form. They were so different from the English plows, so light in their structure, and so much shorter, the impression was very general, that they would not succeed. The following description of our plows, as compared with the English implements was given during the Exhibition, in the leading Agricultural Monthly Magazine published in England.

After describing the defects of the implements exhibited from the Continent, the writer remarks, "this is also particularly noticeable in the American plows, which, with the exception of the varnish and high finish, remind us of the prints in agricultural works intended to represent plows that were used several hundred years ago. They also show us that the Americans must have a very friable soil to cultivate, or that their tillage operations are executed in a very imperfect manner.”

It was under all these disadvantages that the trial was had; but the result proved that what had been affirmed by us of our plows was practically demonstrated to be true. There were present at the trial, a large number of practical farmers and land proprietors who felt a deep interest in the result; for if the American plows succeeded—their cheapness, as well as lightness and diminished draught were objects of no small moment to the English farmer, struggling with exorbitant rents, taxes, and poor rates, as well as with the foreign competition induced by Free Trade, which called for every possible improvement that would cheapen the production of grain crops.

The trial ground was a moderately stiff soil, with a light sod, and the depth and width of furrow was fixed at six and nine inches. When the first American plow was brought on to the ground for trial, the interest manifested was very great. A large number of farm laborers as well as farmers were gathered around the plow, and the expressions I heard from many were "that plow won't go in ;" "that plow will break ;" and other remarks of a similar character. I had an American with me to hold the plow-but the gentleman upon whose land the trial was made, advised that his plowman who was well versed in his work, should hold the first one-and I consented. The plow was set to the required depth and width, as near as it could be done, and the team started. The plowman, unused to the plow, pressing his whole weight upon the handles, to keep it in, was desired to let the plow take its own course, merely steadying it, and it went through its work with great ease, both to the plowman and team. As we returned to the starting point, it was settled that our plow would do its work.

We tried several American plows: Starbuck's, of Troy; Prouty and Mear's, of Boston; Allen's, of New York, and one from Philadelphia. The work was well done, the sole of the furrow was as well finished as by any plow upon the ground and the only objection made by the Jurors, to the work of our plows was, that the furrow slice was broken too much. It was evident to those familiar with plowing such soil, that this was an advantage in favor of our plows, as a stiff soil needed to be broken to prepare it for the seed, and if not done by the plow, it would require much more labor with the harrow or cultivator to prepare it; and this was sustained by the judgment of practical farmers on the ground, whose attention was particularly called to the work done by our plows, and who admitted that it could be prepared for the seed at much less expense and labor, than when the furrow slice was laid over smoothly and unbroken.

But a most satisfactory evidence of the adaptation of our plows to the work required there, resulted from a trial of one of Starbuck's Troy plows, with a single horse, in the same field, with the same width and depth of furrow, as was required on the trial. An English farmer made the trial himself. The plow was drawn by one of the large English farm horses, with entire ease, and when he had plowed so as to satisfy all present, that one horse would do the work, even in soil of the kind we were engaged in at the trial, it was remarked by many of the persons present, that "that is the plow the English farmer wants." This plow was sold on the ground and ten more were ordered in the very same neighborhood, and a very large number have since been sent to England as well as the Continent, "as the American plows found great favor among the English farmers, on account of their extraor dinary cheapness and lightness of draught."

REAPING MACHINES.-The favorable results of the trial of the plows, called more especially the attention of the public who visited the exhibition, to the value of the American Implements. On the return of the plows to the Palace, the one upon which the award was placed, as well as the others, excited much interest, and the reaping machines, which were soon to be tried, excited far more attention than before. The impression now seemed to prevail that these American Implements may, after all, do what has been promised.

TRIAL OF THE REAPERS AT TIP-TREE HALL.-Succeeding the trial of the plows came that of the Reapers, on the 24th of July. There were three machines on exhibition. McCormick's Virginia Reaper, Hussey's American Reaper, and an English Reaper, made after Hussey's, but which, I believe, had not been tried. The place selected for trial was at Tip-tree Hall, Kelvedon, Essex, the farm of Mr. J. J. Mechi, about forty-five miles from town. The day selected was the annual gathering of gentlemen at the farm of Mr. Mechi to inspect his crops and method of farming, which is exciting much interest in England. The day proved a very unfavorable one, as it rained during the whole day. The wheat upon which the trial was to be made was quite green and remarkably heavy, and everything as unfavorable as could well be. There were from one hundred and fifty to two hundred gentlemen present, many of whom had come upward of three hundred miles to witness the trial.

