SECT. II.-Schufflers.

SCHUFFLERS. or cultivators, are pretty much used upon turnip and other fallows, as being found more expeditious than the plough, and more effectual than the harrow, in working the soil, fetching out couch grass roots, and destroying weeds.
The following is an improved and approved form used in this county, with 7, 9, or 11 teeth :
The teeth or fangs are hammered out broad at the point into the spoon form ; the handles or tails are used to lift up the implement to let out the rubbish when collected. The teeth marked 10, 11 are sometimes omitted ; they are all moveable up and down at pleasure, and fastened by screws at any height. Those marked 3,4,8,9 are changeable, that is, have two holes apiece, which they can be shifted into according to the state of the rubbish, or the soil ; the neck or part of the tooth below the wood has the corners taken off to prevent entangling the rubbish, or cutting the couch roots, which latter is not desirable, as it makes one weed into two or more. The machine is mounted on 4 wheels, and drawn by 4 or 5 horses, or a good team of oxen. Every other form of the implement has given way to this, which is supposed the best construction it is capable of.
6. Thrashing machines are fairly introduced in the county. I examined one upon a new farm of Lord Moira's, upon Ashby Wolds, built by one of his lordship's tenants, Johnson, at the expense of £100 ; it has been lately erected ; the constructor, Noon, of Burton-upon-Trent ; a 2 horse power called, but better worked by 3 horses. Mr. Johnson had tried it upon oats, of which it thrashed 130 bushels in 9 or 10 hours, doing the work clean and well. Seventy bushels of wheat, or 80 of barley, are expected to be done in the same length of time. Mr. Johnson calculates, that with a 1 horse cart, and 3 horses at the mill, with 4 men and 3 boys employed, he can get in from the rick yard, thrash, clean, sack-up, and make fit for market the above -mentioned quantity of grain in any fine day. The thrashing mill takes out most of the chaff : it is finished cleaning in a winnowing machine. A good oat straw rick had been made from 2 days thrashing.
Several other thrashing mills have also been lately erected in the county. Mr. Stone of Knighton, has one, a 2 horse power, at 70 guineas ; Mr. Williamson, of Gaddesby, a 4 horse power, at £100 ; and I was informed there are 2 or 3 more in the neighbourhood of Leicester.
To attempt a minute description of a thrashing-mill would, I think, be useless, as it would be difficult to convey a clear idea of the machine, and there are now plenty of constructors in most counties : the main wheel, to which the horse power is applied, is fixed out of doors, near one side of the barn, and put in motion by the horses going round and round, and may easily be covered by a round roof ; this communicates with the machinery within doors, which is adapted to being put up in any common barn, not occupying much room. The corn is delivered half winnowed on the former thrashing floor, and finished cleaning generally by a winnowing machine.
Portable thrashing machines, to move from barn to barn, have been talked of, and I believe constructed, but I heard of none in this county.
7. Winnowing machines.- Of these there are several makers in and connected with the county ; Rea, near Burton-on-Trent, makes good ones at from £7 to £8 each ; and J. Cornforth advertizes as follows ; his machines are highly improved and approved, and he has made more I suppose than any other man in England:-
Improved Winnowing Machines. J. Cornforth, Chapel Ash, Staffordshire ; respectfully addresses himself to the farmers in Leicestershire, and thanks them for their preference, who have purchased his improved Winnowing Machines, and informs those gentlemen who yet want the article, that they may be supplied as usual from Chapel Ash, or by applying to Cort, Cort, and Barston, Leicester, where machines are kept, and orders received.-N.B. Any gentleman doubting the utility of these machines, may make trail gratis.
8. Chaff-cutters, bruisers, &c.- Of the former, those worked by hand are a common tool in the hands of every considerable farmer ; and various improvements have been introduced, particularly that of making the machine feed itself, the giving the knives or cutters a circular motion, and turning by a windlass ; but the best machine I have seen for chaff-cutting is that by Burrell, of Thetford, Norfolk ; one horse works it ; it will cut in fall work near 1 bushel per minute from hay or straw, or easily 4 or 500 bushels per day ; -the price £24 at Thetford.
Similar to the hand machine for chaff-cutting is the turnip-cutter, by Handford and Co. ; it is in the hands of most of the principal farmers, for slicing turnips, and particularly Swedish turnips, which it does very expeditiously and effectually, the cutting-knife being used in the right hand, and the turnips brought forward along the trough to the knife by the other.
Of bruisers, different kinds have been constructed ; one has been to pass the grain or pulse to be bruised between 2 stone rollers, and another upon the malt mill principle, and a third upon that of the corn mill coarsley, or not too closely set ; but even the principle or theory of the utility of bruising grain or pulse for animals has been disputed, and objected to by Dr. Darwin, in the Phytologia, who thinks that when given whole it is more nutritious, and the reason assigned is, from the saliva being better mixed with the masticated food, and in greater quantity.
