222 Report on the Trials of Potato-raising Machines. 
appeared to travel rather fast, and there was a tendency to bury 
the tubers, which must add to the cost of collecting. 
Implements costing not more than 5/. 
No. in 
Cata- 
logue 
Name of Exhibitor 
Address of Exliibitor 
Price 
Remarks 
£ 
d. 
1808 
Cooke, John, & 
Lindum Plough Works, 
4 
15 
0 
Sons 
Lincoln 
1767 
Elder, William . 
Berwick-on-Tweed 
4 
10 
0 
Eeserved 
1576 
Gregory, John . 
Westoe, South Shields 
4 
10 
0 
Prize of 201. 
1631 
Lankester & Co. 
44 Sumner Street, Lon- 
2 
10 
0 
don, S.E. 
Before describing these machines in detail, it may be stated 
generally that all comprise an ordinary plough frame, with a 
share which has either one or two wings, and some special 
arrangement of skeleton fingers in place of mould board. So 
that, in fact, any ordinary plough may be made equally efficient 
by simply substituting an open breast for the ordinary mould 
board ; or, if it is preferred to split the drill and throw the 
potatoes on either side — which certainly has advantages, as 
rendering them less liable to be buried — we take the double 
mould board plough, and apply the open breast. Hence it does 
not appear desirable to encourage the introduction of a separate 
implement, and the utility of the prize would have been greater 
if it had been for the addition or substitution of parts in a 
common single or double mould board plough, which render it | 
best adapted for raising potatoes. 
No. 1576. John Gregory s machine consisted of an ordinary 
plough beam and frame carrying a broad double-winged share, 
with a pair of wheels in front, the double breasts being replaced 
by sets of open bars on each side, which allowed a good deal of 
the soil to fall tlirough, leaving a larger proportion of the tubers 
exposed than any of the other machines. The best work was of 
course made where the haulm had been removed ; indeed, imple- 
ments of this sort are not capable of dealing with very luxuriant I 
tops, as the latter are apt to clog between the bars and the 
under side of the beam ; but, as there is a fair amount of space 
in this machine, it did quite as good work as could be expected, j 
No. 17G7. William Eldi'.r. This implement resembles an 
ordinary ridging plough, with very long and straight boards, 
behind and below which arc placed prongs projecting backwards. 
Tlio idea is that as the soil and potatoes fall back from tlie end 
of the boards, they are received and separated on the prongs; 
but, as far as we could see, the work would have been as efficient 