The Sub-jury assigned to conduct the trial was composed of Colonel Challoner, one of the English Jurors, Baron Merten d'Ostins, of Belgium, and B. P. Johnson, United States; and W. Fisher Hobbs, Esq., though not a member of the Jury, was present by invitation, at the trial. The first machine tried was Hussey's, which did not succeed, at it clogged very soon, and passed over the grain without cutting it. After this had been tried two or three times and failed, it was proposed by one of the Jurors that no further trial be made by the Reapers--but it was insisted that the other American Reaper should be tried. The gentlemen present expected it, and I was not willing they should leave the ground without satisfying those present that the American Reapers would perform the work which it had been affirmed they could do. Mr. McCormick's Reaper was then brought up, managed by D. C. McKenzie, of Livingston county, in this State, who is entitled to no little credit for the successful result of the trial. This was a moment, as

may well be imagined, of no ordinary interest. One reaper had not operated as was expected-another, and the only remaining American reaper to be tried, was now to be tested. The gentlemen present were anxious that something should succeed that would cheapen the gathering of their crops—but from expressions made around me, I was satisfied they had no confidence in the reaper. They said, after the first trial, "it is as we expected-they will not work until perfected by an English mechanic." The laboring men, too, when the first one was started, seemed perfectly astonished, fearing their vocation was gone-but when it failed to work, they brightened up and would doubtless have given vent to their feelings, if another one had not been found ready for the trial, and might succeed. It can well be imagined that the Americans, of whom only three were present, beside myself, were in quite as great a state of excitement as the others. The machine was started. After it had passed its length, the clean path made by the reaper— the grain falling from its side, showed that the work was done, and the reaper was successful. After proceeding as far as was deemed necessary, the team was stopped, and Mr. Mechi jumped upon the platform and said, "Gentlemen, here is a triumph for the American Reaping Machine. It has, under all its disadvantages, done its work completely. Now let us, as Englishmen, show them that we appreciate this contribution for cheapening our agriculture, and let us give the Americans three hearty English cheers." They were given, and with a fourth added, satisfying all that they were heartily given. Another trial was then had, and the reaper timed-cutting, in seventy seconds, seventy-four yards in length, entirely clean, and to the satisfaction of the Jurors and the gentlemen present. The Jurors recommended the award of a Medal to Mr. McCormick.

tors.

The result of this trial gave a new turn to affairs, and on the return of the Reapers to the Palace, crowds were continually examining them, and the American department from this time to the closing of the exhibition, was no longer the "prairie ground," but was thronged with inquiring visiThe London Times, whose agricultural reporter was present, gave a very full account of this successful trial; and in an article published soon after the trial, it was said, "that every practical success of the season belonged to the Americans, their consignments showed poorly at first, but come out well upon trial." And again, "it will be remembered that the American department was the poorest and least interesting of all foreign countries. Of late, it has justly assumed a position of the first importance, as having brought to the aid of our distressed agriculturalists, a machine, which if it realizes the anticipations of competent judges, will amply remunerate England for all her outlay connected with the Great Exhibition. The reaping machine from the United States is the most valuable contribution from abroad, to the stock of our previous knowledge, that we have yet discovered."

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The late Chancellor of the Exchequer, Earl Granville, one of the Royal Commissioners, who devoted himself constantly to his duties as Commissioner, and to whom the exhibition is greatly indebted for its success, in speaking of the success of the Americans at the exhibition, alludes to other American gentlemen, who are at present teaching us how to cut corn, an act which we have been practicing for some hundreds of years in this island, but of which, it appears, we are ignorant of the first principles."

Subsequent to the trial at Mr. Mechi's, another trial was had before the Chairman of the Jury, Hon. Mr. Pusey, Mr. Miles, M. P., and Baron Hlubeck, of Austria; I give the report of Mr. Pusey, the Chairman, in which it will be noticed, that he speaks of an English machine, as too intricate, and that it had fallen into disuse fifty years since.

