434 Report on the Trials of Implements at Cardiff. \ 
Class III. — Tlireshing Machines (not Finishing). 
Before describing the first run in this class, it may be well to 
refer briefly to one or two of the trials previously made by the 
Society. One of the earliest notices of the g-encral use of portable 
threshing machines will be found in Mr. Pusey's Report in 1851, 
which he commences with the remark, as true now as then, that 
it is "the most complicated agricultural machine in general use." 
Its very complication has made its progress slow in reaching its 
present state of finish. At the important trials at Chester in 1858 
the Judges report (speaking of fixed as well as portable machines), 
"Only 4 out of 55 trials of steam-power machines received our 
number denoting perfection in clean threshing." " Only 11 
threshed without injury to the grain, only 5 dressed perfectly, 3 
shook the straw satisfactorily — the same 3 alone produced the 
cavings free from corn ; and 13 produced chaff without corn." 
In the full and valuable report of the most recent trials at 
Bury St. Edmund's in 1867, the Judges suggest the discon- 
tinuance of prizes for horse-power threshing machines, as their 
use at that time was considered "indicative of a backward con- 
dition of agriculture," At the same time they express a strong 
preference (based on the actual results of the trial) for the non- 
finishing machines, over those "that were supposed to dress up 
the sample ready for delivery." 
This year we have the satisfaction of reporting a great 
improvement in the performance of the finishing machines, 
and were led to anticipate this improvement by the fact that for 
the last three or four years the demand for machines to be used 
in England has been almost confined to finishing machines ; 
some of the largest manufacturers have stated that they sell fifty 
finishing to one single-blast machine ; while those who do most 
trade in the simpler machines say they make twice as man}' of 
those in Class II. It was a striking evidence of the comparatively 
small demand for single-blast machines that some of those brought 
for trial in Class III. had their frames made to receive a screen 
and second fan ; one exhibitor, replying to our remark on the 
disadvantage of having the frame unnecessarily large, said that he 
should fit in the finishing appliances immediately on his return 
home, as he had no demand for non-finishers. 
The pace of agriculture can no longer be deemed proverbially 
slow when we find a whole class of complicated machinery that 
five years ago was considered to do all that it was desirable one 
implement should attempt, now almost superseded by equally 
efficient though more complex machines. Seven years will pro- 
bably elapse before threshing machines again come on for trial, 
and it is not improbable that before that time the non-finishing 
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