572 
Weather- Wisdom and the Harvest. [Odtober, 
deterioration of quality and increase of expense, must be of 
truly national importance. Such a contrivance exists, not 
as a matter of surmise, or probability, but as proved by 
practical work on a large scale before men not accustomed 
to wax enthusiastic concerning any novelty placed before 
them. 
It is now twenty-one years since Mr. W. A. Gibbs, of 
Gillwell Park, Essex, first turned his attention to the subjedt, 
and succeeded in devising his drying-machine. Its essential 
feature is that hot air and the products of the combustion of 
coke or anthracite, as coming from a portable furnace, are 
driven by means of a fan right over and through the hay, 
corn, or other products to be dried. No one will, of course, 
doubt the superior economy of this diredt method of applying 
heat as compared with kilns and stoves ; but it might be 
supposed, on a priori grounds, that the gases of combustion 
—including, of course, sulphurous acid — would injure the 
flavour of the hay or other products. This is in pradtice 
found not to be the case. The machine-dried hay retains 
its full natural odour and savour, and is eagerly eaten by 
the most fastidious cows and horses; animals which are often 
found much more dainty about the quality of their food than 
an outsider would suppose. It is curious that the mustiness 
of an ill-made damp hay is completely removed by this 
treatment. Of the purifying power of the hot blast we 
personally witnessed a most surprising instance. Some time 
ago the south-western corner of Essex was much disturbed 
by the operations of an incendiary. A farmer in Seward- 
stone, about a mile from Gillwell Park, had had his stacks 
fired. The fire was indeed quenched, but the residue of the 
hay was completely soaked through with the torrents of 
water which had been dashed upon it, and was besides 
tainted with the smell of smoke. Cattle refused to touch it. 
We saw this damp, ill-smelling mass, apparently fit for 
nothing but to be thrown upon the manure-heap, put into 
the machine, and come out not merely dry, but freed from 
all empyreumatic smell. It was then readily eaten by cows 
and horses. We could not have conceived that the odour 
of burning, which every one knows is very persistent, could 
have been so simply and rapidly removed. 
There is another conceivable objection, which caused the 
inventor himself to hesitate in the beginning of his experi- 
ments, but which has in adtual working been found ground- 
less — to wit, the danger of fire. It might be supposed that 
when the products of combustion are driven through a mass 
of hay, a spark might easily set the whole on fire. It must 
