The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-07-23 00:00:00

TRIAL OF IMPLEMENTS AT THE RACE COURSE

The curiosity to witness the trial of implements at Aintree
was so great, that notwithstanding the distance from the
town, and the unpropitious state of the weather, vast num-
bers of persons, chiefly in vehicles, drew towards the ground,
from the town and the neighbouring districts. From 11 to
12 o'clock the cabs, gigs, omnibuses, &c., formed an almost
continuous chain from Scotland-road to the inn at the en-
trance to the race-ground ; and, by one o'clock, the numbers
congregated at and about the scene of action, appeared to be
from 2000 to 2500, or it may be more,—for there were so
many detached groups scattered up and down, examining the
several utensils, that it was difficult to make more than a
random guess at the amount. The machines and crowd at
the inn formed a dense and dark cloud. The Attendance of
the bumbler classes was comparatively smaller than at our
usual races, though on the whole, considering the short and
inadequate notice, the assemblage might be considered very
great.
The ground measured out for the trials was within the
inner ring of the race-course, on the west side, immediately
opposite the row of stands. We have not heard the precise area,
but we take it to be somewhere about ten Cheshire acres, the
whole of which was in green sward, and being almost wholly
free from stones, and of a nearly level, light, and partly sandy
nature, favourable, on the whole, for being ploughed up. Whe-
ther, however, from the ploughmen being unacquainted with
the soil, and its slight inequalities ; from some of them hav-
ing to employ strange horses, from the careless and indifferent
manner in which the ground was marked out, or the inter-
ruption of the crowd,—or a combination of these disad-
vantages, we know not ;—but, with a very few exceptions,
the ploughing was anything but superior. There were some
capital well-trained stout horses, chiefly the property of the
parties making trial of their respective ploughs, and these
had, of course, an advantage,—the more particularly as their
implements were principally of the simple Scotch con-
struction, (more or less varied) and in our opinion the best. By
far the greater number of ploughs were of the South of Eng-
land construction, with wheels and other gim-crackery ; some
having one wheel in front, and others two—one travelling in
the sod, and another, of large diameter, working along the
furrow. These ploughs may be all very well where they are
generally used, in the South; but as specimens of agricultural
machinery, their advantages, if any, being counterbalanced
by their defects, they cannot compete with the improved
Scotch in the hands of a skilful and well practised workman.
In reference, indeed, not only to the implements but the men,
our South country neighbours, if they desire to shine, either
through the auspices of this society or that, must stop at
home. If they repeat their visit to the North of England
they must come in all fairness and impartiality, making every
allowance for the disadvantages in operation under which
they yesterday laboured, and admitting too that many of
them were calculated for a different soil. In some buts,
indeed, the attempts made ludicrously failed in every
desideratum held good in husbandry. The nature and
moistness of the soil, too, was favourable for the contest..

We noticed from twelve to fifteen ploughs at work at a
time, some few with single horses, others with two; some of
the latter with a leader to each horse, in south country
fashion, others, more expert, without any such adventitious
aid. The operations began at the north end of the ground,
about noon, with scuffle-ploughs and a turf or surface plough.
The latter—" Cover's improved turf plough"—did its work
well, shaving up the turf in a thin, broad sheet, and turning
it well over. The scuffles, armed with stout prongs, were
also effective in turning up the ground, but their advantages
could not be well shown on the sod. A Jersey potatoe dig-
ging-plough attracted considerable attention. It has a sort
of sub-soilshare, behind which is a four-armed iron wheel, with
blades like a manure-fork, standing horizontally and in a
diagonal position backwards with the plough. This is turned
as the implement proceeds, by. means of a fulcrum wheel
behind, which takes hold of the soil with latteral blades of
iron, and the potatoes, when loosened below, are turned or
forked up to the surface on the right hand side. The plan
is ingenious, and may be adopted in light soils if the potatoes
are found not to be much smashed by the operation.
We noticed two good implements from the iron-works of
the Earl of Ducie, in Uley, in Yorkshire ; one was a scuf-
fling machine, to which various sizes and shapes of culter
bits can be affixed, from a round blunt-pointed scuffle to a
flat one like the fluke of a small anchor. The frame work
is a neat iron casting, and it travels on three wheels.—Price
12 guineas. The other was much approved. It is a hand-
some horse-hoe, so contrived, the frame being of jointed pa-
rallel rods, that it can be adjusted to any required width from
a foot upwards. There were several skimming or surface
ploughs by other parties, but none of them, to our thinking,
involved any new or valuable principle.
A considerable number of Ransome's " ploughs were at
work, with one or two wheels, and rather clumsy wooden
handles ; some of them may be suitable for certain soils,
but the Scotch plough may be applied with greater advantage
under almost any circumstances. They are generally cal-
culated for shallow ploughing only.
After the ordinary ploughing had proceeded some time,
an estimate could be formed of the respective merits of the
competitors. Squire Falkner's plough, by James Wilkie,
of Uddington, near Glasgow, a new modification of the
Scotch, with a wheel in the middle of the iron-work, close
behind the coulter, and turning in the furrow, seemed to
work well, and turned up the soil to a considerable depth
for a crop. A wooden plough by Berry Barrett, Exall,
Reading, also worked well, guided by a smart young man
with two horses, without a driver. The same may be said
of a plough by Sanders and Williams, of Bedford. Lord
Derby had a sort of new-fashioned south country plough (we
believe) on the ground, but failed to obtain a prize this time.
Mr. Ellison of Sizergh, near Kendal, bad a handsome
plough at work—an improvement, or alleged improve-
ment on Wilkie's ; this instrument is very long, thereby
giving the plowman great power of leverage in working it.
Three or four good even buts were ploughed ; but the best
work, in our opinion, was performed by a Scotch iron plough,
belonging to Mr. Webster, farmer, of Upton, behind Bidston,
in Cheshire. It was drawn by two fine grays, and turned up
a fine even furrow for seed, to a depth of 6 to 7 inches. A
plough from Wales also did its duty ; and one or two single
horse ploughs, particularly one drawn by a lean-looking hut
well-trained old horse. There were several double ploughs
and some formed to turn the soil both ways. We noticed also
a compound plough, from the Earl of Derby's, combining the
common plough with the sub-soil plough, which, with four
horses, did its work well, loosening the soil to a considerable
depth. There were several good sub-soil ploughs, particu-
larly a neat long iron one by Wilkie, which rooted its way
to a depth of from 15 to 16 inches below the surface, with a
six inch flange below. This was the property ofJohn Mus-
catt, Esquire, a member of the society. It was drawn by
four horses, the work being stiff but effectual.—lt was made
by Messrs. Meredith, of Herefordshire.
A draining plough, or moss plough, on, as we learned, the
Jersey plan was exhibited at work, by Mr. Thomas Gibbs,
director of the show, and caused much laughter and surprise.
It was drawn by four horses. It is of wood principally, with
the beam supported by two wheels, like those of a cannon or'
field-piece, arid is a strong and somewhat clumsy implement.
Its purpose is to cut drains, in lieu of hand tools, or to pre-
pare boggy land for potatoes, two cuts, (one on each side,)
throwing up the soil into a ridge, and for the planting of pp_
tatoes, and leaving a hollow or drain 14 to 16 inches wide on
each side. An immense crowd gathered round it while it was
at work. All the previous ploughing appeared like mere
scratching of the surface compared with it. It tore up and
threw the soil on one side, in immense clods, upwards of a
yard long, leaving a trench in which a man might be buried.

