(Special  Report)

On Thursday last a field trial, arranged by Viscount St. Vincent and the Hon. Cecil Jervis, took place on the Abbey Farm, Norton Disney, with a view to test the capabilities of a new potato planter, which the latter has invented. The weather was not at all propitious for the test, rain falling steadily from noon until the finish of the trial. A field in the occupation of Mr. Maxsted, of the Abbey Farm, Norton Disney, had been prepared in ridge and furrow, and at 7.10a.m. a start was made to plant it. The idea was to see how much two men working ten hours, the usual day in this district, could plant, and in order to have it verified by impartial witnesses several well-known gentlemen were asked to certify the test. The Rev. O. H. K. Long, rector of Swinderby, and Mr. Lacy jun. of Newark, timed the start and finish. The Hon. Cecil Jervis (inventor of the planter), and Mr. Maxted, jun., undertook the work. The potatoes were carted on to the land in sacks, and each operator had a man to act as feeder. It was his duty to carry potatoes from the sacks to the hopper slung across the shoulders of the planters. The potatoes used were "Up-to-Dates" and they handled 3 tons13cwt. The area planted was afterwards measured by Mr. Wheatley, from the office of Mr. C. W. Wright , Nottingham, who certified that the two men had planted 6a. 3r. 24p. This considering the very wet and unpropitious day, must be considered an excellent performance. The inventor claims that two acres per day can be planted by anyone, and he and his colleagues on Thursday, under unfavourable circumstances, far exceeded that, and so fully justified his claim. The "Jervis planter" was shown at Newark and Nottingham Agricultural Shows, and in view of the fact that boys are not now obtainable in the villages to do the work of potato setting, by reason of the provisions of the Education Code, and other labour is becoming exceedingly scarced, this simple, handy and cheap labour-saving contrivance should prove a great boon to farmers. Emerson once said, "There would be more fillers of the soil if the work could be brought breast high," and this is exactly what this apparatus is designed to make possible. There is no stooping down to plant the seed, and, consequently no "backache." The operators on Thursday walked upright along the furrows, at ordinary walking speed. They took three potatoes at a time from the hopper slung over their shoulders, and dropped them into the planter, an ingenious arrangement of three tubes, which deposited the seed exactly fifteen inches apart along the furrows. So accurate and even in the planting that the crop must also be an even one. Had not the rain come on the operators would have completed four acres each without the least fatigue. As will be seen from the illustration, the "planter" is simplicity itself. There is nothing to get out of order. The tubes are wide enough to admit of the free passage down them of any size potato, whilst the weight is surprisingly light, and barely weighs six pounds. A striking feature of the trial was the fact that the operators finished their task quite fresh and free from fatigue. Owing to the rain, the land was sticky and cloddy, but except for making walking along the ridge heavy going this condition did not at all impede the planters in their work. The seven acres prepared for the seed was at the close ready for the plough to go down the ridges and turn in the soil upon the tubers. In fact the Hon. Cecil Jervis remarked afterwards that the work had not been half so tiring as he found his task the day before at Nottingham Show in explaining the planter to the public. The apparatus is made of sheet zinc on account of its flexibility and lightness, and near the foot it is strengthened by a band of iron, which also acts as a guide, a projecting strip exactly 15 inches long indicating the spot to drop the machine so that the potatoes shall all be 15 inches apart, the distance at which they are set in this district. The machines can also be obtained to set 12 inches apart. They are put upon the market at a price so as to be within the reach of all. An improved hopper made especially of strong zinc, hollowed to fit the side and to remain on the hip in the desired position, with wide band shoulder strap completes the apparatus, and the whole, packed for traveling, costs only £1 7s 6d. It will be seen, therefore that the desire of the patentee is really to benefit the farmer, and not to plunder him. At the trial on Thursday, representatives of the "Newark Advertiser," "Nottingham Guardian," and "Lincoln Chronicle" were invited, also Lord St. Vincent, the Hon. Ronald Jervis, Mrs. Jervis, Miss. Francklin, Gonalstone, and local farmers.        Punctually at seven minutes past six p.m., or three minutes under time, the work was completed, and the timekeepers, the Rev. O. H. K. Long, Swinderby, and Mr. Lacy. Jun. Newark, certified the same. At the invitation of Lord St. Vincent a move was made towards the house. From the field part of the way lay through the famous game woods of Norton Disney, were the ground was carpeted with primroses, which, owing to the lateness of the spring, were all in their pure and fresh colourings, with here and there the blue tints of the modest violets and the delightful light green leaves of other plants. The dripping cavalcade, headed by his lordship, shortly emerged on to the rhododendron flanked drive, with here and there a bush more forward than the rest breaking through in scarlet bloom. The silver birch with their feathery, delicate foliage, looked their best bathed in the copious but warm rain, and tipped with a bright, vibrant colour which contrasted strikingly with the dark-leaved trees standing in serried ranks behind. Feathered songsters were singing in chorus aloft, the notes of the nightingale, the thrush and the blackbird being clearly identified. Within the house was warmth and cheerful hospitality. Lord St. Vincent has long been known for his genial, open-handed generosity, and his treatment of the guests Thursday filled them with pleasurable experience. The house, although not large, is luxuriously furnished, and a feeling of cosy, restful comfort pervades it. From the windows there is a fine prospect of undulating lawn and meadow, with a minature lake fed from the Witham, which runs through the demesne. Racing trophies in the form of massive silver cups and vases are noticeable in the drawing and dining rooms, being the outward and visible signs of successes upon the turf in the classic races of a former holder of the title. In the annals of war the family have borne a glorious part. The prowess of the great Admiral Jervis, first Viscount St. Vincent, needs no recapitulation, his fame being world-wide. But trophies from the Zulu War in 1879, comprising assegais, spears, shields, and a portion of Cetewayo's regal Raiment were shown the writer on Thursday, and were brought back by the late Viscount St. Vincent, who, young as he was at the time of his death- only 34 years of age- had seen considerable service. Side by side with the mementoes of the Zulu War were shields taken from the Afghans in the war of 1880, in which he served; as also in the Egyptian Campaign of 1882. Whilst an object of extreme interest is the curious green flag, with inscriptions from the Koran sewed on it, which the gallant officer captured from the Dervishes in the Soudan Campaign. He died of a wound received in Abu Klea, and thus ended what promised to be a brilliant career. For he was in truth "one of the ornaments of the Army, a good soldier, full of heart and courage, in him the Queen lost a devoted officer and the aristocracy a fine example." He was succeeded by his next brother, the present Viscount, in 1885, who was the first owner to establish a residential connection with the estate since the Disneys sold the lordship in 1674--but all this is a digression.