4 
Report on the Agricultural Implements at 
the necessary particulars to justify their action. According to 
the instructions, the reports were to be based upon inherent 
and comparative merit. The elements of merit to include con- 
siderations relating- to originality, invention, discovery, utility, 
quality, skill, workmanship, fitness for the purposes intended, 
adaptation to public wants, economy, and cost. Awards to 
consist of a diploma, with a uniform bronze medal, and the 
special report of the Judges on the subject of the award. Each 
exhibitor has the right to publish the report. The value of 
these reports will depend upon the qualifications for the work 
of the reporting Judge. If the work is well done, there can be 
no doubt as to the estimation which the reports will acquire at 
the hands of the exhibitors and the public, and they can hardly 
fail to present valuable references when collected and published 
by the Commission, with a General Report of each group, which 
was also supplied by the Judges. Judging by my own experience, 
I am inclined to regard the arrangements of the Commission as 
a decided advance upon previous Exhibitions. The best means 
were adopted to secure competent authorities for each group. 
The system was devoid of competition between different coun- 
tries ; and as one result, by no means unimportant, the work 
was conducted with great cordiality, and with a desire to give 
full credit to all. It remains to be seen how far the expectation 
of the Commission will be verified by results. Every scheme, 
however carefully matured, has its practical drawbacks ; but, 
looking at the honest conscientious work that was done at 
Philadelphia, this scheme should be a success. 
Harvesting Machinery. 
In this Report I do not propose to follow out the order laid 
down for the guidance of Judges, which classified the exhibits 
as they would be required in practice, commencing with imple- 
ments of cultivation, following with drills, and so on. I take 
those first that are likely to be most interesting to my readers. 
The first thing that would strike the English visitor as remark- 
able would be the variety of inventions for reaping. In England 
we only know of two or three forms — the Manual Reaper, the 
Swathing Machine, now little used, and the Self-delivery Sheaf- 
ing-machine — which latter is most generally employed. Whereas 
in the Philadelphia Exhibition I found six distinct forms, each 
largely employed for its particular purpose. Nothing gives a 
better idea of the vastness of the country, and the variety of its 
requirements, than this array of machinery. Thus we find a 
totally distinct class of machinery used in the Western States 
from what is required for the Eastern. In California, for 
example, there is a large trade done in Headers. 
