466 
Report  on  the  Exhibition  of  Implements 
It  is  regretted  that  the  exhibitors  have  not  turned  their  atten- 
tion to  producing  a portable  and  not  expensive  arrangement  for 
sheltering  sheep  in  the  field,  and  feeding  them  under  cover, 
adapted  to  uneven  as  well  as  level  ground,  as  recommended  in 
the  Report  on  the  Exhibition  of  Implements  at  the  Norwich 
Meeting  of  1849.  In  framing  any  such  arrangement,  considera- 
tion should  be  had  both  for  sheep  standing  dry,  and  for  the  eco- 
nomical collection  of  all  manure  made  by  them  when  under 
cover. 
M.  VY.  Ridley. 
Report  of  the  Engineer- Judges  of  Agricultural  Machinery. 
Considering  the  great  distance  of  the  city  of  Exeter  from  the 
counties  most  famed  for  the  production  of  agricultural  machinery, 
we  were  agreeably  surprised  to  find  so  many  steam-engines  in 
the  trial  yard,  and  were  pleased  to  remark  a great  improvement 
in  their  general  character  since  the  Exhibition  at  Norwich  last 
year,  which  will  also  be  found  to  be  maintained  by  the  very- 
satisfactory  results  produced  on  the  practical  trial  with  the 
dynamometer  ; but  there  is  a very  important  question  arises,  as 
to  how  far  it  is  desirable  to  increase  the  weight  of  a portable 
farm  engine  by  adding  to  the  size  of  the  boiler;  the  larger  the 
boiler,  “ within  certain  limits,”  if  well  designed,  the  less  will  be 
the  consumption  of  fuel  per  horse  power  per  hour  ; but  the  most 
economical  engine  in  work  may  be  in  weight  and  price  the  least 
suited  to  a farmer’s  purpose  ; and  as  the^e  engines  are  only  re- 
quired for  a limited  period  during  the  year,  it  is  questionable 
whether  lightness  and  portability  should  not  be  deemed  of  great 
moment  in  guiding  the  decision  of  the  judges,  lest  by  a too 
exclusive  adherence  to  the  dynamometrical  test  a class  of  engines 
should  be  introduced  for  trial  expensively  constructed  and  of  too 
large  a size,  indeed,  not  made  for  general  sale  among  agri- 
culturists, but  merely  for  the  purpose  of  winning  the  race  and 
carrying  off  the  prize  at  the  annual  exhibitions  of  the  Society  by 
consuming  so  many  lbs.  less  of  coal  per  hour,  the  price  stated 
in  the  catalogue  being  inconsistent  with  the  production,  with  a 
fair  profit,  to  the  maker  of  such  expensive  engines.  To  guard 
in  future  against  this,  we  would  suggest,  that  each  engine  entered 
for  trial  should  be  of  the  same  nominal  power — say  six-horse, 
and  that  the  entire  weight  of  each  engine  to  be  worked  at  that 
power  should  not  exceed  55  cvvt.,  a certificate  being  produced 
of  the  weight  of  each  engine  from  the  weighing-machine  most 
convenient  to  pass  over  in  proceeding  to  the  trial-yard.  Wc 
would  also  suggest  that  it  would  be  desirable  to  place  a proper 
person  in  the  trial-yard,  under  the  direction  of  the  stewards  or 