MR. PUSEY'S REPORT.-" At the opening of this century it was thought that a successful reaping machine had been invented, and a reward was voted by Parliament, to its author. The machine was employed here and abroad, but from its intricacy fell into disuse. Our farmers may well have been astonished by an American implement which not only reaped their wheat, but performed the work with the neatness and certainty of an old and perfect machine. Its novelty of action reminded one of seeing the first engine run on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, in 1830. Its perfection depended on its being new only in England, but in America the reșult of repeated disappointment, untired perseverance.

The United States Patent Commissioner says of Mr. McCormick's reaping machine:-'In agriculture it is, in my view, as important, as a labor saving device, as the Spinning Jenny and Power Loom in Manufactures. It is one of those great and valuable inventions which commence a new era in the progress of improvement, and whose beneficial influence is felt in all coming

time.'

As to the practical working of the reaper, two horses drew it at the trial very easily round the outside of the crop until they finished in the center, showing that they could easily cut fifteen acres in ten hours. One man drives sitting, and another stands on the machine to rake. It is hard work for him, and the men ought sometimes to change places. The straw left behind at the trial was cut very regularly; lower than by reaping, but higher than by fagging. The inventor stated that he had a machine which would cut it two inches lower. This is the point, I should say, to attend to, especially for autumn cleaning. Though it seems superfluous to bring this machine to the test of economy, we may estimate the present cost of cutting fifteen acres of wheat, at an average of 9s. per acre, to be £6 15s. Deduct for horses and men 10s. 3d., and for binding 2s. 6d. per acre, the account will stand thus:

The saving in wages, however, would of course be an imperfect test of the reaper's merits, since in bad seasons and late districts it may often enable the farmer to save the crop.

Since fresh trials have been made of Mr. McCormick's reaper, as also of one of Mr. Hussey; and as the award under the Commission has been called in question, it is right that some statement should be made on the subject. In the first trial, at Tiptree Hall, Mr. McCormick's reaper worked well • the other did not act at all. As the corn, however, was then green,

it was thought right to make further trial, and special leave was obtained from the Council of Chairmen to give two Council Medals, one to each reaper, if on further trial their respective performances should be found to deserve one. The object in our second trial was not to decide which was the best implement, but whether either or both, were sufficiently good to receive the Council Medal. Mr. McCormick's in this trial worked, as it has since worked at Cirencester College and elsewhere, to the admiration of practical farmers, and therefore received a Council Medal. Mr. Hussey's sometimes became clogged, as in the former trial at Tiptree, and therefore could not possibly obtain that distinction.

Further trials, however, have since been made by other persons elsewhere, in which Mr. Hussey's machine worked well; and one of our colleagues, Mr. Thompson, informs me that it had been used for a week by a practical farmer, on his own farm, who was perfectly satisfied. Its inventor states that at the trials for the commission the failure arose from a mal-adjustment; and Mr. Thompson informs me that at one of the subsequent trials a similar mal-adjustment impeded its action, until Mr. Hussey arrived to set it right. I am bound, then, to express my own individual opinion that the merits of the machine are such as to entitle it to a Council Medal, and my regret that it should formally be disqualified to receive one.”

Until the trial of the American Implements, and the most triumphant success of McCormick's Reaper, the United States department was comparatively overlooked. But our triumph here, gave a new direction to public attention, and that part of our exhibition which previously had been slightly passed over, now attracted the notice of every visitor, and the press of England was prompt in admitting the complete and triumphant success of the Americans. It was no longer deemed necessary to say of our implements, "they may do for a new country," for the trial had satisfied the most prejudiced, that they were designed to advance the interests of the best cultivated countries of the old world, and "taught them how to cut corn by machinery, of whose first principles it appeared they were ignorant."

The result of this trial was not unexpected to those Americans who were familiar with our implements, and to them was peculiarly gratifying, as placing our country in the position to which it was entitled and commanding that attention for our exhibition, which was justly due to it, from the character of many of our articles, particularly those in the machinery and agricultural departments.

CHURNS formed a very numerous class in the exhibition; of the four prizes awarded, one was for Anthony's American Churn, called the "Improved American Churn," well known in this country, exhibited by an English firm who have the patent for England. In the American department there was shown from New Hampshire "Davis' Self Adjusting Churn,” of the same principle substantially as the "Improved American Churn," to which a prize was awarded.

The American Scythes, Axes, Hay and Manure Forks, etc., were very much approved, and so far as I have heard from those familiar with these implements they were considered decidedly superior.

Professor BACHE, of Washington, received a Prize Medal for his Standard