If seven millions five hundred thousand acres be an nually sown in thitain, and the average produce amount in three quart( is I;Cl• acre, then the total quantity of grain, annu„lly i ais td in Britain, would be twenty-two millions t.4 • e t.undited thousand quarters.
It has been already said, that the thrashing machine, from its superior powers, will give one-twentieth more grain, than when the operation of thrashing is performed hy the flail. This furnishes an increased quantity of one million one hundred and twelve thousand five dred quarters, Which, taken at the low average of forty per quarter, for all grains, amounts to 2,225,000. Adcl to this, tlic difference of expense between ing with the above machine and the flail, which may be stated at Is.. per quart( r ; although, when the machines are wrought by wind or water, the difference is more tbun double that sum. This, on twenty-two million live hundred thousand quarters, is, 1,250,000/. ; the whole amounting to 3,,;50,000/.
We can scarcely expect to be credited, when it is maintained, that the above enormous sum would ally be saved to the public, if the corn, raised in Britain, were separated from the straw by these ma chines; and yet hew political calculations admit of such certain demonstration. Let us only suppose, that one halt of our corn is thrashed in that and still the saving is immense. It any pc rson doubts the princi pn s upon which these calculations are built, we have only to re quest, he would pay strict attention to the sub ject, being pretty positive lie will soon acknowledge they are not over-stretched. The only deduction neces sary to be made, is for the interest of the money expend ed in erecting the machines, the principal stun of which, especially upon large farms, still be repaid by the savings of three years' crops.
In a word, the invention of this implement may be cohsidered as the greatest improvement that has been introduced into Britain during the present age. The toil cf human labour is by this means lessened, the stock of agriculture produce is greatly increased, and the fa cility of managing large concerns wonderfully promoted. The duty of rewarding the inventor is a debt incumbent upon the whole lauded interest of the island, and, by dis charging it, they w ill stimulate ingenious mechanics, of all &script:ohs, to exert their talents in making useful discos (Tie s.
In the above account, Mr Menzics's attempt to thrash grain by the use of a machine is slightly noticed. Though the attempt was unsuccessful at the time, there is no doubt, but it afterwards proved of public benefit; be cause the attention of the ingenious artisans was there by turned to the same subject, till at last a perfect ma chine was constructed. The like result, we hope, may
lollow endeavours, hitherto abortive, of artisans to con struct reaping machines ; and, for their encouragement, a description of Mr Menzies's machine, extracted from the Sulet Transactions of the Society of Improvers in Zeolland, shall now be presented.
"Mr Michael Menzies, advocate, having invented a machine for thrashing of grain, and obtained a patent for the sole disposal of it, upon a representation made to the Society, that it was to be seen going in several pla ces, and that the said machine saved labour, and thrashed the grain cleaner than the ordinary way, they appointed Mr Alexander Boswel and Mr Charles Maitland, advo cates, to visit it, make their observations and remarks thereupon, and to report.
Their Report.—In obedience to the appointment, we went to Roseburn, near Edinburgh, where one of the machines is set up, and is moved by water. We were there a considerable time, and examined, with all the exactness we could, the structure thereof. Thereafter we saw' it thrash for some time ; and that the power and exactness of it might the better appear, straw, that seemed to be well thrashed before, and to be as clean of grain as straw thrashed in the common way generally is, was put into this machine ; and out of twelve bottles of this straw there was thrashed very near the fourth part of a peck ; and the grain, thus thrashed out, was good, and no ways bruised or hurt. After we had seen the large machine, which is moved by a great water wheel and triddles, we went and saw another, which is moved by a little wheel of three feet diameter, moved by a small quantity of water ; which last would be use ful, where there is not conveniently to be had a suffi cient quantity of water for moving a large wheel, and might serve almost at every place in the winter time, being supplied from the small currents occasioned by the land-floods. And it is our humble opinion, that the ma chine would be of great use to farmers both in thrash ing the grain cleaner from the straw , and in saving a great deal of labour ; for one man would be sufficient to manage a machine, which would do the work of six ; and that therefore the Society should recommend the use of the same, and give all the encouragement they can to so beneficial an invention, which, being simple and plain in the machinery, may be of universal advantage.