at the Lewes Meeting, 1852. 



315 



and Bentall did the work very efficiently, but, from their unwieldiness and 

 difficulty of alteration, they do not merit a prize in competition with Low- 

 cock's (manufactured and exhibited by Ransome), to which the prize was 

 given. Mr. Pitts, of Kenn, in Devonshire, exhibited one of like character to 

 the one of Lowcock's, but inferior in workmanship. 



Paring Ploughs. — Messrs. Glover, Comins, and Ransome were the only 

 exhibitors in this class ; the former as usual was decidedly superior for the 

 purpose of paring the sod, &c., at any thickness required, being easy of 

 management, and working level and true. 



Sub- Pulverizers. — Nine were brought into the field of trial on the heavy 

 land, varying materially in the formation and arrangement of the tines, as 

 well as in the amount of labour for both man and horse. Read's is the 

 easiest of draught, and scuds away with steadiness and ease, but is found not 

 50 effectually to rend and pulverize the substrata as those with tines otherwise 

 arranged. Gray and Co.'s, to which the preference was given by the judges, 

 was not the easiest of draught, but was selected from the very effectual manner 

 in which it broke up the earth through which it passed. The test was severe, 

 the chalk rock being in some places within two inches of the sole of the furrow 

 made previously by the deep ploughs. The leverage attached to this im- 

 plement was considered a great recommendation from its facilitating the turning 

 at the end of the field. 



Heavy Harrows. — Messrs. Coleman, Howard, and Williams competed in this 

 €lass. Williams's made the best work, and in a masterly style reduced the tena- 

 cious clods better than could have been anticipated, considering their hard state. 

 That of Howard was a respectable second. Coleman's power of expansion 

 and contraction might be of service, if capable of being fixed at any angle 

 required, but, as at present constructed, the uneven motion of the horses 

 expands and contracts the harrows when not required to do so. 



Light Harrows. — An unusually large number of this class were selected and 

 tested. Howard's accomplished admirably all that could be expected of 

 harrows to perform. This maker has made a further improvement in the 

 joints, and, by the application of a short chain coupling to each, they can at 

 pleasure be made fast, or given what liberty may be deemed requisite to suit 

 any unevenness of surface, furrow sides, &c. &c. Williams's also worked 

 well, as usual. A set exhibited by Allcock, of Ratcliffe-on-Trent, appeared 

 well adapted for separating twitch, &c., on light soils. Woods, of Stow- 

 market, had a scarifying harrow, which produced a fine tilth for the reception 

 of seeds. Holmes and Sou's one-horse harrow was commended as an ex- 

 cellent implement to follow the horse-hoe, &c. Amongst the chain-harrows 

 those of Cottam and Hallen were very effective, but the cost of them was con- 

 sidered extravagant. 



Cultivator, Grubber, or Scarifier. — Eleven of these were selected and 

 carried to the light land, most of which were first tested with scarifying shares 

 on a clover ley, the surface of which was of free texture for the season ; con- 

 sequently an imperfectly formed share pared the surface much better than at 

 any previous trial. The shares having been removed and the points substi- 

 tuted for grubbing, the whole were worked across a piece of clover ley, which 

 had been recently ploughed. A good arrangement of the tines was required 

 to enable them to work as grubbers, as the slice lifted in large clods. The 

 superiority appeared to rest between the " Biddell " (exhibited by Ransome 

 and Co.) and the " Uley" (exhibited by Crosskill) ; but on account of the 

 lever movement in the former for raising or lowering either side of the im- 

 plement, to it was awarded the prize. Bentall's combined Broadshare and 

 Scarifier worked, as usual, very well as a broadshare, but does not cover the 

 track of two horses abreast, which makes it inefficient as a scarifier. 



Pair-horse Scarifiers. — From the freedom of the surface-soil the whole of this 

 class (seven in number) acted efficiently. To the one exhibited by Hart, of 



