248 Report on the Trials of Reaping-Macliines at Leamington, 
In Class 1 (Sheaf-delivery Reapers) it was decided that 
Messrs. R. Hornsbv and Son's two machines, No. 468 and 
No. 469 were not duplicates, although very similar in general 
construction ; as one has four rake-arms and the other six, and 
the latter cannot be converted into the former by simply re- 
moving two of the arms, neither can the former be converted 
into the latter by attaching two additional arms. Two machines 
of the same firm, No. 463 and No. 465, both of them five- 
armed machines, with controllable self-delivery, were allowed 
to pass as not being duplicates, seeing that one has a main 
driving-wheel of larger diameter than the other, which makes a 
difference in adaptability to travelling across ridge and furrow, 
and over ground in a wet and soft state. In the larger-wheel 
machine, also, the rake-arms are shorter, and driven at a slower 
speed than in the other. Messrs. Hornsby's two six-armed 
machines, with controllable delivery, were not duplicates ; as in 
No. 466 the main-wheel is of larger diameter, and the centre of 
the rake-arms, or delivery motion, is placed more backward than 
in No. 464. 
In Class 3 (Combined Reapers and Mowers) Messrs. 
Hornsby's " Paragon," No. 474, differed from their " Paragon," 
No. 473, in having fingers 1\ instead of 3 inches apart; and the 
lighter frame of their machine, No. 475, was held to constitute 
a sufficient difference between it and No. 473. On the same 
ground Messrs. Lewis and Lowcock's light-framed machine, 
No. 1031, was allowed to compete, as well as their generally 
similar, but stronger machine, No. 1027. Besides, to have dis- 
qualified two machines in this Class as duplicates, when one is 
more strongly constructed than the other, would have stultified 
the course adopted in the trial of the same class of machines at 
Taunton in 1875. 
It is a question whether, in future trials, the number of 
machines in competition might not be reduced with advantage 
by the very fair method of permitting an exhibitor to elect with 
which one out of two or more very similar machines he will 
enter into trial. 
The Judges examined into and determined the relative 
positions of the various Reapers with respect to some of 
the qualifications described in the " Scales of Points of 
Merit " drawn up by the Society and printed in the Prize 
Sheet ; leaving the most important, namely, those depend- 
ing upon actual performance, to be ascertained at the trials 
which it was arranged should be conducted at harvest-time at 
Leamington. 
For Classes 1 and 2 (Sheaf-delivery and Swathe-delivery 
Machines) the points representing perfection were : — 
