148 Report on Implements at Liverpool, and on 
The general show in this important department of agricultural 
mechanics was never so large or so interesting. Every branch of 
the manufacture was thoroughly represented, ploughs, harrows, 
drags, cultivators, &c., from every maker, but each maker seemed 
to have a pattern of every variety made by his firm. The 
fact is, since the systematic trials by the Royal Agricultural 
Society have been temporarily abandoned, the makers, resting 
on their laurels, have discontinued straining after novelty, but 
have directed their energies towards extending and increasing 
their legitimate trade in the implements that in past years 
they had perfected and the merits of which public trials had 
tested. Hence while the general show of field implements was 
magnificent, the list of novelties pointed out by the Judges was 
meagre. 
Denton's New Grass Harrow is made entirely of wrought iron with 
Bessemer steel teeth ; it has the merit of being only 21. 15s. in price. When 
joined together the links form a diamond or lozenge longer than wide, and at 
the apex of each angle a triangular piece of iron 4 inches long is attached 
through its centre. Twisted links run across the bottom of the lozenge and 
form a horizontal line, the triangular knives forming another horizontal line 43 
inclies distant from the line of the links. Thus there is a cutter or tearer and a 
twisted link in each 9 inches ; beginning with 1 link and 1 tearer at the 
corner, then 3, then 5, then 7, &c., &c., the line of blades runs slantingly, or 
at angles of about 45", both to the right and to the left. As a grass harrow 
it clutches the ground, scratching up the moss with the knives, while the 
chains harrow up the rubbish and free it from mould. For harrowing hide- 
bound pastures, or meadows that have been dressed with bones, lime, or 
compost, it has most properly not escaped notice on this occasion. As a seed 
harrow on a cloddy surface it seems likely to be useful. 
Hunter's Turnip-Topper and Taller is one of the class of 
labour-saving implements which agriculture now needs. In 
saving the hay and corn crops much has been effected by 
machinery of this character, and more has yet to be accomplished, 
as the Liverpool exhibition and trials have shown ; and if similar 
economy can be accomplished with our roots the gain ^f agri- 
culture will not be insignificant. Root-crops cover more than 
one-fifth of the area of the arable land, or, to be exact, there are 
2,826,824 acres of mangolds and turnips in Great Britain, while 
their weight is about ten times that of any other crop per acre. 
The manipulation through all its stages, from the first hoeing 
to the putting, topping, tailing, and storing, forms no incon- 
siderable item in the labour account of the farm. For reducing 
the manual labour employed in this work there is ample 
margin. Our ridging ploughs, drills, horse-hoes, and scarifiers 
have done much towards facilitating the cultivation of the crop ; 
and two other machines are required to cheapen the costly 
processes necessitated, viz., a turnip-thinner and a turnip-topper 
