at the Carlisle Meeting, 1855. 
513 
A Ransome's Improved Horizontal Diroct-action Eislit-horse Power Fixed 
Steam Engine ; invented and manufactured by the exhibitors. Received at 
the Royal Agricultural Society's meeting at Lewes, 1852, the prize of ; 
at Gloucester, 1853, was commended ; at Lincoln, 1854, received first prize. 
The boiler is 11 ft. long, 4 ft. diameter, having a flue 2 ft. 3 in. diameter. 
The plates best Staffordshire % in. thick ; rivets 1^ in. from centre to centre, 
and 11-lCths in. diameter. Diameter of cylinder 8 in., length of stroke 
17i- in. ; crank-shaft makes 110 revolutions per minute, and is of wrought- 
iron, 3 in. diameter at the bearings. The fly-wheel is 6 ft. diameter, 5-J in. 
wide, and weighs 14 cwt. 2 qrs., and is used as a driving-drum. The price of 
this engine and boiler includes all the necessary fittings and foundation-bolts, 
but not the connecting pipes between the engine and boiler, the cost of which 
varies according to their relative positions. This engine, with improvements 
since added, is similar to that which received the first prize of tlie Royal 
Agricultural Society of England at Lincoln in 1854. Price 195Z. 
Portable Thrashing Machines, not exceeding Six-horse Power. 
Perfect Work represented by . . . 
20 
15 
15 
12 
8 70 
c 
s 
0) 
t, .£ 
Oi 
c 
0 . 
M 
M 
0 
Name 
of Exhibitor. 
1 Nominal 
I Horse-pow 
Real Horse- 
power. 
S ^' 0 
.£3 S 
0) S S 
p H 75 
Horsepowc 
consumed 
1 Minute. 
[ Clean Tliras 
1 Clean Shak 
dialings Ire 
from Corn 
j Corn Unbrc 
1 Straw Unbr 
1 Comparativ 
1 Merit. 
V 
rice. 
£. 
s. 
d. 
Kansome and Sims . 
5 
5-8 
8 -.33 
48-32 
20 
U 
15 
11 
g 
68 
60 
0 
0 
Garrett 
4 
5-07 
6-75 
38-3 
20 
11 
6 
37 
fil 
0 
U 
4 
6-15 
6-OG 
37-3 
20 
12 
6 
38 
65 
0 
0 
4 
6-45 
5-16 
34-42 
10 
44 
u 
0 
The last of these three machines were tried with only GO sheaves, and the 
Judges considered tliat they required too much power for four horses, so 
gave the prize to a very good machine of Messrs. Ransome, driven by steam, 
with Brinsmead's shaker and Worby's separators attached. 
The Judges were most agreeably surprised with the great improvement in 
this branch of agricultural machines. The steadiness with which they ^vorked 
and performed what they were represented to be capable of doing, has 
much exceeded the performance of other years ; but we are sorry to add that 
the combination required to do sucli good work causes such an increase of 
weight in the machine, that they almost cease to be portable, as few of them 
could be moved over fields and farm-roads with less than four horses, the 
generality of them weighing from 2^ to 3 tons. To compensate for this 
weight, they ought to dress the corn for market, which cannot be done witliout 
some contrivance to make the feeding quite regular, especially in portable 
machines ; so that the Judges quite coincide vdth the Society's regulations, 
viz. " with shaker, riddle, and winnower." They must, however, compliment 
Messrs. Clayton for their machine, and for the adaptation of the revolving 
screen patented by Mr. J. H. Nalderand Mr. Knapp. We highly commended 
the machine, and gave a medal for the screen, but the power required for the 
■whole machine was too great for the prize. We gave the prize to Mr. Hornsby, 
the work done by his machine being very perfect, rotatory motion being 
applied wherever possible except as regards his shaker, and his riddle was as 
clean when it left off work as when it began. We highly commended the 
machines of Messrs. Tuxford and Humphries, the former for an excellent 
sample, the latter lor very good sample, and we also took the price and weight 
