548 
Report on the Farm Prize Competition in 
Willcock's cattle mangers of glazed earthenware, 2\ ft. long 
by 2 ft. wide, price 6s., set in brickwork, are carried round as 
much of the wall space as possible, and it is difficult to imagine 
anything cleaner or more durable. 
There is a powerful and excellent 12-horse power fixed 
engine on the premises which Mr. Machin bought second-hand at 
a very low price, and his son — who seems to inherit plenty of his 
father's intelligence with quite a genius for practical mechanics — 
soon converted it to its new requirements. He has also con- 
trived a pipe to warm with the waste steam the water which 
supplies the boiler, as well as other ingenious and economical 
improvements. The steam-power is used for pulping roots, 
cutting chaff, and grinding corn and cake, and the different 
machinery is so arranged and mechanically assisted that one 
man drives the engine and sees to the mixing of roots and chaff, 
whilst another feeds both the chaff-cutter and the mill. A boy 
outside to fill the shoot to the pulper with swedes completes all 
the requirements. A small quantity only of roots is got up at 
once to avoid a second moving. ]\Ir. Machin shares a portable 
engine with his brothers for thrashing purposes. There is a 
very fine Dutch bam in the stackyard built upon brick piers, a 
building which seems to be very common upon this estate. 
There is a blacksmith's and carpenter's shop on the premises 
to which a blacksmith comes about one day in each week, and 
a carpenter one or two. The work of these men, with the 
oversight and assistance of head and hand supplied by both 
master and son, appears to keep the tradesmen's bills down to a 
very insignificant and enviable item indeed. It is in this way 
that a new sheep-dipping apparatus, with tub, dripper, cradle to 
hold the victim in a standing position, and lever to raise and lower 
it complete, has just been made. By it some 500 sheep are 
dipped in a day, with the help of three men and a boy, at a cost of 
Is. a score. Thence emanated also a great number of ingenious 
and labour-saving contrivances for the farm, of which a few only 
can be named. One of them is a drill affixed to the ordinary 
presser, in which all light land Nottinghamshire farmers have 
very great faith. It is used for all crops after seeds immediately 
behind the ploughs, and presses the turf into deep grooves, 
into which the newly invented drill deposits the seed instead of 
broadcast-sowing as previously. Harrows also fastened to the 
presser follow the drill, which being made of sufficiently extra 
width, complete the whole work of rolling, seeding, and harrow- 
ing three times in a place at one operation. From the same source 
was turned out an elevator which, fixed to the hind part of the 
dressing machine, rajsed the com into sacks without extra 
