G02 Report on Miscellaneous Implement Awards at Derby. 
this fact assumes a less healthy appearance when it is known that 
the purchasers were to a large extent landlords who have become 
occupiers, from the absence of demand for their land, which 
prevails to an alarming extent in some of the Southern and 
Midland counties. It would be a more serious matter than it is 
for the English implement-makers if their trade were confined 
to the home demand ; but, fortunately for them and the country 
generally, they have, notwithstanding foreign tariffs, secured a 
large share of the European trade. As an illustration of this 
fact, I may mention that one large company, which has become 
especially famous in connection with harvesting machinery, 
stated in their last half-yearly report that, out of unexecuted 
orders amounting to fifty-six thousand pounds, only seven per cent, 
of such orders were for the home trade. This is probably a 
somewhat extreme case, but our leading firms have been greatly 
dependent on their foreign connection for orders during the times 
of trial through which we are passing, and of which we may 
hope to have seen the worst. In order that a foremost place 
should continue to be held, and the competition which is so keen 
from our Transatlantic friends successfully met, it is absolutely 
necessary that we should have not only the best-constructed 
implements, but such as are most suitable and economical in 
working for the special requirements of our constituents. It is, 
therefore, worthy of remark that at Derby there were at least two 
departures from old lines, and both hail from the land of Colum- 
bia. I allude to riding-ploughs, exhibited by two well-known 
firms, whose exhibits are described (pp. 608-614), and a corn 
and small seed drill combined, shown by James Coultas, which 
is constructed upon the lines of the American force-feed drills, 
which, varying in detail, are identical in principle, and are a 
wide departure from the disc and seed-cup with which we 
have hitherto been contented. Mr. Coultas was led to adopt 
this arrangement, because he found that he could not sell the 
English drill to foreign customers. I hold a strong opinion 
that if a careful trial were made, the deficiencies of the disc and 
seed-cup would be so apparent, that for home use the force- 
feed principle would be adopted. It will be remembered that 
English implement-makers generally declined to exhibit at 
Philadelphia in 1876, and missed the opportunity of com- 
paring and testing their machinery with that of the States, for 
which, as regards drills, there were unusual facilities ; for the 
series of trials that were organised by the jury and carried on 
in the Agricultural Department were far more complete and 
exhaustive than those at Bedford in 1874, which furnished 
the idea. At the latter the variation in the discharge from 
each coulter of the drills was tested by fixing small bags 
