The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-06-05 00:00:00

THE SHOW YARD.

The show yard ix in • meadow, close to the town,
adjoining the London road, leading from High-street,
distant about half a mile from the Great Western end
ffouth-Weetern railway 'tellies'. The Council hail other
ground, high and dry, on the opposite elite of the town
offered them, but Fordington. we understand. was
xelec+e I for the abundance of water to he had there for
the r.ittle and the eupnly of %teem townie.. Unforcn.
'lately the article for which the site was selected wu
too abundant, the heavy rains during the whole of
Thursday and Saturday rendered it utterly impossible
to get the numerous implements brought by railway for

exhibition npon the pound within the time prescribed
in the programme, while the yard itself conld not fait
to forcibly remind the unfortunates who had to wade
through the mod and water half way up to his knem..4
"Bonyan's slough of despond," with the exception that
in the show-yard there were ho" firm stepeto set the feet
upon. And what was worm, towdrils evening The wind
began to rage with unabated fury, one broth after
another fell till 4°f them were prostrate on the ground.
Alanta seven o'clock one of the implement sheds hegan
to give way, the cords snapped like thread, the poles
supporting the roof broke, and the canvase was torn
into ribbons. The wind howled furiously; several of
the ~heth were partly unroofed, the rain descended in
torrents, and the Beene which everywhere presented it-
self was one of desolation, such as it is imposisible to
describe, and which cannot Isteameeived by anyone who
was not there.
" •

The wind continued esceedingly boisterous, with fre-
quent torrents of rain, the whole of Saturday night ; and
by daylight on Sunday morning the whole of the sheds
where ropes supplied the place of wooden rafters and
ties were more or less injured. In many instances the
canvass coverings were greatly Win. and in a few wholly
destroyed. Where wood Only WWI used hr the frame-
work the canvass kept its place firmly, and no injury
was done, and the conductors of this department, learn-
ing a lesson from present experience will, no doubt, in
hiSire, discard the insertions but fragile system of rope
, rafters and stays in lien of the old ashioned substantial
Ira nework. A port of the fencing wan el,. blown
dean, and great fears, were entertained CIA the ale.il
in which the works of art were deposited would be
unable to resist the gale, but happily no injury was sus-
tained in that department. The consequence of so
much damage being done to the shedding was, that the
Council issued announce-bills, which were posted in all
the neighbouring towns early on Monday morniir., to
the effect that the machinery would nut he worked in
the yard that day; and numerous hands were employed
in revii ring the daniage tint oh heen smtsined. TistTs
are DK exhibitors of itniiimm-nt,, and in this &mart,
west there are upward, of WO more entries than there
were hat, year.
About 3 o'clock in the afternoon the sun shone out in
all its splendour, which had a wonderful effect in re-
animating the spirit., and promoting with marvellous
alacrity the completion of the decorations for which so
much preparation had been male. Flags, banners,
streamers, wreaths, and every description of florai em-
bellishment, which had been during the morning kept
within doors owing to the dark and threaten-
ing state of the weather, now displayed their
various beauties and their flaunting anti gorgeous
colours in quick succession, until the town was
fairly alive with these pleasing emblems of joyousness
and festivity. Should the favourable turn in the
weather continue. its inspiriting influence will no doubt
be felt by thousands of intending visitors, who will at
once make up their minds to start for the show ; and
to-morrow morning (Tuesday) the town will, in all pro-
bability, be immensely crowded.

