1853. 
THE CULTIVATOR, 
31 
next line it says, “It would mislead the farmers of the State, 
“ and do injustice to the inventors, if the results exhibited in 
“ the above table are allowed to stand as a correct exibit of 
££ the abi.ity of the several machines to separate wheat 
“ from straw.” 
Next it assumes “360 lbs. grain as a fair yield from 100 
“ sheaves, and that 4,500 sheaves a day’s work for Pitt’s ma- 
“ chine, making ‘270 bushels per day with 7 men=$7; 8 hor- 
“ ses at $4— $11=4' cts. 7-10ths of a mill per bushel.” 
The next assumption is, that as it takes Pitt’s minutes 
and Emery’s 10£ minutes at Geneva, and that if 270 bushels 
is a day’s work for Pitt’s, then half that, or 135 bushels, is a 
day’s work with Emery’s, and the calculation includes five 
men, for even this small day’s work, instead of three, costing 
per report, 4 cts and 4 4-10th mills per bushel. 
Now as the whole quantity threshed at Geneva averaged but 
171 lbs. per hundred sheaves, in the above calculations the 
yield is more than double that at Geneva, and according to the 
same rate as actually threshed by Pitt’s there, he would have 
obtained 743 bushels in ten hours, or just 2f times more than 
is reckoned a fair day’s work in this “ comparisonor in oth¬ 
er words, that Pitt’s was working 2| times faster than could 
be kept up through a whole day, wiiich is readily accounted 
for by those who witnessed it as the fatigue of the team after 
threshing 5 minutes 30 seconds, was greater than was caused 
by the whole threshing done on all the Endless Chain Pow¬ 
ers which were operated by the same team in quick succes¬ 
sion, requiring in one, and the last case, 17^ minutes, and in 
all 4l£ minutes. 
Now, where is the justice of reducing the quantity in good 
grain to 135 bushels, while 161 bushels was actually the rate 
of threshing poor grain, a deduction of over 16 per cent., while 
the Pitt’s power, which has been shown to have been work¬ 
ing 2£ times faster than in the comparison, is made the stand¬ 
ard, and its time alone considered as the index of its capacity. 
To show the fallacy of this, let us reduce the trial at Gene¬ 
va from 5 minutes 30 seconds to what it should have been, or 
2f times=15 minutes seconds, which, compared with the 
correct time of Emery’s threshing, which is 10 minutes 30 
seconds, shows that instead of requiring more time, Emery’s 
worked the fastest by 4 minutes 23 seconds, or 40 per cent 
faster than Pitt’s, or equal in good grain to 378 bushels per 
day, instead of 135 bushels. This is good logic, ami based 
upon the materials in the report and “comparison” there made. 
If to these estimates be added to Pitt’s the boarding of men 
and horses, the cost would come up to 6 cents U mills per 
bushel, while if the board of three men and two horses be 
added, (being all the force used unless the owners of the team 
are counted, who being fearful Tor the safety of their horses, 
no harness being allowed, attended and held them during 
each experiment, it being lie first time they had been on a 
power,) the cost with Emey’s power would be but 4 cts. 3 
4-10th mills per bushel, making a difference in-favor of Eme¬ 
ry’s machine of 1 ct. 8 1-10 mills per bushel, or 30 per cent, 
less cost, instead of 9 per cent, more than with Pitt’s, as 
the “comparison” would have it. 
Although 270 bushels is more than average days work for 
Pitts’ machine, with any number of men and horses, and es¬ 
pecially with 6 and 7 men and 8 horses—it is not unusual that 
250 bushels, and in very many instances 300 bushels, have been 
threshed per day with the same team and four and five men all 
told, with the Emery power. While these numbers are not 
published as an average capacity for the Endless Chain Pow¬ 
ers of Emery’s Patent, two hundred bushels of wheat of ave¬ 
rage yield is their warranted capacity with horses weighing 
1,000 pounds each, and four men to attend it. 
So much for this “comparison.” If the relative capacity, 
utility, portability, and cost, both of machines as well as run¬ 
ning same, is not established in favor of the Endless Chain 
Power of Emery’s Patent, not only over all others of its class, 
but over the best of the larger kinds of lever powers, by at 
least thirty-three per cent, then such trials and experience 
cannot establish anything. 
