Trials  of  Agricultural  Motors. 
193 
delay  on  the  part  of  competitors,  the  weather  alone  was  respon- 
sible for  the  delay.  The  rain  which  had  fallen  was  not  in  any  way 
sufficient  to  affect  the  results ; the  ground  dried  very  quickly,  and 
during  the  remaining  days  of  the  trial  there  was  no  interruption 
whatever. 
The  trial  of  two  steam  motors  and  one  oil  motor  on  the  five- 
acre  plots  were  completed  on  the  first  day,  and  fully  occupied  the 
attention  of  the  judges. 
On  the  second  day  (Wednesday)  the  remaining  steam  motor 
and  three  oil  motors  were  tried,  and  this  concluded  the  ploughing 
trials  in  light  land. 
During  the  trials  each  motor  was  in  charge  of  an  observer  who 
recorded  the  fuel  and  water  consumption,  time  taken  and  any 
incident  of  the  trial,  the  results  of  which  are  summarized  in  Table 
No.  2. 
The  cost  of  ploughing  five  acres  of  land  at  Baldock  is  set  out 
in  Table  4.  In  this,  however,  no  charge  is  made  for  maintenance, 
depreciation,  or  interest  on  capital. 
The  amounts  to  be  charged  under  these  heads  against  plough- 
ing would  obviously  vary  in  accordance  with  the  proportion  of 
such  work  compared  with  other  work  done  by  the  motor. 
On  the  following  Saturday  and  on  Monday  morning,  further 
ploughing  trials  in  heavy  land  were  made  in  order  to  test  the  full 
capabilities  of  the  motors.  No  measurement  of  fuel  consumption 
in  these  trials  was  made,  as,  owing  to  the  varying  amount  of  work 
done  by  the  motors,  consequent  upon  the  difference  in  their 
power,  no  comparison  was  possible,  and  any  such  measurements 
would  have  been  useless:  that  the  land  ploughed  was  “heavy 
land”  is  sufficiently  evidenced  by  the  dynamometer  diagram 
No.  5,  Fig.  No.  9. 
Harvesting  Trials. 
On  Thursday  the  several  motors  were  taken  to  a field  of  wheat 
which  had  previously  been  opened  up,  so  as  to  provide  two  plots 
for  the  machines.  Four  “Albion”  Self-binding  reapers  with 
6-feet  knives  were  provided  by  Messrs.  Harrison  McGregor  & Co. 
The  larger  motors  with  ease  worked  two  of  these,  the  smaller 
worked  one. 
This  work  being  so  very  much  less  for  the  motors  than  that 
done  previously  in  ploughing,  it  resolved  itself  into  a demonstra- 
tion as  to  how  a motor  with  one  or  more  harvesters  attached 
thereto  could  negotiate  the  corners  and  irregularities  in  the  field, 
and,  in  such  a trial,  expertness  in  the  driver  is  the  main  factor. 
VOL.  71. 
0 
