584 
Report  on  Implements  at  York. 
system,  as  it  was  pursued  during  the  earlier  life  of  the  Society,, 
has  very  wisely  been  abandoned.  It  would  be  a useless  expen- 
diture of  time  and  money  to  go  over  ground  which  has  been 
so  thoroughly  investigated  ; but  it  is  a most  important  branch 
of  the  Society’s  usefulness  to  guide  its  members  as  to  the 
practical  value  of  novel  discoveries  in  mechanical  science,  and 
a strong  feeling  exists  that  information  is  urgently  needed  as 
to  this  new  introduction  in  agricultural  mechanics. 
On  the  occasion  of  the  York  Meeting  a prize  of  25 1.  was 
offered,  as  at  Reading,  for  the  most  efficient  portable  straw- 
compressing and  binding  machine,  to  be  worked  in  conjunction 
with  a threshing  machine  ; and  though  on  this  occasion  there 
were  two  entries,  viz.  John  S.  Ladd  and  Co.’s  Perpetual  Press 
(Article  5003),  described  in  the  entry  form  as  a “ Straw-com- 
pressing Machine,  14  X 18,  variable  length,  extra  strength  iron- 
lined,  No.  1,  extra  belt,  perpetual  press,  mounted  on  wheels  for 
travelling,  price  230/.”  (this  machine,  which  received  a silver 
medal  at  the  Derby  Show  in  1881,  was  illustrated  and  described 
in  my  Report  of  Miscellaneous  Awards,  and  was  farther  re- 
ferred to  by  Mr.  W.  C.  Little  last  year)  ; and  Messrs.  J.  and  F. 
Howard’s  (Article  4609),  described  in  the  entry  form  as  a Straw- 
trussing  Machine,  worked  in  combination  with  a threshing- 
machine,  price  45/.  Both  were  ineligible  for  the  prize  : — Ladds’ 
machine  because,  just  as  last  year,  it  was  not  worked  in  con- 
junction with  a threshing-machine  ; and  as  the  Reading  experi- 
ments showed  a consumption  of  about  8-horse  power,  it  is  quite 
certain  that  such  a combination  could  not  practically  be  adopted. 
Messrs.  Howard  and  Co.’s  valuable  invention  because  it  was 
not  a compressing-machine  at  all,  though  an  excellent  trussing- 
machine,  and  as  effecting  a saving  of  three  to  four  hands  when 
straw  is  tied  up  as  threshed,  which  is  the  general  custom  in  the 
county  of  York,  and  wherever  straw  is  prepared  for  sale.  The 
Judges  were  so  satisfied  as  to  the  merits  of  the  application,  and 
the  ability  of  the  machine  to  deal  with  the  material  as  rapidly  as 
it  could  be  put  through  the  drum  of  the  threshing-machine,  that 
they  advised  the  award  of  a silver  medal.  It  seems  probable  that 
the  combination  which  the  Society  desired  to  encourage  may  not 
be  possible, — the  power  required  for  such  compression  as  would 
render  the  straw  sufficiently  reduced  in  size  for  export  purposes 
being  too  great  to  be  supplied  by  an  engine  having  to  drive  a 
threshing-machine  as  well ; but  the  offer  of  the  prize  has  not 
been  without  fruit,  since  it  has  led  to  the  ingenious  and  successful 
combination  of  a threshing  and  straw-trussing  machine,  of  which 
I proceed  to  give  a detailed  description,  which,  with  the  aid  of 
a drawing  supplied  by  Messrs.  Howard,  will,  I trust,  be  readily 
understood. 
