The Sun.
London, England, 1855-07-26 00:00:00

THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY'S
EXHIBITIuv IV CARLISLE.

Friday, Saturday, and M tviay, like the fir;t day of
the exhibition, have been devoted to experimental opera-
tions with locomotive farm power engines, fixed engines,
thrashing, winnowing, and finishing machines, and other
implements. The proceedings, though somewhat im-
peded during the last day or two by the unfavourable
state of the weather, have been carried on daily with
vigour from morning till night, but, owing to the returns
remaining in the bands of the judges for the purposes of
their award, we have hitherto had no opportunity of
giving anything like a definite result of the various ex-
periments.
There can be no doubt that the agricultural 'machinery
and implement portion of the show is by far the most
important and interesting. Nevertheless, strange to
Ray, but few persons have patronised the trial yard since
its opening. The admission lee has something to do
with the paucity of attendance. Five shill ngs is con-
sidered too much to demand each day for such a small
portion of the exhibition as the trial yard embraces.
At the trial field, which is situated on a spacious farm
at Drawdykes-castle, about two miles distant from the
show ground, a great variety of implements have been
in operation. To this sight the public are admitted
free, and the attendance has been in proportion to the
facility of the entree. The reaping machines were tried
on Monday evening, when the farmers were able to
judge for themselves whether Mr. Mechi is right in stig-
matising the scythe as their greatest enemy. In respect
to the former implements—the drills and hoes—they
have shown a perfection of capabilities never before seen
in this part of the world, the competition lying princi-
pally between Messrs. Hornsby and Son, of Grantham,
and Messrs. Garrett and Son, of Leicester. The judges
of implements in the trial field were Messrs. Huskisson,
Grainger, Read, and Scott.
On Thursday the trial of farm steam engines, both
fixed and portable, was carried on. The greatest pos-
sible interest was manifested by the makers, and some
extravagant bets were made upon the expected per-
formances of the favourites.
During the whole of the day the Prussian Minister,
Baron Von Use lom, accompanied by Colonel Malcolm,
was upon the ground, examining minutely every piece of
machinery. He appeared to let nothing escape his at-
tention, and conversed freely with the inventors and
patentees upon the capabilities of their several mechani-
cal productions.
Subsequently Lord de Grey, Mr. Grey, of Dilston,
Lord Dillon, Baron Ricasoli, Lord Burlington, Sir W.
Milner, Mr. Canon Harcourt, and other distinguished
individuals, visited the trial yard.
The performance of the portable engine of Messrs.
Tuxford and Son, of Boston, upset all previous calcula-
tions as to what could be done by such pieces of ma-
chinery, running with great exactitude and precision no
less than 3 hours and 47 minutes with one cwt. of coal,
exemplifying the extraordinary fact of the performance
of one-horse power per hour, with barely exceeding 3/Ib.
of coal.

The entries for portable power-engines were (1) Messrs.
Tuxford ; (2) Clayton ; (3) Barrett ; (4) Hornsby ; (5)
Rarisome's ; (6) Garrett; (7) Crosskill ; and (8) Lee ;
who-e engines were respectively (1) 8-horse power ; (2)
8 ; (3) 6 ; (4) 8 ; (5) 7 ; (6) 7 ; (7) 6 ; (8) 7 ; and prices
(1) 2501 ; (2) 260/. ; (3) 2151. ; (4) 2551. ; (6) 2351. ; (7)
220/.; (8) 1801.
Messrs. Barrett, Exall, and Andrewes, and Messrs.
Ransome and Sims, were, as usual, close upon the lead-
ing engines, Messrs. Clayton and Shuttleworth coming
second.

At the close of the trial of the locomotive farm en-
gines, Mr. Boyden's " steam horse," or " traction en-
gine," was put upon the brake in order to test its power.
At a pressure of 531 b. the dynamometer showed that
the engine had a power of 14A horses, much more than
was generally expected. The inventor claims for it the
power of dragging after it between 70 and 80 tons. It
was suggested that sinew and muscle should exert their
strength against the iron joints of the engine. Accord-
ingly, the steam was soon got up in the boilers of the
ponderous machine, and wren at a pressure of 401 b., or
12-horse power, it was set in motion. A strorg cable
had been previously attached to the engine, 30 men hav-
ing hold at the other end. The "steam-horse" was
gal:oping off at the speed above indicated, when, with
a strong pull and a pull altogether, the 30 men succeeded
in arresting its progress to their own delight, and the
amusement of the spectators. .

