of String Binders at Derby, 
265 
in advance of English invention. No doubt the fact of American 
machinists having been at work so long on binding mechanism 
was greatly in their favour. There was very considerable merit 
in the invention of Mr. H. J. H. King, which appeared in more 
than one form, but in neither his own nor Bamlett's case were the 
details sufficiently perfected for absolute success. The efforts 
of the Society to stimulate invention in the direction of a Gleaner 
which should pick up the corn as left by either a sheafing or 
swathing machine were not so successful, as though three or four 
such machines were exhibited, the only one that was put to 
work failed to effect its object. That such failure was due to 
imperfection in mechanical details, rather than to insuperable 
difficulties, may be judged of from the fact that when tried in 
the Showyard the sheaf was picked up and bound. It is to be 
hoped that the offer of a prize for such a machine will be con- 
tinued, as under many conditions separate operations of cutting 
and binding are preferable. Wherever the climate admits of 
the early cutting of corn, i.e. before it has become ripe, or in 
districts which are forward, and especially in the case of corn 
containing much clover and grass-seeds, or other more objection- 
able material, it is most desirable that the same should become 
withered as rapidly as possible, which must be extremely diffi- 
cult when it is tightly tied up as soon as cut. As no gleaner 
or binder was worked at the trials, the one machine that was 
present being unable to operate, no comparison of results 
was possible. I have a report from Mr. Richard Hall, of Thul- 
ston, on whose farm most of the work was done. When it is 
borne in mind that the weather was showery, and that much 
of the corn was cut in a somewhat damp condition, Mr, Hall's 
evidence as to the effect of tight binding is important. He 
says : " Contrary to expectation, I was pleased with the tight 
binding of the corn cut on my farm by the binders, especially 
so with the barley, of which 1 was most afraid (it being so far 
from ripe), but the tight binding and accurate packing pre- 
vented access of rain-water, which ran off the sheaves as it 
would do from thatch. The wheat, though damp when it was 
cut, took very little damage from the binding ; in fact had it been 
tied less tightly a considerable portion would have slipped out 
of the binding. The oats, being so very ripe, did not bind 
together like the barley and wheat, and consequently suffered 
more damage from the excessive wet. From this you will 
gather that 1 am in favour of cutting rather green. The facts 
as to the barley afford stronger evidence of the correctness of 
my views. The remainder of the field was left standing for 
three weeks, and yielded a very inferior quality. Of course 
the last harvest was extraordinary and exceptional. With fine 
