The Trials of Threshing Machines at Doncaster. 491 
was 27'75 minutes. During this time, 6,387 lb. of sheaf com 
was fed into the machine, the result in grain produce being 
2,097 lb. of firsts, 82-5 lb. of seconds, 18-25 lb. of thirds. The 
power taken was 9"34 h.p. This was a most remarkable 
run, as no less than 230 lb. of corn per minute were fed 
into the machine, without the slightest sign at any time of 
choking, the machine running perfectly steadily. 
In the previous trial the driving belt partially fouled the 
base of the dynamometer ; this was rectified in the second trial, 
which to some extent accounts for the reduced power, but it is 
mainly accounted for by the absolute uniformity of feed. 
The wheat was well threshed, but the chaff was not nearly so 
clear of dust and weeds as Messrs. Gibbons & Robinson's. A 
very good sample of the barley was produced, and good work 
was done in the trial with oats. 
The enormous amount of grain threshed by this machine, 
especially in the final run with wheat, was due, in a great 
measure, to the extraordinary skill of both the feeder and the 
server. These men were perfectly trained, aud not a second 
was lost, the feeding being as even as possible. 
Note was taken in each instance of the setting of the drums 
of the various machines for the different kinds of corn to be 
passed through. The result showed that there was no uni- 
formity of practice as to the setting : while one machine worked 
different kinds of corn with the same setting, other machines in 
some cases varied the adjustment in opposite directions. It 
would appear that the setting is regulated as much by the 
manner of feeding as by the nature of the corn. To ascertain 
the power taken to drive various parts of the machines, tests 
were made with three of them running, in the first instance, 
empty, then with the drum and fans only, and, lastly, with the 
drum alone (see columns 16, 17, and 18 of Table II.). The 
drum takes about one half of the whole power of the machine ; 
in the case of Gibbons & Robinson's machine, it acquired even 
more. This is probably accounted for by the fact that, during 
the official run, the bearings had got hot, and, although time 
was given for adjusting and lubricating these before running 
the machine idle, it would seem that the result was not as 
satisfactory as might have been expected. The additional power 
required for the other motions of this machine is low. 
In Foden's machine, the steadying effect of the large fan 
over the drum was very noticeable. 
The points awarded according to the regulations for the 
various trials placed Messrs. Foden's machine (No. 4152) first, and 
K K 2 