This was the only comic part of the entertainment,—the by-
standers, as the clods rolled amongst their feet, breaking out
into loud fits of laughter, and all admitting that it was a tip-
top tearer !

We noticed a good grubber by Peter Lose. From three
to nine coulters may be applied, as the case may be, to suit
the soil and prevent the implement from choking.
A considerable number of harriers were at work. One of
them, of iron of zigzag frame work, and with sharp teeth a
little bent towards the horses, was found not to be suitable
for the grass land just plouged, though it may answer for
other or corn soils. The turnip cart noticed in our introduc-
tory remarks in the Show-yard was exhibited to advantage,
strewing the cut turnips in the field (for sheep) as it pro-
ceeded. A stubble or hay raking machine was much admired.
The teeth have sufficient play to jump over a considerable
clod. This was one of the best things on the ground. It
was made at Stamford, in Lincolnshire,' and had many ad-
mirers. A scuffling machine by the same maker, with dart-
shaped coulters, was also much in repute. A sub-soil wooden
framed plough, by Smith of Decenston, was also admired, as
were some others entirely of iron.
A machine for dibling beans, grain, &c., attached much
notice. The dibling knobs are attached to the outside of
three wheels, and are six inches apart. Each of these opens
when in the ground—being split in the middle. One half of
the hollow knob or dible slides out beyond the other or fixed
half, and the seed, in one, or several grains, drops out. This
is ingenious.
The trials, particularly the ploughing, was not concluded
till four o'clock, and these remarks were penned before the
award of the judges was made. We may, however, venture
to say, (though not ourselves practical agriculturists)—well
done Cheshire !

MR. SKIRVING'S NURSERY GROUNDS, AT
WALTON.

During the whole day numerous parties of ladieS and gen-
tlemen visited these delightful grounds, which are beautifully
sheltered by intersecting hedges of privet, &c. ; the former to
contemplate the beauties of Flora, the latter more particu-
larly to notice the effect on various crops of the Guano, a
new bird manure from South America. Amongst the com-
pany were many nobility and gentry, including Lord Sandon
and Sir Rowland Hill. The pleasure grounds, hot-house,
and garden piants, and in particular, the standard vases in
the open ground, of which Mr. S. has from 300 to 400
varieties, were much admired. The nursery is in prime or.
der, the walks forming fragrant, beautiful, and delightful
promenades.
The Guano is of a brown chocolate colour, and forms a
fine powder resembling snuff. Its extraordinary effects in
fertilising the soil far exceeds all manures hitherto known, and
though used in comparitively small quantities was most satis-
factorily shown. Equal patches of perennial grass, and of
Italian rye grass, also of Sweedish turnips, all sown at the
same time, some without manure, some with farm-yard
maunre, at the rate of 20 tons to the acre, some with Guano,
at the rate of only 3 cwt. per acre, afforded undeniable proof
of the great superiority of the latter as a manure in the
superabundance of the crop produced, amounting to probably
a per centage of twenty-five in its favour. In point of economy
this new manure also promises to become invaluable, as it
can be imported at from 20s to 25s a cwt. A similar difference
is also obvious from the same maunre used in a grass field
belonging to the same gentleman, on the west side of Walton-
road. Many of the members of the Agricultural Association
who have seen its effects, have expressed an opinion that it
is the finest thing they have ever seen, and that the import
of the guano will become of the utmost value to the agri-
culture of the country generally. Parties visiting the ap-
proaching Walton Bazaar will have an opportunity of better
estimating its properties, when the crops, particularly the
turnips, are further advanced. The number of visitors to
the grounds, on Wednesday, was greater than on any former
occasion, and all expressed themselves much delighted.