Report on the Trials of Implements at Beading. 679 
for the hay upon which the weather had done its worst than for 
most of the hay which had been experimented upon by the 
exhibitors (see Table VII., p. 707). 
Plot IX. — A. C. Bamlett. 
This was a light crop of young grass which, when it had 
been mown, lay in such thin swathes that a single fine 
drying day would have made it hay. It was cut on the 5th. 
Heavy showers came on the 6th, 7th, 8th, yth and 10th, and 
the 11th was a pouring wet day. The 12th was fine, and the 
swathes were horse-raked into wind-rows and stacked imme- 
diately. There were some wet and green locks ; but if it had not 
been for thistles, there would not have been much chance of 
this hay heating. It happened rather unfortunately that the 
area of the plot, an irregularly shaped one, was somewhat larger 
than had been expected ; and the quantity of hay was large in 
proportion to that assigned to other competitors. This could 
easily have been remedied ; but the stacker ran his stack over 
so much, that, in order to get a safe roof, it was necessary to 
make rather a large stack. As the fan was the smallest and 
required the least power to work it, this was much to be 
regretted. The stack was laid out for 18 feet diameter. 
When it was finished it girthed 87 feet midway between the 
eaves and the ground. The shaft was formed by a 10-inch 
square slatted wooden cage 8 feet high. The flue, which was 
a wooden box 6-inch square (inside measure), with a cast-iron ca[> 
to fit immediately on to the fan, was put in the stack when it 
was about 5 feet high, but it had soon settled down to within 
1 foot of the ground. The exhibitor's inexperience, which he 
fully admitted, was shown by his having made his flue only 
10 feet long. As the stack had been carried over the perpen- 
dicular, this length did not extend from the shaft to the open 
air ; so the flue was buried, and in order to effect a junction 
between the fan and the flue it was necessary to cut away the 
side of the stack. As has been said, the greater part of this hay 
was stacked on the 12th, a little was added on the 13th, and on 
the afternoon of that day at 5 o'clock the temperature was 140° 
on the N.E., and 130° on the N.W.* The fan was worked by 
1 man, from 5.40 to 7.40 p.m., the temperature rising all the time. 
On the next day, the 14th, at 11 A.M. the temperature N.E. was 
150°, and N.W. 134°, The fan was then started and worked 
* As Mr. Biimlctt had not inserted any thermometer tubes, tlie observations of 
this stacli were made entirely by spear thermometers. This fan being worked 
more than any otlier, visitors were more attracted to it, and more interested in its 
condition. As tiic stack got solid it required considerable force to drive a spear 
Into it, and thus thermometers were broken, and great difficulty was experienced 
in getting trustworthy observationa. 
