278 Report on the Trials of Reaping Machines at Leamington, 
cutting was close and good; and the manual delivery (defined to be "deli- 
vering by the foot"), with grate platform, was very good. 
Plot 10. — Messrs. Hornsby's " Paragon A " machine (474 Catalogue number), 
taking a 4 feet 3 inch cut, with fingers, and 2|-inch throw of crank, 
was worked by one horse, the driver walking. It cut exceedingly well, and 
also made a good deliver}' by grate-platform tipped by pedal. 
Plot 11. — Messrs. Brigham and Co.'s " Star Combined Reaper and Mower" 
(384 Catalogue number). This is a lighter machine than No. 383. The 
width of cut is 4 feet 4 inches, and total breadth over all 8 feet 6 inches ; the 
fingers are at 3-inch intervals, and the throw of the crank 3 inches. The 
finger-bar floats, or, in other words, is free to rise and fall at both ends ; 
and when fitted as a reaper, a tipping grate-platform is added and worked by 
the rake-man's foot. With two horses and two men, this machine made 
good work, finishing the half-acre plot in 38 minutes. 
Plot 12. — Messrs. Hornsby's light " Paragon N " machine (475 Catalogue 
number), which won the third prize at Taunton, has a 4j-feet cut, total breadth 
8j feet ; fingers at 3-inch interval, and the throw of the crank 2f inches ; 
worked by one horse in shafts and two men, with pedal grate-platform 
delivery. This machine made very good work. 
Plot 13. — Messrs. Hornsby's small " Paragon One-horse combined Mower and 
Reaper " (477 Catalogue number), with a cut only 2 feet 9 inches wide, and 
breadth over all of 6 feet 5j inches, was worked by one horse in shafts. It 
was amusing to see Messrs. Hornsby's substantial man Trolley riding on this 
little machine and cutting four drills at once ; but the half-acre plot was cut 
and delivered in 58 minutes — a rate of performance of say 6 acres per day. 
Out of the 13 machines, the Judges selected for trial upon grass 
Messrs. Brigham and Co.'s No. 384 ; Messrs. Lewis and Low- 
cock's No. 1031 ; Messrs. A. Field and Co.'s No. 764; Messrs. 
Bickerton and Son's, No. 2454 ; and Messrs. Hornsby's, Nos. 473, 
474, 475, and 476. The crop was ryegrass, heavy and laid. 
Messrs. Hornsby's No. 476 met with a specially bad piece, 
under the trees which overshadowed part of the half-acre plot 
No. 1. Messrs. Hornsby's No. 475 had two stoppages. Messrs. 
Lewis and Lowcock's mower, on Plot 3, encountered a rough 
tangle and a sewage-carrier, but elsewhere it did not make very 
close cutting. Messrs. Field and Co.'s machine, fitted with its 
short cutter-bar for grass-cutting, did a small portion of its work 
fairly ; but the largest part of the plot was poorly done. After a 
considerable fall of rain, the remaining machines were put through 
their trial. Messrs. Hornsby's No. 473 dealt with a heavy crop 
much knocked about ; but the grass was well cut and well laid, 
the mower, in finishing up, cutting part of the last course over 
again. Messrs. Hornsby's No. 474 made a rather ragged cut. 
Messrs. Bickerton's No. 2454 missed a great deal of grass ; the 
swathe was also very badly laid, and the gearing became choked 
up. Messrs. Brigham's No. 384 missed cutting in places. 
The Judges awarded the first prize, 15Z. to Messrs. Hornsby 
and Sons' " Paragon O " (No. 473), which gained 995 points 
out of 1000 constituting perfection ; the second prize, 10/., to 
Messrs. Hornsby and Sons' " Paragon N " (No. 475), which 
