cludes by stating that each of those tried (viz. Garrett's Hus- 

 sey, and Burgess's jM'Cormick) is capable, even " in its present 

 state, of doing much service to the farmer, but that both are sus- 

 ceptible of very great improvement." 



2. At the meeting of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society at 

 Sheffield, August 2nd, 1852, where M'Cormick's machine re- 

 ceived the prize. The report of this meeting is not yet published, 

 but will appear in the forthcoming number of the ' Transactions 

 of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.' 



3. At Driffield, August 17th, under the management of the 

 Driffield Farmers' Club, in which IM'Cormick's machine was a 

 decided winner. (For Report of this trial see Appendix B.) 



4. At the meeting of the Cleveland Agricultural Society at 

 Guisboro', August 26th, 1852, at which the verdict of the 

 jury was in favour of Garrett's Hussey. (For Report see Ap- 

 pendix C.) 



5. At the Perth meeting of the Highland Agricultural Society 

 of Scotland, August 6th, 1852, at which " Bell's reaper " was con- 

 sidered superior to a Hussey manufactured by Crosskill. (For 

 Report see 'Transactions of Highland Society,' October, 1852.) 



Such opposite conclusions, arrived at by men selected as 

 judges for their known talent and practical skill, can only be 

 accounted for by the varying circumstances of crop and weather 

 under which the trials took place, which produced a marked dif- 

 ference in the performances of the same machines on different 

 occasions. The trials of 1852 have not, therefore, concluded the 

 controversy between the rival reapers, or established that any one 

 principle of construction is decidedly superior to others ; but 

 in the course of the season a mass of practical evidence on the 