For the last two days of trial the principal features
have been the machines for threshing and preparing
grain for its final dressing. Some very good specimens
were exhibited. Messrs. Hornsby and Son have at
length succeeded i❑ turning out a machine which, on
being tried, was found to thresh perfectly, leaving no
grain in the ear, and none being wasted, as is too often
the case, in either the chaff, which was well separated,
the straw, which sustained little or no damage in the
process, or the pulse. Several practical farmers ex-
pressed themselves in terms of unqualified satisfaction
at the result, having narrowly watched the process
throughout. Two of Messrs. Clayton and Shuttleworth's
machines were tried. One of them worked admirably,
but its apparently costly and complex construction
weighed in the balance against it.
The entries of threshing machines were as follow :
Messrs. Garrett, Barrett, and Co., Humphreys, Holmes,
Clayton, Tuxford, Ransome's, and Hornsby. Each
machine was intended to thresh 150 sheaves on trial. In
one amount of time the maximum power consumed to
complete the work was 150Ib. ; the minimum, 901 b.
The fixed threshing machines are huge constructions
compared to the portable. They occupy separate sheds.
Their size and cost of erection nullify to an extent any
advantage they may derive from their ampler dimen-
sions. Generally speaking, they are beyond the means
of the farmer.

In the power-machine chaff-cutters, &c., the following
parties competed :—Messrs. Barrett and Hall, Williams,
Dray and Co., Richard and Chandler Smith and Ashby,
Conies, Caron, Turner, Ransome's and Sims, Garrett
and Son. The greatest quantity of chaff cut by one
machine was 1,4851 b. within the hour ; the least, 6001 b.,
showing a considerable variation. The minimum amount
of power required for cutting 11b. of chaff, lifting one
foot, was 1,2671 b., the maximum 2,8681 b.
In the hand-power chaff-catters, the following parties
competed :—Messrs. Crosskill, Garrett, and Son, Wil-
liams, Hill and Smith, Smith and Ashby, Richmond and
Chandler, Cornes, Carson, Ransome's and Sims. The
capabilities of there implements varied—the greatest
amount of chaff cut within the hour being 2101 b. ; the
least, 90Ib. ; the minimum power required for cutting
11b. being 1,2341 b. ; the maxim'im, 3,3101 b.
These implements, as well as the larger machines,
were all tested by the dynamometers invented by Mr.
Amos, the society's consulting engineer, fitted up in a
peculiar manner, so that they may be applied to either
steam or hand power.
The deluging rain of Monday night produced an un-
comfortable effect upon the show ground next day, and,
as the weather continued showery, there was a falling
off in the number of visitors to the yard, though the ar-
rivals in the city from all parts of the country were
numerous.
The trials in the yard were principally confined to the
fixed thrashing-machines ; those in the field took a wider
range; but the chief object of interest was Boydell's trac-
tion engine. It started early in the morning, as above I
anticipated, and reached the trial field in safety, with-
out
obstruction by the way. When there it was put to
work in various ways—ploughing., scarifying, and har-
rowing. Upon the whole the result was satisfactory.
The reaping-machines and revolving hoes attracted a
good deal of attention, but there was nothing in their
performances that has not already been often described.
Usher's steam cultivator, a large and heavy machine,
which was to have gone up to the trial-field yesterday,
only succeeded, with great difficulty and after many
false starts, in passing the gates of the trial-yard, when
it stuck fast in the soil a few yards beyond.
In the course of the day the floral and horticultural
exhibition was opened in a series of large tents adjoin-
ing the show ground, and, in spite of the unfavourable
state of the weather, was very numerously and fashion-
ably attended. The display of hothouse plants and cut
flowers was magnificent. Contributions had been sent
from all parts of the kingdom.
The decorations of the city are nearly completed. The
handsome arches and other designs, coupled with innu-
mei able flags and evergreen festoons, have given to the
streets of the ancient city a very picturesque appear-
ance.