JOURNAL 
OF THE 
ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY 
OF ENGLAND. 
I. — Report on the Agricultural Implements at the Philadelphia 
Centennial Exhibition. By J. Coleman, of Riccall Hall, 
York, British Juror, and Chairman of Group 28, "Agricul- 
tural Machinery." 
The readers of the ' Journal ' will naturally compare the 
Reports of the Vienna and Philadelphia Exhibitions as described 
in these pages. Let me admit at once that in one important 
feature my story of the latter will be defective. I cannot dwell 
with pride and satisfaction on the exhibition of English 
inventions, the description of which occupies so important a 
position in Professor Wrightson's pages, not because of any 
want of merit, but because they were not at Philadelphia. It 
will be remembered that a meeting of implement makers was 
held during the Taunton Show, presided over by Mr. Samuel- 
son, when it was pretty generally determined not to exhibit at 
Philadelphia, for the following reasons : — 1st, because it was 
felt that an American trade was impossible, on account of the 
high tariff which at that time applied to all goods whether sold 
or not ; 2nd, of the serious outlay that would be incurred in 
sending heavy goods ; 3rd, that it was deemed unwise in the 
face of these objections to expose English inventions to the 
sharp eyes of American inventors. Consequently we, who 
made such a creditable display in our general collection — in the 
Machinery department and in Fine Arts — as to rank at the 
head of contributing countries, were, as regards agricultural 
machinery, represented by some dozen exhibitors, many of whose 
entries were of an unimportant character. From the empty 
space originally devoted to this country, it was evident that even 
some of those who had entered had withdrawn. It is not for me 
to question the wisdom of this decision. Makers should know 
their own business better than an outsider ; but looking at the 
subject from an outside position, I am inclined to think that 
VOL. XIII.— S. S. B 
