Report on the Trials of Implements at Cardiff. 417 
arrangement is therefore greatly needed to ensure tliat even supply 
of corn to the drum upon which the regularity of all the subse- 
quent processes in a great measure depends. Such a contrivance 
came under the notice of the Judges of Miscellaneous Imple- 
ments, and will be noticed in its due place. Meanwhile, it may 
be noted that the bad effects of irregular feeding is to a certain 
extent lessened by making the periphery of the drum heavy — so 
that it shall do the work of a fly-wheel in equalizing the strain. 
I Although the result of re-threshing shows an important differ- 
^ence in the threshing by different machines, yet judged by hand 
ind eye in the usual mode, all the straw would have been pro- 
inounced well threshed. It appears to have been impossible to 
Jthresh the straw clean without breaking it; for wherever the 
points in column 32 are high, those in column 38 will be 
bund low. 
In the first run the cleanest threshing and the highest total of 
loints were obtained by Messrs. Clayton and Shuttleworth, while 
Messrs. Ransomes, Sims, and Head, and Messrs. Marshall, Sons, 
ind Co., must be bracketed as a very good double-second : and 
Messrs. Ruston and Proctor are next in the race. These four, 
vith three other competitors, were selected for a second trial, in 
vhich special pains were taken to ascertain the perfection of 
inish, or the efficiency of the dressing, and division of the corn in 
he machine. Two hundred pounds of the head-corn from each 
tiachine were passed through Mr. R. Boby's corn-dressing and 
Greening machine, No. 3729. The result of this test w as very satis- 
ictory, for the " screenings " thus extracted were not in any case 
omposed wholly of light grains ; indeed, from the two machines 
t the head of Table II., the grain separated was simply small 
1 the berry, but quite fit to be sold as head-corn. We have here 
le proof of a marked advance since this class of machines was 
led at Bury in 1867, when the Report stated that " much 
lil-corn, chaff, &c., is mixed with the head-corn, or else a fair 
imple is obtained at the cost of allowing much good corn to go 
ver with the tail." The division of Heads, Seconds, and Thirds, 
y Messrs. Clayton and Shuttleworth, and by Messrs. Marshall, 
ons, and Co., was in each case satisfactory, the difference in 
le proportion being due to difference in the sheaf-corn. It is 
■markable that the first-prize machine by Messrs. Marshall 
stained the full number of points for perfection of finish in each 
the four runs recorded. In one run, not recorded in the second 
ials, the separation by this machine was found imperfect, but 
1 inspection of the screen at once showed that it had been 
jured, as there were three large indentations upon its surface, 
)parently made maliciously by thrusting a crowbar, or similar 
strument, up one of Uie sack-spouts. A reward of 10/. offered 
VOL. VIII. — S. S. 2 E 
