JVcar and Tear of Afjricultural Steam- En fjines. 331 
— the thum, beaters, shakers, riddles, and more recently to the 
elevators — creates the impression that no one maker can claim 
unrivalled superiority over the rest in every respect, but rather 
that a much better machine would result if the good points in 
each pattern could be combined together. 
None but machines by the best makers should ever be 
selected, however tempting a bait may be held out in other 
quarters by a lower price. Competition has lowered the prices 
to a level which will not admit of further reduction without the 
substitution of inferior workmanship ; and this, whether a steam- 
engine or so simple a machine as a turnip-cutter be in question. 
Inferior workmanship will always prove the dearest in the end. 
Among other reasons for buying first-class machinery may be 
mentioned the importance of having the wearing parts properly 
numbered, so that they can be fixed by a common smith. The 
best makers take care to provide these for their customers ; others 
may expose you to disappointment and expense for want of this 
provision. 
Depreciation of Threshing-Machines. 
We have seen the portable single-blast machines working well at 
eight or ten years old : to be sure some of them had been nearly 
re-constructed and paid for twice over in adopting the various 
improvements introduced since they were first built in the early 
days of portable threshing-machines. Considering that all these 
improvements have brought them much nearer perfection, we 
may safely allot to the single-blast machines a duration of ten 
years, and to the double-blast that of eight years. We shall 
suppose them to be worth lOZ. to 20Z., according to size and 
first cost, at the end of the time. We refer to such machines as 
are used two days a week, and at the same time well managed. 
With less work they would of course last longer. It would be 
a very large farm to find work for a machine even once a week ; 
but in common practice, when not fully employed at home, they 
are sent out to earn some part of the purchase money ; and this 
is obviously good policy in the case of a machine liable to be 
superseded before it is worn out. 
Fixed larn-icorhs are used far less often, since it is likely that 
not more than 2000 quarters of corn will be brought to the same 
spot in one year, and generally much less ; yet even this quantity 
would only employ the machine once a week : the repairs will 
therefore be far less considerable. The wear and tear of a machine 
firmly fixed and quite level are comparatively small ; since it is 
always in the dry, the charge for the waterproof cloth may be 
omitted, and that for the driving-strap reduced to 15s. Any heavy 
