at  the  Exeter  Meeting , 1850. 
483 
General  Remarks. 
The  implements  exhibited  at  the  meeting  have  greatly  im- 
proved in  character,  both  as  to  construction  and  workmanship, 
and  the  implement-makers  have  found  that  it  is  not  to  their 
advantage  to  exhibit  implements  of  inferior  description  in  their 
respective  classes.  Although  the  actual  number  of  imple- 
ments exhibited  at  Exeter  may  numerically  be  less  than  at  some 
other  meetings  of  the  Society,  the  goodness  and  efficiency  of 
those  shown  more  than  compensate  for  the  slight  decrease  in 
number.  By  the  report  of  the  Judges  on  steam-engines  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  engine  of  Messrs.  Hornsby  and  Son,  which  ob- 
tained the  first  prize,  only  consumed  7 ' 56  lbs.  of  coal  per  horse- 
power per  hour ; also  that  the  engine  of  Messrs.  Clayton  and 
Shuttleworth,  which  obtained  the  second  prize,  consumed  7 • 77  lbs. 
of  coal  per  horse-power  per  hour  ; while  the  prize  engine  at 
Norwich  consumed  11*5  lbs.  per  horse-power  per  hour — showing 
a saving  in  the  expense  of  coal  of  upwards  of  30  per  cent.  These 
facts  are  matters  of  great  moment  to  the  agriculturist  wishing  to 
purchase  an  engine,  as  it  will  induce  him  to  be  careful  in 
selecting  a proper  implement,  as  no  saving  in  the  first  cost  of  an 
engine  can  compensate  him  for  the  continual  expense  of  the 
greater  quantity  of  fuel  consumed  by  one  of  inferior  quality  ; and, 
in  illustration  of  the  above,  the  Consulting  Engineer  of  theSociety 
has  furnished  the  compiler  of  this  report  with  the  following  table, 
showing  the  advantage  annually  accruing  to  the  purchaser  of  the 
best  implement : — 
A’s  Engine  cost  £162  10s. 
£.  s.  d. 
Interest  on  £162  at  per  cent.  . . . . . . 12  3 9 
25  tons  7 cwt.  16  lbs.  of  coal,  at  17s.  6 d.  per  ton,  consumed  in  50  days  22  3 9 
£34  7 6 
B’s  Engine  cost  £217. 
£.  s.  d. 
Interest  on  £217  at  7j  per  cent.  . . . . . .16  5 6 
6 tons  8 cwt.  1 qr.  16  lbs.  of  coal,  at  17s.  6d.  per  ton,  consumed  in  50  days  6 1 10 
, Balance  . . . 12  1 0 
£34  7 6 
Thus  showing  a gain  of  12Z.  Is.  6 d.  per  annum  for  the  extra 
outlay  of  54/.  10s.  in  the  first  cost  of  the  engine,  supposing  the 
engine  to  be  worked  fifty  days  only  in  the  year. 
The  experience  gained  at  the  Norwich  meeting  has  not  been 
lost  sight  of  by  the  makers  of  threshing-machines.  On  the  whole 
the  machines  exhibited  at  Exeter  were  generally  much  improved 
upon  those  of  former  meetings. 
The  prize  machine  at  the  Norwich  meeting  required  a power 
equivalent  to  2*  78,  or  rather  more  than  2|  horses’  power  to  drive 
it  empty,  while  the  prize  machine  at  Exeter  took  only  1 • 39  horses’ 
