236
MACHIXE-TURESIIING AS APPLIED TO WHEAT AND BARLEY.
Class IX.
the comparative time of performing the same amount ofwork. This, it should be mentioned, is not the observedtime, but the time calculated from the registered revolutions^of the engine. The pressure of steam and the number ofrevolutions per minute which were equivalent to the horse-power applied to each machine having been ascertained,the whole number of revolutions made during the trial,divided by the calculated number per minute, gave thenumber of minutes required for the performance of the workat the specified power and speed of drum. The figures incol. 6 represent the horse-power that would have beenrequired in each case to do the work in one minute; andshow therefore, at a glance, the performances of the severalmachines in respect of speed and power combined. Thelowest figures represent the most satisfactory results. Col. 7shows the quality of the work done in respect of the three 1points of “clean threshing,” ‘‘broken grain,” and “state of ;straw.” In each case a number is assumed to represent per- ;feet work, which is considered to bear a proper proportion Ito the importance of the point—so that the total number !obtained by each machine, as shown in the last column, may ;fairly represent the comparative goodness of the work.
The second trial was conducted in precisely the samemanner as the first, the only change being that barley was I
threshed instead of wheat. Those machines only wereallowed to compete which had acquitted themselves satisfac-torily at the first trial.
Tor the guidance of those who are not in the habit ofexamining tabular statements, it may be useful to point outthat the two columns to which attention should be particu-larly directed are those numbered 6 and 7—the latter beingthe most important. On ascertaining by the “ total ” num-ber in col. 7 that a machine has done its work well, col. 6should next be consulted to ascertain whether under thathead it received a high or low figure; if the former, it mustbe either slow in its performance or heavy in its draught;but, if the latter, it may be inferred that it had threshedwheat well, and the second trial would be referred to toascertain its capabilities with respect to barley. An exami-nation of this kind will show that the machines which standfirst in order of merit are those of Messrs. Holmes, Hens -man, and Garrett; and their performances having been inall respects satisfactory, Medals were awarded to each ofthem.
The shaker attached to Messrs. Holmes’s machine wasespecially commended as being very efficient, and yet addinglittle to the draught of the machine.
II. S. Thompson.
First Trial—"Wheat.
—
i
o
4 : g
c,
7
Nominal
Horse-
power.
Horse-
power
required
whilst
Threshing.
Revolu-tions ofDriving-pulley,as shown
on
counter.
Minutes in
1 ThreshingNet | 2 i cwt.Pressure ! of Wheat -of ! sheaves at
Steam ! the specifiedin lbs. 1 power
1 ami speed| of drum.
Horse-powerrequired toThresh
2i cwt. ofWlieat-sheaves inone minute.
Quality of
Twenty Twelve
represent represent
perfect work, perfect work.
Work.
Eight
representperfect work.
Total.
Clean
Threshing.
Broken
Grain.
i min. sec.
1. Hornsby - -
4
-i
GIG
15-76 . 4 13
16*88
18
9
4
31
2. Blythe - -
4
4
407
15-50 ' 2 41J
11-76
10
12
7
29
3. Garrett - -
G
6
2G0
32*00 ; 2 21
13-96
18
12
8
33
4. Crosskill - -
4
4
305
19-00 ; 2 27
9-84
1G
12
8
3G
5. llcnsman - -
4
4
358
17-50 ' 2 40
10-67
20
12
8
40
6. Caborn - -
G
6
417
20-00 ! 3 5
18-48
20
8
4
32
7. Barrett 8c Co.
G
G
336
26-00 1 2 58
17-88
16
10
8
34
8. Kansomes - -
4
6
368
26-00 , 2 -It
16*44
IS
G
«
30
9. Holmes — —
6
g
248
28*50 ! 2 0
12-06
20
12
7
39
10. Smith - - -
3
595
24-00 ! 4 0
24-00
20
11
38
Second Trial—Barley.
1. Garrett — -
1G0
!
32-00
2. Crosskill - -
—
—
346
19-00
3. Holmes — —
168
28-50 '
4. Hensman — -
—
""
195
17-50
The difference, as shown by the Table, in the powerrequired by different threshing-machines for threshing agiven quantity of straw, which was 1 to 3 at Exeter, isnot much less now, being still as high as 1 to 2^. Thespeed, however, with which the straw is passed throughthe machine must not, of course be made the sole test ofexcellence. Clean threshing is a most material point, inwhich some machines are very deficient, as is proved afterrain by the grassy verdure of a straw-heap so threshed.Thus the easiest-working machine, Mr. Crosskill’s, seemsto have gained that ease at the expense of its efficiency, asappears in the column which registers the cleanness of thethreshing. On the other hand, clean threshing may beobtained by beating the sheaves too roughly, as must bethe case with Mr. Hornsby’s, which bruises the straw, andwhat is worse, breaks the grain. Still, the power requiredby the three prize machines averages only about 12, whilethe maximum of power required is just double, namely24, by Mr. Smith’s, which, therefore, of course wasteshalf the power, whether of horses or steam, that may beapplied to it.
A separate trial it will be seen, was made with barley.
1 27
8-72 ;
20
10
S
38
2 47
11*16 ;
20
11
8
39
1 20
8-19 |
20
12
8
40
1 27
6-62 .
15
12
8
35
Long as the threshing-machine has been known, the malt-sters in most counties refuse to buy barley unless threshedby the flail, because most machines bruise the grain, anddestroy its power to germinate. The assertion that malt-ing barley could be threshed by machine, would in manyparts of England simply be disbelieved. Yet where thebest machines are used, the maltsters no longer object tobarley so threshed; so that it is most important to test allthreshing-machines with barley. Enough, however, hasbeen now demonstrated to convince farmers that theyshould no longer buy blindly the threshing-machinewhich comes nearest to hand, buying thereby double orperhaps treble labour for the same or worse work, andleaving their barley, which is, probably, half their corn-crop, to the tedious work of the flail, though the labourersthemselves begin to regard that work as too irksome.
There remains only in this class of machinery to applythe test of economy, and compare the cost of threshing byflail, by horse, and by steam. In the two fonner casesthe rick must first he removed into the barn by eight men,a boy, and two horses—I take the numbers as they havebeen employed on my own farm, because it is difficult to