238
CHAFF-CUTTERS—LINSEED AND CORN CRUSHERS, &c.
f Class IX.
thousands, I believe, being sold in the year; but in theExhibition Building it has at last found a rival.
Turnip-cutters .—Three of these implements were tried:that of Messrs. Burgess and Key is upon a different prin-ciple to those generally in use; their implement cuts a verylarge amount of roots for sheep and beasts at the same time,exceedingly well, and requires a very small amount ofpower. There is a great facility of changing any of theknives that may become blunt or broken; and there is avery simple and ingenious method of letting stones or gravelescape before coming in contact with the knives. Price 5/.Both for novelty and usefulness we awarded it a PrizeMedal.
Mr. B. Samuelson (successor to the late .lames Gardener,of Banbury) has very much improved that well-known im-plement. The framework is made of cast-iron, light, port-able, and durable, and well adapted for Held. work. Tie hasalso made a great improvement in the facility of getting at,repairing, or adjusting the knives. Price 5/. We awardeda Prize Medal.
Mr. Phillipps’s turnip-cutter was tried, but could notcompete either in construction or work with the other two.
C. B. Challoner.
2. Chaff-cutters.
These instruments, which cut straw into very shortlengths for feeding stock, are so called because there notbeing enough natural chaff for the purpose, artificial chaffwas made in this way. At first the straw was cut in arude box, with a chopper raised by the hand, and cost2d. per basket; then with a circular movement, costing; and may now be cut by steam-power at not muchmore than per basket. The process makes, too, anarable fanner independent of natural meadow ; for sheep,it is well known, especially breeding ewes, require muchdry food ; but this artificial chaff mixed with rape-cake,takes the place for them of hay, or hay may be cut withthe straw. It is also worth while to cut hay, though con-sumed by itself. Even in the new circular chaff-cutterswe find a difference as to the labour required by them forpreparing a given amount of chaff. The difference, in-deed, was so great in the trials at York, that it is worthwhile to quote some of the figures :—
Weight of PowerPrice. Chart'cut. required.
£.
s.
d.
lbs.
lbs.
Comes -
14
0
0
112
14.126 Bid its work well.
Garrett-
10
10
0
112
31,291
Crosskill
18
0
0
112
44,800 This machine made
very rough work.
Tins table is most instructive ; for we find here threefirst-rate makers staking their reputation in a public trialon their respective instruments, one of which neverthe-less requires three men to do badly what another enablesone man to do well. Surely farmers must learn from suchresults a more careful choice of their implements. It isdm 1 to the two makers last named to mention that thelesson was not thrown away on them.
Chaff-cutters. —Mr. Comes, of Burbridgc, has, in the trialsat Kensington, maintained his previous reputation for thegreatest economy of power in proportion to the work per-formed; also the machines of Messrs. Garrett and Son, andMessrs. Smith and Co., of Stamford (17/.), are worthy of thehighest commendation, the latter for an ingenious applica-tion of a spring lever to throw the rollers out of gear whenstarting the machine. To these three we have thereforeawarded a Medal.
C. B. Ciialloner.
3. Linseed and Corn Crushers.
The same extraordinary disparity of power requiredwas found also two years since, at the Norwich Meeting,in this class of implements
Linseed PowerCrushed. required,lbs. lbs.
Stanley - - - 112 24.233
W. Nicholson - 112 94,080
In fact this is the greatest difference we have foundyet in any machine worked by hand, being about four to
one : so that to obtain the same work four men must turnone machine, while a single labourer turns the other.
Linseed and Corn Crushers. —Mr. Stanley, of Peterborough,at present stands unrivalled with this machine. By hisrecent improvement of a lever in front to relieve tlxe pressurewhen the corn is first let in upon the rollers, he has perfectedthis machine, which was much needed, as machines on thisprinciple have been made by various other makers, but havealways been subjected to the inconvenience of being chokedwith the corn at starting. On these trials Mr. Stanley’smachine required less power to drive it than others; andwas, in consequence, awarded a Prize Medal.
Messrs. Barrett and Exall’s crusher merits commendation.Messrs. Garrett and Son have introduced some additionalmotions, and have thereby added considerably to the frictionof their machines.
C. B. Challoneu.
4. Oil-cahe Bruisers.
Not being able to procure the thick cake, the machineswere tried -with the small 3-lb. cakes.
Mr. Nicholson, of Newark-on-Trent, exhibited a machine,the price of which was 5/,, which did its work very well.Messrs. Hornsby brought two very excellent machines (Ithink the larger one is to be preferred), breaking for beasts,sheep, and manure equally well. To each of these exhi-bitors a Prize Medal has been awarded. Others, on thesame principle, were tried, but did not do their work sowell.
C. B. Ciialloner.
5. 3 Tills for grinding fine Meal.
Mills for grinding fine Meal .—The best metal mills thathave been produced for the operation are those of Messrs.Hurwood, of Ipswich, and Messrs. Crosskill, of Beverley:that of Messrs. Hurwood, which is composed of a series ofcutting rings screwed upon a cast-iron plate, having thedress somewhat resembling the common millstone ; the driftincreased from the centre, to enable it to clear itself. Therings appear to be easily replaced by new ones when wornout, which is a great advantage over the old mills. Thismill did six bushels of barley per hour, with a power ofa little more than three horses, and is applicable to beans,barley, and oats. We awarded it a Prize Medal.
Messrs. Crosskill’s is an American invention, consistingof a number of cast-iron plates turned up in circulargrooves, either fine or coarse, dependent upon the work re-quired, and fixed eccentric, which gives them a sort of clip.The mill requires great power, and should be driven atgreat speed. By changing the plates it will grind anythingfrom linseed to hint-stones. In the trials at Kensington itground linseed, barley, beans, and oats very well. Price 2S/.We awarded it a Prize Medal.
Mr. Bentall, of Woodbridge, exhibited a small steel mill,requiring very little power, which split beans very well, atthe rate of ten pecks per hour, and deserves commendation.Price 6/. 6s.
C. B. Challoner.
6. Gorse Bruisei’s.
These implements have reached a high degree of per-fection, but whether their application has increased inproportion, or has been found profitable, there is nosufficient information at hand.
Mr. Burrell's, of Thetford, did the most and the bestwork; and although it consumed rather more power thansome others in bruising the gorse, it did oats and linseed ata moderate amount of power. "We therefore awarded it aPrize Medal. Price 27/.
Messrs. Barrett and Exall, of Reading, exhibited a ma-chine worthy of commendation. Price 25/.
Messrs. White, of Holborn, exhibited a machine thatreduced the gorse into the most pulpy state, but required agreat increase of power. The price (60/.) is beyond thereach of a farmer, which, 1 am told, they propose to reduce;but that was the price officially announced at the time ofthe trials.
C. B. C HALLONER.
7. Steaming Apparatus.
Besides the various modes of subdividing, it has beenoften proposed to cook the food of animals ; but the prac-tice has not spread widely, and the advantage must beregarded as doubtful, excepting as regards the steaming