MACIIINERY AND IMPLEMENT DEPARTMENT.
Acting on the conviction that improved implements
are the bat proof of modern agriculture, the Society
holds out every encouragement for the exhibition of
implements best adapted to the preparation of the soil,
both for the reception of manures, and the seeds to be
deposited in it. Formerly a money consider.ition was
offered iipin such implements as some few gentlemen,
upon inspection, might deem most worthy, but the
system was open to numerous objections, and a vast
amount of discontent was sometimes created. Last
year, however, the offering iif prizes for implements at
the ysirly show was dispensed with, and the wisd..m of
the arrangement is, we think, fully apparent. The
show of machinery and implements, on the present
occasion, is decid,slly the largest the Society has ever
displayed, occupying an area of nearly 3,500 feet. The
Exhibition of the Royal Agricultural Society at Canter-
bury, in July next, perhaps, will not equal this,
especially as the Council of that Society having broken
faith with the exhibitors, twelve of the most extensive
makers in the kingilon, and who arc represent. d in the
Dorchester show yard. haye determined not to exhibit
a single article at the Royal Agricultural Society's Show
during the present year. A department so largely
represented as the implement department this year is,
necessarily prevents u* from entering minutely into
particulars of every article exhibited, and we 'shall
therefore confine our notice principally to such machinery
as appears to be new in drawl, novel in COD street ion, or
which claims to be RA particularly adapted for the pur-
pose for which they have been manufactured. And here
we may notice, the county of Dorset is not wholly unre-
presented, several of our manufacturers exhibiting
machines of superior excellence.
Mr. i AR 1.1.:8 CLAY, of the Oakenahaw iron-works
near Waketiell, exhibits, in compartment No. 51.
A patent cultivator and eradicator which differs from
all others of its class, inasmuch as its action for the pur-
pose of cleaning the teeth awl tines are backward instead
of forward, --or in other words, its action is 'similar to
that of the horse-rake, and is simple and very easy to
manage.--When toe implement is at work, the lever is
in a catch or notch, but should the teeth become choked
up with weeds or stubble (and also at turning the ends)
all that is necesary is to remove the lever out of the
catch, and the forward movement of the hones causes
the teeth to turn backward. leaving the rubbish behind.
The iinpleuient can be used either as &cultivator or grub-
ber, or, by putting shares on the tines, a work easily and
quickly acconiplished, used for broadshearing or scarify-
ing. As the orag teeth and tines are fixed upon cross
bars with steel wedges, any number may be used accord.
jug to the state of the soil. The cultivator works
exceedingly light, and a large number, we understand,
have already found their way into this country. the de-
mand for this useful implemeet still gradually increases.
- -Indeed, we think there are not a few agriculturists
who will not consider their stack of implements coin.
Oct. till they got one of "Clay's patent cultivator and
twitch grass eradicator." Mr. Clay also exhibits his
patent grubber and drag harrow, and also Ids patent
turnip hoe. The times of these are fixed to the croon
bars as are those of the cultivator, but their action is
forward.

Shed I.—Stand 1. hinters. TAKER and :30,04, Ando.
ler exhibited a 6-horse power partible steam engine.—
'I brashing, winnowing. and haymaking machine, corn,
turnip, and manure drills, ploughs, and various imple-
ments of husbandry.
Shed I.—Stands 2k. 3. Henn. NAGCM k Bonrt
Foundry, Dorset. Eight-horae power portable and fixed
steannengines. patent draw thatching machines of var.
ous sizes, invented by Mr. Moody, of Sherborne, and im-
proved by the exhibitor together, with numenms
other implements. The straw thatching ma-
chine is a most useful invention How often
are pounds lost through bay and coal rickg
not being thatched before wet gets in, for want of al
I thatcher, and when thatched improperly, what lus•es
the farmer often sustains. By using Moore. Moss and
Hindley's straw fabricator, the work of oovering a stack
in previous to the wet, can he done by two common
labourers in half an hour, and if need be, the thatch
when taken off can be put aside and used again the
following year.
Shed 2. Stsnd 4. Tueroan and Sons, Briton, Lincoln-
shire. Two patent 7-horse steam engines and patent
ennbined thrashing. straw shaking, riddling, winnowing I
and barley-humelling machine, with extra dressing
apparatus, and patent screen for finishing in one opera-
tion for the market.
Stand 5 —PHILIP and H. P. GlaeoNs, Vantage,
Berkshire, portable thrashing machine, and portable
combined thrashing machine invented and improvid by
the exhibitors.
Stand 6. Burma engine to drive Gibbons's machine.
Stand 7.--fxnes Harwonn, jun., Phoenix foundry,
Derby. 7 aid : -horse portable steam engines, ad
improved portable combined thrashing machines.
Stand 8. JARSIAI SAVORY, Tewksbury, Glouciester-
shire. Portable combined thrashing machines and
engine.
Stand 9. WILLTAM TARKER and Soma, Andover.
8-horse power portable steam engine, patent steam
power, combined thrashing machine, and chaff cutter by
steam power.
Stand 10. R. HORNSBY and SoNts, Grantham, Lin-
coln, Whore power portable atom engine, and conn
bined thrashing and cleaning machine.

Stand 11. E. K. and F. TURSra, Ipsiclt, Suffolk,
2-liorse power portable stoats engine, 3.borme ditto,
portable bolting tliriudiing machine and patent combined
mill for grinding corn, or bruiiing oats, bean., &c.

- - -
Stands 12 soil 13. —Ci.ATTON, SHUTTLEWoRTH and
Co. Lincoln, 8-liorse power portable steam engine,
7-horse-power, Jo. ; 3-liorse ; universal chaff-cutter,
uilcake breaker, bruising mill, ke.
Stands 14 and 15. Id MUM and HINDLET, nourton,
Dorset, 4-horse power, 3i-lioras power, and 24-horse
power portable steam engines. The machinery con-
nected with these engines is exceedingly simple. Also
small combined thrashing and winnowing machines.

[Further particulars, under the respective heads
of this great Show, will be given in a Second
Edition of the "Express," which will be issued
in a few hours.]