Report  on  Implements  at  York. 
583 
how  many  of  these  fans  have  been  used  this  season  would  be 
rather  interesting.  The  utter  inability  of  the  scheme  to  effect 
that  which  enthusiasts  declared  it  capable  of,  diverted  the  atten- 
tion of  the  public,  in  too  many  instances,  from  the  really  useful 
auxiliary  work  which  a properly  driven  and  constructed  fan  can 
effect.  The  Society  were  impelled  by  the  force  of  public  opinion 
to  make  costly  experiments,  which,  though  negative  in  results, 
were  of  great  service  to  its  members,  and  saved  them  from 
useless  outlay  and  disappointment.  A large  sum  of  money  was 
spent  in  the  Reading  meadows,  but  I cannot  think  that  such 
outlay  was  either  wasteful  or  useless,  because  the  large  consti- 
tuency of  members  look  to  the  Council  to  carry  out  from  time 
to  time  such  tests  as  shall  determine  the  value  or  uselessness 
of  new  inventions. 
At  York  there  was  a distinctly  new  departure,  viz.,  a Com- 
pound Condensing  Engine  for  agricultural  purposes.  This  was 
shown  by  Messrs.  Riches  and  Watts  (Article  No.  5139),  and  as 
a most  important  introduction  deserves  notice.  It  comprises  a 
tandem  engine  and  vertical  boiler,  cheap  and  simple  in  con- 
struction. Wherever  a run  of  water  is  available,  this  is  a most 
useful  engine.  It  is  said  to  be  about  10  actual  horse-power, 
and,  costing  150/.  complete,  it  is  certainly  cheap,  and  is  pro- 
bably capable  of  being  very  much  developed.  It  is  fitted  with 
an  ordinary  jet-condenser  and  simple  air-pump. 
The  merits  or  demerits  of  Caloric  Engines  and  Hot-air 
Engines  is  a most  interesting  question.  No  fewer  than  eight 
firms  exhibited  at  York  Meeting  these  comparative  novelties ; 
although  several  employed  the  same  invention,  viz.  that  known 
from  the  name  of  the  inventor  as  the  Buckett  Caloric  Engine. 
It  is  said  that  with  this  engine  brake  trials  have  shown  that 
an  effective  horse-power  can  be  obtained  by  2'54  lbs.  of  ordi- 
nary gas-coke  per  hour.  It  requires  no  water,  and  therefore, 
if  practical,  could  be  used  when  water  is  scarce  or  bad.  And 
the  risk  of  accidents  is,  I should  imagine,  very  much  less  than 
with  water.  Of  course  it  may  prove  quite  unsuitable  for  agri- 
cultural purposes,  but  we  have  in  this  form  engines  working 
up  to  16-horse  power  and  down  to  ^-horse  power.  It  would 
be  very  desirable  to  have  reliable  information  from  the  Society’s 
Engineers  as  to  the  possible  advantage  or  otherwise  of  caloric 
engines.  Possibly  this  could  be  determined  without  even  a 
trial. 
The  efforts  of  the  Society  might,  in  my  opinion,  be  advan- 
tageously directed  to  test  the  comparative  merits  of  the  various 
applications  of  springs  to  agricultural  locomotives.  There  is 
very  little  doubt  that  an  efficient  spring  adds  to  the  life  of 
these  increasingly  valuable  savers  of  animal  power.  The  trial 
