at the Lewes Meeting ^ 1852. 



333 



" We, the undersigned, having been requested by the authorities of the 

 Royal Agricultural College to draw up a re|)ort expressing our opinion of the 

 relative merits of the reaping machine of M'Corniick, exhibited by Messrs. 

 Burgess and Key, and Ilussey's machine, impi'oved and nianufactuicd by 

 Messrs. Garrett and Son, as displayed in their performances upon the College 

 farm, at Cirencester, during a succession of trials, which had extended over 

 several days, and the cutting of upwards of 100 acres of different sorts of grain 

 crops, report as follows : — 



" That, upon examination of the fields in which the crops had been cut, we 

 found the work to have been generally well and satisfactorily done by both 

 machines, but the stubble left by Hussey's appeared, in all descriptions of 

 grain, rather the neatest and most even. In each case it has been considered 

 necessary to follow with the horse-rake, which had effectually cleared up all 

 the waste, amounting, it was found, on the wheat stubble, to 2^ bushels on 3 

 acres after M'Cormick's, and 3^ after Garrett's machine. The wheat-fields 

 we considered to have been favourable for the working of the machines, being 

 ■generally level and clean, and to have presented fair average stand-up crops, in 

 no places much laid, such as were likely to have produced in a lair yield about, 

 probably, 30 bushels per acre, or rather more. The beans, a moderate crop, 

 drilled 22 inches apart, had been cut principally by M'Cormick's machine, 

 which had made very fair work ; and the small portion upon which Hussey's 

 had been tried was equally well done in both instances, leaving a more tidy 

 stubble than the scythe, which had been applied to an adjoining portion of the 

 crop. A crop of oats of about 20 acres, which we inspected, had been cut by 

 the machines, and the oats were lying on the ground. The part cut by 

 Hussey's appeared the cleanest and best work, but we considered either suf- 

 ficiently well done. We made a careful inspection of the working of the two 

 machines in a field of barley, laid down with clover and rye-grass. The 

 barley was estimated to produce about 4 quarters per acre on the average, 

 but not equal throughout, a portion being estimated at 5 quarters, while other 

 •parts were put only at 3 quarters, the clover being regular and very luxuriant, 

 particularly where the barley was lightest. We considered this crop, from its 

 nature, to be a severe trial to the machines, though the day being fine and the 

 clover dry were points much in their favour. The work made by each of 

 them was highly satisfactory, and where the barley stood up, in point of 

 cutting, everything which could be desired, and, even where partially laid, not 

 much to be found fault with. Hussey's cut the stubble lowest, and left it 

 rather the more even of the two ; but in more than one instance during our 

 inspection it clogged, so as to require the machine to be stopped in order to 

 clear the knives, an accident likely, in our opinion, to have occurred more 

 frequently, and to have presented a serious obstruction, had the crop been wet, 

 or even dew damp. 



" From this objection M'Cormick's appeared to be free, as far as our obser- 

 vation went ; the serrated cutters always clearing themselves, and its delivery 

 was in this crop very superior ; as the barley was laid out regularly by the 

 one man on the machine conveniently in small heaps, with the ears generally 

 upwards, while the two men who were employed in Hussey's to effect a lateral 

 delivery, though apparently labouring more severely, could not deposit the 

 barley so regularly, or in so good a form. The pace at which it was necessary 

 for the horses to walk in order to secure the proper working of the machines 

 appeared to us a most material feature in their relative claims. The horses 

 which drew Hussey's machine were driven by a man riding on the near horse, 

 and were kept going at a fast walk, which we estimated at nearly four miles 

 per hour — certainly at a speed far exceeding the ordinary walk of regular cart- 

 horses ; and this speed appeared necessary to insure efficient working ; a 

 requirement which must be very distressing to heavy horses. We find indeed 



