Haij and Straw' Presses at Nottingham. -579 
zontal screw running the entire length of the machine. Both screws are 
driven, by belting, through suitable puUeys and gearing, the former furnished 
with an ordinary reversing motion, like that of a planing machine. The 
press-body has a central opening for the reception of the stufl'to be pressed, 
while each end of the box is closed by a strong wooden door having four 
slots in it for the passage of the wire by which the bales are idtimately 
bound. Assuming that a bale has just been expelled, and the press-body 
full of loose hay, then, by throwing the belt on to the proper pulley, the 
platten moves away from the bale already pressed towai-ds the other end of 
the box. When bale number two has been sulBciently squeezed, the belt is 
shifted, automatically, on to the reversing pulley, and, in the meantime, 
the press-body has been again filled with loose material. The finished 
bales are partially extruded from the press-body by continuing the action 
of the piston after the end door is opened, and this extrusion absorbed a sur- 
prising amount of power. The bearing of this fact on the loss of energy in 
" continuous " presses of the Ladd and Filter type is evident. 
Four men were engaofed about the Foster Press. The out- 
put, whether in hay or straw, was moderate, while the density- 
obtained in straw was only 7 lbs. per cubic foot, or less than 
the Society's requirements, and only 9| lbs, in hay. 
The condition of the bales was good, standing, in this 
respect, about midway between Howard and Ladd. The power 
.absorbed was considerable, especially towards the end of the 
platten stroke, when the loud beating of the exhaust, coming, 
it must be remembered, from an 8-horse engine, told, as plainly 
as the indicator diagrams themselves, of the severity of the work. 
Want of uniformity in the power absorbed must prove a 
great drawback to any hay-press. The size of engine required is 
determined, not by the minimum, but by the maximum demand 
for power, and the Foster Press needs a large engine to drive 
it, while making very irregular use of its energy. The cost 
of baling, due to an excessive power and labour bill, coupled 
with a moderate output, was considerable, and, in view of these 
considerations, this machine was excused from taking part in 
the final trials. 
The First Prize in Class 1 fell to Ladd, and the Second Prize 
to Samuelson, but it was a matter of regret to the Judges that 
the principle of Howard's Press did not receive a fairer show at 
the hands of its makers. But for its excessive labour bill, this 
machine would have run both the Prize Presses hard. 
The trials in Class 1 were rendered specially interesting by 
the fact that all the competing presses difiered entirely one from 
the other in their mode of working. A further striking fact 
was that they all, except Howard's, absorbed a great deal of 
power in proportion to the work done, while the cost of baling 
per ton was, generally speaking, greater than in the best hand 
presses, although, it must be added, the densities obtained were 
also much greater. This variety in constructive principles, 
