and on Miscellaneous Inventions at the BirWiinpham Show. 281 
of 375 points for performance, making 79") total points out of 
1000 representing perfection. 
Miscellaneous Implements and Inventions. 
The Judges of Miscellaneous Implements and Inventions were 
— Mr. John Hicken, of Dunchurch, Rugby, Warwickshire ; 
Mr. John D. Ogilvie, of Mardon, Cornhill, Northumberland ; 
and Mr. John Thompson, of Badminton, Chippenham, Wiltshire. 
They made the awards subject to the following regulations laid 
down in the Prize Sheet, namely : — 
" 1. The Judges are requested to observe, that, in addition to the specified 
Prizes, there are Ten Silver Medals, which they have the power of awarding 
in case of sufficient merit. 
" 2. These Medals cannot in any case be awarded to any implement in- 
cluded in the ordinary rotation, unless (1) it belongs to the classes for which 
prizes are offered at this Meeting, or (2) the principle on which the imple- 
ment is constructed be entirely new, and the implement never before exhi- 
bited at any of the Society's Shows. 
" 3. These Medals are specially intended as a mark of approval of any new 
principles of construction which the Judges may consider as essential improve- 
ments ; subject always to the restriction contained in P>ule 2. 
" 4. The Judges are also empowered to make special awards of Medals 
for efficient modes of guarding or shielding machinery, especially when worked 
by steam, from contact with persons immediately engaged iu attending to 
such machinery while at work. 
" 5. No Medal shall, in any case, be awarded to any implement or mis- 
cellaneous article capable of trial until it has been subjected to such trial as 
the Stewards may direct. 
" 6. No Medal shall be awarded by the Judges without the consent of the 
Stewards, and no commendation of miscellaneous articles shall be made by 
the Judges." 
But though a considerable number of novelties and improve- 
ments were selected and recommended for medals, the Stewards 
withheld their consent to the awards, excepting in three cases ; 
deciding that certain of the inventions were not agricultural, 
while others were not new, and others, again, did not possess merit 
sufficiently marked to call for special distinction in the Society's 
distribution of honours. 
A silver medal was awarded to Messrs. J. W. Robinson and 
Co., of 125, St. Anne Street, Liverpool, for Aspinwall's Patent 
Potato Digger. This is not a plough with a breast of prongs, or 
a plough with rotary fork following, but a machine with a revolv- 
ing extractor or separator driven by spur gear from the travelling 
wheels. There is a pair of wheels, with main frame between them, 
having a central draught-pole and a seat for the driver, after 
the fashion of a grass-mower. Our (ideal not true mechanical) 
section (Fig. 8) will give a general idea of the arrangement and 
action of the parts. The frame supports by a strong coulter- 