As to the philosophical remarks in the report, concerning 
the momenta of cylinders, as also their construction as whole 
or open, or the use of various contrivances for reducing fric¬ 
tion and proper lubrication of machinery, as also the simpli¬ 
city of the construction of the premium thresher, with its 
teeth three inches long, (while the report says lj is better,) 
&c., I mu<t omit, or leave the the subject for another notice, 
or for those who are sufficiently qualified to comprehend so 
great a subject. 
Having consulted several members of the committee, both 
before and since the publication of the report, and point¬ 
ed out these errors, and learned from them that, having made 
their calculations, based on what they considered correct 
principles; they still adhered to the report, with a conviction 
they had done justice to the subject and all concerned. I 
would not in any manner wish to impeach their motives, 
while I do question the results at which they arrive. 
Albany , Jan, 1, 1853. H. L. EMERY. 
Nsw-York State A g. Society. 
The members of this society should recollect that at 
the last annual meeting, the time for holding the future 
annual meetings was changed to the second Wednesday 
of February , at which time the next meeting will be 
held at the Capitol, in this city. 
The Executive Committee held their regular meeting 
for December, on the 2d, at the society's rooms, in the 
Old State Hall. 
There were present—E. P. Prentice, John Delafield 
and George Yail, Ex-Presidents; Lewis G. Morris, A. 
Yan Bergen and Charles Lee, Vice-Presidents; Wm. 
Kelly, John A. Corey, John Butterfield, Executive 
Committee; Luther Tucker, Treasurer; E. Corning, 
Jr., and B. P. Johnson, Secretaries. 
A letter having been received by the secretary, from 
the president, Henry Wager, informing the Board 
that, from severe illness, he was unable to be present at 
the meeting of the Board, very much to his regret, E. 
P. Prentice, Esq., Ex-President, was appointed Pre¬ 
sident pro tern. 
Mr. Johnson presented a report from Mr. Wager and 
himself, delegates to the Fair and Exhibition of the Ag. 
ricultural Societies of the Eastern Shore of Maryland and 
Talbot county, which gave a very interesting state¬ 
ment in relation to the improvements now in progress 
in the husbandry of that part of the country. It was 
ordered published in the Journal of the Society. 
A letter to the president, from J. Delafield, Esq., 
was read, on the Importance of introducing Into the 
State, the cultivated grasses of Great Britain, for the 
purpose of improving our meadow and pasture lands. 
The importance of the subject was fully appreciated by 
the Board. 
On motion of Mr. Johnson, Messrs. Delafield, Kelly 
and Johnson were appointed a committee, to report at 
the next meeting of the Board, on the subject, as to the 
best measures to be adopted to accomplish the object. 
Mr. Delafield presented to the Board, for their exam¬ 
ination, maps of the county of Seneca, and several other 
counties of the State, prepared with great care, and 
stated that it was designed to complete the series of 
maps for the entire State. The Board, aware of the 
great deficiency existing, at the present time, in the 
maps of the different counties of the State, which, so far 
as the surveys of counties made under their direction, 
has been most manifest. 
Resolved, That they deem it a matter of great im¬ 
portance to the agricultural interest of the State, that 
a set of Gorrect maps should be obtained, and that they 
trust that Mr. Delafield will be enabled to secure their 
completion. 
Col. L. G. Morris presented to the society, on behalf 
of H. Strafford, Esq., London, vol. 10 of the Short Horn 
Herd Book; and on behalf of John Tanner Davy, Esq., 
Davy’s Devon Herd Book. 
The thanks of the society were tendered to these gen¬ 
tlemen for their valuable donations to the library of 
the society. 
On motion of Col. Morris, H. Strafford, Esq., and John 
Tanner Davy, Esq., were elected corresponding mem¬ 
bers of the society. 
On motion of Mr. Johnson, 
Revolved, That we deem it of great importance to 
the agriculturists of our State and nation, that the lec. 
tures delivered by the late Prof. John Pitkin Norton, 
before the Albany University, in the winter of 1852, be 
published. 
Resolved, That Messrs. Prentice and Johnson, be a 
committee to correspond with the relatives of Prof. Nor¬ 
ton, in relation to their publication, and requesting 
them for the Transactions of the Society, provided they 
are not to be published in any other form, (the copy 
right to be secured to Mr. Norton’s representatives.) 
Weekly meetings during the session of the Legisla¬ 
ture were ordered to be held at the Agricultural Rooms, 
and Messrs. Prentice, Tucker and Johnson, were ap¬ 
pointed a committee to make the necessary arrange¬ 
ments. 
Mr. Vail and Mr. Johnson were appointed a commit- 
