578 
Report of the Judges of Hop Machinery 
This consists of an iron frame, in which seven tines or hoes are fixed ; there 
are handles behind, with two small wheels in front, and a cranked axle, with 
lever, to regulate the depth. This may he said certainly to be a slight improve- 
ment upon the ordinary hop nidgett or skim, and is cheap at il. 10s. for the 
purpose of loosening the soil and getting up the weeds in spring and summer, 
but it is not in any way a machine adapted for the late autumn and winter 
cultivation of hop-gardens, to supersede manual labour. The same remarks 
apply in degree to Messrs. Weeks's iron nidgett (No. 3675). This is not so 
wide as Messrs. Coleman and Morton's cultivator, which covers all the ground 
in the " alley," and has only one wheel; while at 4Z. it is not so reasonable 
in price. The " Patent Eevolving Mouldboard American Plough" (Messrs. 
Mellards', Trent Foundry, No. 3012), or " disc " plough, as it is commonly 
called, being tried in this class, made remarkable work in the hop " alleys," 
bringing up soil that probably never saw the sun before. This is a plough in 
all its essential principles, and as such is not suited for hop-cultivation. Though 
the Judges, qua " hop judges," could not give the prize to this plough, yet in 
their capacity of miscellaneous judges they successfully recommended the novel 
and striking application of the revolving disc to the Stewards, as worthy of a 
silver medal. The prize of 201. was withheld in this first class of hop- 
machiuery, and it is hoped that when this prize is again offered, there will be 
a grand competition of suitable digging-machines. 
In the next Class, " for the best machine for washing the hop-plant to 
remove the aphis blight," the prize of 10/. was awarded to Messrs. Coleman 
and Morton for their "Hop-syringing Engine" (No. 262). The superiority of 
this machine over the others competing consists in its lighter draught in deep 
pulverized soil on account of its larger wheels, 32 inches in diameter, and the 
distance of the water-tank from the ground ; in its remarkably easy working 
pump, whose capacious air-vessel causes it to work light, and at the same time 
gives it great propelling power. This pump is placed on the left side, conve- 
nient for working and for purposes of repair, in these respects contrasting 
favourably with the other washing-machines, whose pumps worked very hard, 
and, being in the centre of the tank, were difficult to got at. A brass strainer 
is screwed over the inlet of the jiump, which is a great improvement. Messrs. 
Weeks's machine (No. 3669) is the same as is used generally in Kent : the 
pump works hard, and the small wheels make its draught considerable. The 
price of each of these machines is 9/., fitted with two 3-ply j-hose, with branches, 
taps, rose, spray, and sinde jets complete. Besides being the better machine, 
mechanically speaking, Messrs. Coleman and Morton's is much the cheaper, 
considering its superior advantages. Mr. Pead's machine (No'. 7368) is 
nearly identical with that entered by Messrs. Weeks : the pump is perhaps 
more difficult to work. Mr. Read also showed some smaller apparatus for 
washing, fitted into pails, and syringes for hand use, which are more adapted 
for vineries or for very small hop-plantatious. Several other engines, or rather 
large squirts of this description, were eloquently introduced to the notice of the 
Judges by various exhibitors, to whom it seemed to have just occurred that 
they might as well " go in" for the jirizes for hop-washing machines. As it 
was found upon reference that many of these had not been entered for compe- 
tition, they were of course not tried. 
The prize of 10/. for the best Hop-presser was awarded to Messrs. Weeks for 
their entry (No. 2670). This is a very good machine, and, according to the 
opinion of the consulting engineer, is constructed upon proper principles. The 
hop-presser generally used iu Kent, which took the first prize at the Show of the 
Eoyal Ajiricultural Society at Canterbury, and was exhibited by the side of this 
improved presser at Wolverhampton, is comparatively primitive in appearance 
and construction, and the improved presser has several points of novelty and in- 
genuity. The arrangement of the ratchet-lever gives, if necessary, far greater 
