General view of the agriculture of the county of Northumberland ; with observations on ... its improvement / Drawn up for ... the Board of Agriculture.

John Bailey

Date:: 1805

Credit: General view of the agriculture of the county of Northumberland ; with observations on ... its improvement / Drawn up for ... the Board of Agriculture. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$THRASHING AND TlNNNOlVING. 'Ihrashing-Machines—are now become general in the northern parts of the county ; they are all upon the prin- ciple of the flax-mill; which principle was first introduced into this county for thrashing corn, by Mr. Edward Gregson, near 32 years since : the machine he used was worked by a man, who could thrash with it twelve bushels of wheat in a day ; but being hard work, and Mr. Greg- son dying soon after, it was negledted. Mr. William Menzie, who was servant with Mr. Gregson at the time, says, “ that his master took the idea from a small flax-mill which a Scotchman travelled the country with, for the purpose of swingling the flax which the farmers grew for their own use. This portable flax-mill was car- ried in a cart from one farm-house to another, being a cylinder of five, or five feet and a half diameter, and eighteen inches wide; the switchers were driven by his foot, with a crank like a cutler’s wheel; and that the thrashing-machine Mr. Gregson had, was made at that time, and cxaftly the same as the-said flax-mill*.” Mi\ Thomas Gregson thinks that his brother Edward had seen something of a similar nature in Scotland, probably the same which Mr. D. INIelDrum gives an account of, about the same time, in a letter to Mr. William ChIrge, of Cieasby, in the county of York, which he describes as being the same as the flax-mill; that it thrashed 150 bushels of oats a day, which dropped through a skreeri into a winnowing-machlne, that dressed it at the same time. Some rime after this, Mr. Oxley ere<fl:ed a thrashing- machine at Flodden, moved by Iiorses, in which the corii * 'I his machine wanted only a pair of fluted roller* for takihg in the com, to make it complete : had these been ad.tJ, it would have been the same aa the machines used at present. NORTHUMB.] E was$