Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1862-08-15

taste mac not been made. III the points oil
difference are properly carefully considered
by the Committee, and the whole figured
down to an actual comparison of power used
per acre or per day, the comparative value of
the machine, as relates to the points of dur
ability construction, facility Of repairing,
case Of adjustment in the field, and changing
from rcapers to mowers, facilities of moving
from place to- place, compactncss for storing
when not in use, quality Of work done, price,
weight, etc. If these points are all taken in
to account, and a full, intelligent report made
this trial will stand for years as land mark
to be referred to, as an honor to the Commit
tee Of the Illinois State Society Our space
ferbds this week to follow the trial further,
and we defer the trial of moving machines
in prairie grass until our next number, when
we shall speak more in detail Of some Of the
machines on trial and what our impression
of them were as seen in operation during the
week. Us FTwEa .l4#rrv
FIFTH DAY.
This morning was devoted to the trial Of
such moving machines as were not on hand
in time for the first days trial, it was in a
part of the same field where the first trial
was had on the farm of Chas. Dement,.
The machines entered were by lot as fol-
lows:
No. John P. Manny's combined feet
cut.
No. John P. MannyTs Mower, ST., feet
No. s-Jehn P. Manny's Mower, Jr.,
feet cut.
No. 4-Cayuga Chief, Sheldon & Co., com.
bined 4 feet inch cut.
No. 6-Buckeye combined, feet inch
cut. - @ - = + q
No. 7-Buckeye Junior, feet cut.
The quantity was one acre, the same as
the other machines. The work was we'll done
by all, better average Of work than was
done the former day. The time in cutting
was from % to Al minutes by the different
machines.
LAST FIELD TEST
But the test of the ability of the machines
to wolk under difficulties remained for the
last and was in field Of prairie grass COM
posed Of upland and slough, with very rough
bottom, some parts with large boys on the
borders of the slough, some places the blue
grass had fallen the year before and formed
a thick mat at the bottom of the new grass
lone OF the most formidable things to mect)
other portions have been overlooked and
swept down through the low lands with the
severe storms and the grass left covered with
mud and grit, in fact there was everything
combined to test the machinery. There was
no drawing Of lots, each machine was to fol-
low the other around doing the best it could
The number of machines entered here was
fourteen, as follows IN the course they started
into the grass: Mol, Wood two horse now
er to the sclf-rake, combined. No. Q, the
Woods National Mower No. 3, the Woods
combined mandrake mower. No. 4, Il. Balls
combined mower. No. s, Cayuga Chief COM
bined. No. 7, Buckeye, Junior. No. s,
Buckeye combined. No. o, Kirby's new sin
gle mower. No 10, Seymour, Morgan <
Aliens combined self and hand rake. The
above all right hand machines. The follow
ing were left hand and were put on another
piece, embracing all the variety of land de-
scribed. No. IL, j. p. Manny's combined.
No. r., j. p. Manny's single mower. No.
Is, Geo. S. Curtiss combined. No. IA, C..
II. McCormick's combined s& a.
Word was given to start when all had been
arranged in line, and away they went, Gid
ing over the smooth upland, the grass falling
in grateful acknowledgment of the pow
er applied. They all passed several times
around the field, now and then cutting off
huge tussock or clump Of willows, each ma
chine doing itself credit for its manner OF
work-some better than other, however,
The lighter machines being more apt to be
thrown Oft their balance, and now and then
jump over spot of grass. The heavier ma
chimes and those with the flexible or jonted
bars Rugged the ground more closely and
were not satisfied without the last straw.
The machines were put to the test of stop.
ping in low part of the ground where the
grass was heavy and very fine at the bottom,
and requiring them to start without backing.
This test we deemed of but little importance
in retatiee point Of view, as some machines
were geered quite high and the test might
show against them-while in actual use the
very cause of failure in this instance might
be one Of their greatest advantages. The no.
tations made were rs follows: Woods No
l went straight through starting and stop.
ping as desired. The No. (high geered)
clogged, requiring to be backed up. No. 8,
the National Woods mower went through
all correct No. 4, E. Balls made no stops
No. 5, Cayuga Chief, Jr., went through also
No. 6, Cayuga Chief, went through with per.
feet ease, stopping and starting three times
No. and No. 8, Buckeye, Jr., and Buckeye
combined, the former bulked badly, the lat.
ter did better. (These machines lave very
high motion.) No 0, Kirby's little mower
went through the test all straight. No. 10,
Seymour & Morgan's, came up, stopped and
started without effort repeatedly. No. IL,
John p. Manny's combined, cutting six feet,
made all the stops and starts without any
difficulty, as did also No. -, Manny's single
mower. No. Is, the Curtis machine went
through all satisfactorily and cut well, ex.
cept it required man to follow the machine
to keep the bar down to work by holding on
to the rear end of the frame. No. IA, the
cCormick, came into the thick grass, stop
ped, bulked, and not until the guards were
cleaned, and the machine backed up, could
it again get Roadway.
We missed from this trial four of the ma.
chimes that had competed in all the other
moving machine trials, for what cause we
of course would not pretend to argue: The
=" Excelsior" Of Cline, Sieberling & Hover
George II. Riggs machine Easterly's, OF
Whitewater, Of Wis, and the Cogswell S
patent, Of Ottawa. The trial closed at 8 o.
clock, Pm.
THE LAST TEST.
All combined machines were required to
be on hand at the courthouse at 81 r. NJ,
for further examination, and to show with
what facility they could be changed from