The Royal Show, or the annual show of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, was a key event in the agricultural calendar, especially for English agriculturists. Scottish ones did attend, though their attendance varied according to the location of the show. The same was true for the Scottish implement and machine makers, though some did specially attend when they had new manufactures to show to the public, or when there were key trials for which they wanted to enter.
The number of Scottish exhibitors was generally small. They usually included some of the key ones. They brought with them their major manufactures to introduce them to an English and wider audience. These included ones that they were renowned for as well as improved ones. They also included ones that they considered filled a niche within the market for implements and machines.
The Scotsman included a lengthy account of the Scottish exhibitors to the Royal Show at Newcastle in July 1923. It is worth quoting at length as it says a lot about what was innovative and important about Scottish agricultural implement and machines and who were some of the most important makers. It states:
“Royal Agricultural Show
Scottish implements at Newcastle
Highland Show winners forward
Everything promises well for the successful opening to-day of the great Show of the Royal Agricultural Society of England at Newcastle. This is the 94th which has been held in the history of the Society, and the sixth at Newcastle, the only blanks during the period having been in the cattle plague year of 1866 and in the two years of the Great Warm 1917 and 1918.
Imposing implement display
Some idea of the extent of the showyard may be gathered from the fact that nearly six miles of shedding has had to be provided for the accommodation of the stock and implements. There are 356 stands in the implement department, and these cover 8711 feet of space, exclusive of exhibits on open ground. The ordinary stands occupy 1760 feet, machinery 3880 feet, and special stands for seeds and fertilisers 3071 feet. At the first show of the Society at Oxford in 1839 there were only 54 implements forward, but at Newcastle in 1846 the number had increased to 735. During the intervening years great progress was made in the development of farming machinery and implements for the cultivation of the soil. Though there is a falling off in the number of implements this year as compared with the number at the Newcastle Show of 1923, this department of the Show is most interesting and attractive.
Scottish implement trade
The Scottish implement trade is well represented being about twenty firms exhibiting typical specimens of the agricultural appliances which are manufactured in the northern part of the kingdom, and in the production of which the makers show a considerable amount of skill and ability. Most of them are regularly seen at the Royal Agricultural Society’s shows, no matter how remote the district may be in which the tents are pitched, and they never fail to bring with them an interesting display.
Mr George Henderson, Forth Street, Edinburgh, and Kelso Foundry, who exhibited the “Waverley” manure distributor at last Newcastle Show as an implement, has again on view a specimen of the same type with patent self-lubricating mechanism. They also exhibit a one-horse mower, ploughs, thistle-cutters, and hay collectors. Mr Thomas Nimmo, Fauldhouse, West Lothian, exhibits a New Zealand model of wire-strainers and a barbed wire winding machine.
The Border firm of Wm Elder & Sons (Ltd), Berwick-on-Tweed, have a large display of agricultural implements, as well as carts and hay bogies fitted with pneumatic land wheels and high sides for conveying hay or straw.
At the stand of the Allied Ironfounders (Ltd), Falkirk, will be found their fascinating Thermecon cookers, which were a great attraction at the Aberdeen Highland Show, as well as oil-fired ranges and boilers, and cattle bowls and feeding troughs. Cruickshank & Co. (Ltd), Denny Ironworks, Stirlingshire, show the Denny ploughs, a spring shock absorber for horse-drawn implements, disc coulters, and troughs for pigs.
An exhibition of horseshoes made in all parts of Great Britain is a feature of the stand of Messrs Wm Martin, Sons & Co., Dundyvan Iron Works, Coatbridge.
A Denny firm, George Paul & Co. (Ltd), Duncarron Ironworks, made a speciality of drinking-bowls, and show three varieties, two for cattle or horses and one for cattle or pigs. The “Meddo Automatic” water bowl, suitable for cattle, pigs, and horses, is on the stand of Messrs Thomas Cochran & Co., Glasgow. The Galloway firm, Messrs J. & R. Wallace, Castle-Douglas, also shown an automatic water bowl, as well as their milking machine and manure distributors.
The India Tyre and Rubber Co., Inchinnan, Renfrewshire, have on view various types of pneumatic tyres for horse-drawn vehicles and also tyres fitted to wheelbarrows.
The Aberdeen firm of Barclay, Ross & Hutchison (Ltd) have an attractive stand in which they display their well-known threshing machines, two being semi-portable and a third a high-speed portable, fitted with Dunlop pneumatic equipment. They also show a spraying machine, chemical dressers, and a variety of engines. Another Aberdeen firm, Messrs R. G. Garvie & Sons, show a threshing and finishing machine and a threshing and dressing machine.
An attractively displayed assortment of agricultural implement and machinery is presented at the stand of John Wallace & Sons (Ltd), Dennistoun, Glasgow. They include agricultural tractors, tractor ploughs, horse ploughs and cultivators.
Scottish bracken cutter
The Collins bracken cutter is shown by Messrs Wm Henderson & Sons, Mauchline, and other Ayrshire exhibitors are well to the front. Alexander Jack & Sons (Ltd), Maybole, have a great variety of farm carts and manure distributors on view.
A & G. Paterson (Ltd), St Rollox Sawmills and Boxworks, Glasgow, have an excellent display of fencing material of all kinds, together with field gates, boxes, crates, sheep troughs, &c.
Farm harness, hunting saddles and stable requisites are shown by Mr Edward Henderson, Lockerbie.”
