676 liejport on the Trials of Implements at Reading. 
thermometers were untrustworthy, or that they were wrongly 
placed ; but further experience led them to believe that such 
variations did really exist, and for this reason fixed thermo- 
meter tubes alone seem scarcely to be depended upon for 
ascertaining the heat of a stack which is likely to get very hot. 
For some reason or other the heat in the iron tube on the north 
side of this stack never rose above 100^, though a spear ther- 
mometer inserted very near it showed 105^ and 116^, and the 
Judges were inclined to discredit these tubes. 
On the 11th, the day after the first working, the east end of 
the stack (for some days the hottest part) was 147° ; and on 
the 12th the fan was worked for 1;^ hour with the effect of 
reducing the temperature from an average of 116° (five observa- 
tions) to that of 79°. The ^hottest part was brought from 142° 
to 97°, and the coldest from 82° to 66°. 
On the 17th (five days later) one of the thermometers marked 
150°, and the fan was set to work for one hour, reducing the 
average temperature from 134° to 99°. After this, although a 
temperature of 138° was reached, Mr. Coultas did not think it 
necessary or desirable to apply the fan, and the stack gradually 
cooled down. The whole time that the fan was worked on this 
stack was 3 hours 15 minutes (see Table IV., p. 704). 
When the stack was cut open on September 12, the east end 
and the north and south sides were very mouldy. The cages 
in the shafts had broken down with the weight of the hay. In 
the centre of the stack there was some fairly good brown hay. 
Although the original estimate of the quantity of hay in this 
stack (viz. 12 tons) was decidedly too low, it only realised 12Z. 10s. 
It would be absurd to suppose that this represented the true 
value of the hay, which was worth a good deal more for packing ; 
the probable explanation of the very low prices obtained is that 
the conditions under which the sale was made were such as to 
limit competition. It was necessary that the Judges should 
see all the stacks cut up, and desirable that they should be able 
to see them all dissected during one week. It was therefore 
arranged that the sale should be subject to the condition that 
the purchaser should cut up and truss whatever he bought 
between the 11th and 16th of September. These remarks apply 
of course equally to all the stacks which were sold by auction. 
Plot III.— C. D. Phillips. 
For this Exhibitor's iron fan to be worked by steam-poicer, 
about 6 acres of a heavy crop of coarse grass were allotted. 
The crop was mown on the 4th, and moved several times, but 
it was not until the 10th that the stacking began, and on that 
