530 Report on the Trials of Implements at Oxford. 
The hind-carria,i;c is on an axis, fore-wheels lock under the frame. Crank and 
ueariug enable the fore-part of the machine to be moved in any direction, whilst 
the hind-]iart of the machine remains stationary, or is only moved to a small 
degree. This is considered a useful improvement, deserving of high commen- 
dation as it allows the straw being delivered to different parts of the stack as 
required, and saves labour on the stack. The horse-gearing is so arranged that 
the horse travels in a circle partly under and partly round the tail of machine 
The price, 4G?., is reasonable. 
Messrs. liichmond and Chandler's litter-cutter for hand-power is a capital 
machine, on account of its simplicity and the quantitj^ of stuff that can be 
cut with moderate draught. At first sight it may seem absurd to do such 
work by hand ; but an inspection of the tool will show that, though only a 
small affair and cheap, it is quite up to its work. The fly-wheel carries one 
large blade. When the knife is at work the feed-rollers are stationary ; hence 
no loss of power, which would be the case if the rollers in rapid motion were 
forcing the straw against the blade, neither could an even length of litter be 
cut. This important condition is secured by intermittent spaces in the gearing 
of the pinion and wheel. Exactly as the knife enters the cut, the plain sur- 
face of the driving-pinion comes in contact with a plain surface on the wheel 
of the roller ; consequently the latter ceases to move until contact of teeth 
ensues, by which time the knife has passed the box. When the straw has 
been worked forward 10 inches the knife has performed a revolution. This 
intermittent action is attended with a certain amount of jar ; hence the 
machine is not adapted for very fast motion. The revolutions of the fly-wheel 
should never exceed about 100 per minute ; hence, if driven by power, a slow 
motion is absolutely indispensable. Hij^hly commended. Price 51. 5s. 
James Davey, of Eynsham, Oxford, has made several improvements in cart 
and plough harness, which the Judges considered worthy of high commenda- 
tion. In the cart-harness, the object is to prevent the chafing of the back 
and doing away with the friction of the crupper. The cart-saddle is jiadded 
with leather, and has three-friction-rollers introduced in the tree to carry the 
backhand and prevent the working of the saddle backwards and forwards. 
The front of the saddle is elevated, so there is no pressure on the withers. The 
friction of the backhand cannot jjossibly wear the saddle, as the chain is 
carried over a plate of forged iron fitted to the lower part of the saddle. The 
whole of the breeching-gear is comjjosed of tlu-ee stra])s, doing away with the 
crupper altogether. The two straps from the cart-saddle, to which they are 
attached by hooks and short chains, cross each other over a circular pad lined 
with leather and filled with flock, the straps being kept in position by a brass 
pin on the pad, but having freedom to move with the motions of the horse ; 
these straps terminate by buckle and straps to the seat of the breeching. The 
straps are very strong, consisting, in some cases, of three ply, of different 
sizes, sewn one on the other, combining great strength with comparative 
lightness. The breeching-straps are double. The trace harness is made with 
a novel backhand, which keeps tight under the horse's belly, so that there is 
no risk of a horse catching his hind foot, which occasionally hapjiens with 
ordinary harness. Another idea is to make the same harness do for carting or 
ploughing ; for this purpose an extra pair of backhands and extra traces are 
sui^plied. The quality of the work appears excellent. 
David Hort and Co., of Wenlock Road, City Koad, London, exhibited an 
automatic self-acting and self-registering weighing-machine for grain, invented 
by W. H. Baxter, of London. The corn is placed in a hopper, and falls on to 
a horizontal cylinder divided into four compartments ; the axis being Sus- 
pended on the end of a beam, supported in the centre, and carrying the weights 
sliding on a graduated scale, the position of the cylinder is maintained by four 
stops at equal distances on one end of the cylinder. When a weight of corn 
equal to the scale has passed into the compartment the weight depresses the 
