550 The Trials of Sheep Shearing Machines at Chester. 
Messrs. Newall 1,800 revolutions per minute 
Messrs, Burgon 2,000 „ „ 
The weights of the shearing apparatus, held two feet above 
the floor and two feet from the vertical shaft, were — 
Messrs. Newall . . . , . . . 3 lb. 10 oz. 
Messrs. Burgon 4 lb. 2 oz. 
The essential difference — that on which, to all appearances, 
the success of Messrs. Burgon’s and the failure of Messrs. 
Newall’s machine are to be attributed — is that the fingers of the 
former are ten in number, having four teeth and three spaces to 
the inch, and the cutter three teeth, f-incli pitch ; while in the 
latter there were only nine teeth spaced wider apart, namely, 
only three teeth to the inch in the comb, while there were four 
teeth in the cutter. This greater coarseness of pitch in the 
comb made it, naturally, more difficult to avoid cutting the 
folds of the skin as they appeared on the body of the sheep. 
An attempt was made to measure the power absorbed by 
the shears by means of the dynamometer, but the amount was 
so small, when driving only one pair of shears, as to be com- 
pletely masked by the friction of the shafting. 
RESULTS OF TRIALS OF SHEER SHEARING MACHINES. 
Time Shearing. Shropshire Hoggets. 
Messrs. Newall’s Hand Machine. 
No. 5251. 
Sheep 
Min. stc. 
1st 
8 40 
2nd 
8 20 
3rd 
12 18 -j 
f inclusive of 1 min. 20 sec. 
[_ in changing cutter. 
4th 
11 68 
Average 
time between sheep 46 seconds. Total time shearing four sheep, 
up to tbe commencement of the fifth, 45 minutes 39 seconds. The porter- 
wheel was driven by a moderately-powerful labourer : he was evidently dis- 
tressed at the end of the run, and could not have kept up the rate of work 
much longer. 
Messrs. Newall’s Forcer Machine. No. 5250. 
Sheep 
Min. sec. 
Sheep 
Min. sec. 
1st . . . 
0th ... . 
... 8 22 
2nd . . . 
7th ... 
... 7 
10 
3rd . . . . 
•8th . . . . 
... 7 32 
4th . . . 
... 6 48 
9th . . . . 
... 10 
4 
5th ... 
... G 25 
10th . . . . 
... 8 22 
Average time between sheep 38 seconds, including about a minute lost 
in securing the clutch handle. Total time shearing ten sheep, up to the 
commencement of the eleventh, 1 hour 20 minutes 8 seconds. 
About the eighth sheep the clutch handle kept coming out of gear, causing 