9. Wagons, tumbrills, carts, &c.-The wagons in the hands of the Leicestershire farmers, are either with 6 inch wheels or narrow wheels ; the former with double shafts, drawn double by 6 horses, with 4 or 5 tons loading ; the latter drawn single by 4 or 5 horses, with generally about 3 tons loading ; they are both occasionally used in harvest, and fitted with gearing for that purpose. The tumbrills are also with 6 inch or narrow wheels, and drawn by 2 or 3 horses, except in the few cases where 3 or 4 oxen are used. Tumbrills are chiefly used for drawing dung, muck, gravel, stones, and heavy articles. Dishley and most of the principal farms are furnished with light carts for drawing turnips, cabbages, vetches, &c. ; these require less strength, and are often drawn by 1 horse, or by 2 oxen or heifers ; these latter have been much used at Dishley for this purpose.
One horse covered carts are also very often met on the roads being much used for marketing by gentlemens families, farmers, butchers, gardeners, &c. ; they are a very convenient vehicle in the present state of the roads, keeping the traveller and the goods dry and wholesome.
Gigs, or one-horse chairs, are also pretty much used, not only by gentlemen and travellers, but by the better sort of farmers and tradesmen, and are a neat and convenient travelling vehicle on level and good roads ; and as a horse will thus easily convey 2 persons, it is much more easy to the horse, and convenient to the travellers, than the ancient mode of riding double, two on the same horse.
10 Rakes, hoes, spades, shovels, &c.-Some ingenious large rakes for hay and corn, with elastic steel spring teeth, that will spring back to their proper situation from any reasonable force or violence, are made by Hanford and Co.
-See their advertisement.
Respecting spades and shovels, they have nothing singular or different to other countries, but are made of different forms for different purposes ; but few are made in the county, being principally manufactured at Birmingham, in the neighbourhood of Stourbridge, and in Staffordshire, where large manufactories of these utensils are carried on.
11 Borers, Draining tools, weighing engines, &c. -The borer used to tap springs is a large auger, which had long been in use in mining counties - See article Draining. The other draining tools are, a knife to cut through tough turf, spades and shovels of different breadths, particularly a narrow and deep one for the bottom spit, scoops and scrapers, scuttles or baskets for moving stone, and a large hammer for breaking stone into smaller pieces.
Respecting weighing engines, except those attached to the public turnpike roads, I neither saw nor heard of any ; the breeder, the grazier, and the butcher generally depend upon their senses of sight and feeling for the weight and value of heavy stock ; and sheep, or stock of the lighter kind can be weighed in scales, or by the steelyard ; but practice and habit enable those interested to judge near enough for the purposes of buying and selling.
12 Miscellaneous articles.- Among the other implements, the trolley mounted on 4 low wheels, is to be found about many gentlemens and farm houses ; it consists of a square frame resembling the bed of a waggon, 10 or 12 feet long and about 4 feet wide, boarded on the bottom, and fitted with thripples or partial harvest gearing ; the wheels being low, the platform is only raised between 2 and 3 feet from the ground, which makes it very convenient for loading and unloading. It is used for carrying faggots, poles, posts and rails, implements about the farm, stubble, or any odd fragment of hay or harvest, and from its low construction, is much more handy for such purposes than a waggon, cart, or tumbrill.
Colt's trough, at Dishley, where a great many colts have been bred and reared ; I sketched the annexed colt's trough : it consists of a cratch in the centre for hay, and the 4 mangers projecting from it for corn, the whole roofed with boards, and mounted on 4 wheels ; the provender is all kept dry, and the master colt cannot readily drive away another without losing his corn, as one so driven can immediately drop in at the vacant place, and as they are obliged to stand somewhat distant they cannot readily kick or bite each other. It can easily be moved about by a man in the field with a lever, and is drawn from field to field by horses ; a bolster is attached to the fore axle-tree to enable it to turn about. The scale it is drawn by is a quarter of an inch to a foot. The hay may either be put through the upper part of the openings above the mangers into the cratch, or a trap door may be left over the cratch through the roof for that purpose.
Brake for shoeing oxen or heifers, or for farriery.-This also I sketched at Dishley, where they have long used it for the above purposes ; it consitsts simply of 4 posts fixed firmly in the ground, A B C D, with strong side rails ; the animal being led in is confined by 4 broad strong straps going over the back, and under the belly ; e f are 2 benches hollowed on the top for laying on the fore legs one at a time ; the hind legs are held out when wanted one at a time by a long wooden lever. Mr. Honeybourn assures me, that a man and a boy will thus shoe the strongest ox, and that a horse for farriery is as easily managed.
Cross footed hurdle.-This may be deemed scarce worth naming, being simply a hurdle, which instead of being set in the ground is mortised and tenoned into 2 cross feet, of 3 or 4 feet long, lying on the ground, and therefore moved about merely by lifting it from place to place. It is in use at Dishley, and found very useful set before a gate, to prevent it being forced by a very strong animal.
Stock, for putting ewes to the ram, consists simply of 4 stakes, a b c d, driven into the ground, between which the head and neck of the ewe are fastened when in use, and tied with a rope or cord, to prevent her fatiguing the ram : this is practised in the best flocks, and will enable a valuable ram to supply a greater number of ewes than he could otherwise do promiscuously. See the article Sheep.

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