FARM AND STATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2237, 14 January 1897, Page 4

FARM AND STATION.

PRIZE POTATO.RAISIKG MACHINES. The cost of production, as farmers know well, is the factor which even more than prioes for tha products in many cases determines the net money returns from crops, and accordingly the expensive manual labour involved in planting and raising potatoes when ripe places a limit on their cultivation. With the view to reduce this expenditure by the introduction of useful labour-saving machines, tho council of the Royal | Agricultural Society of England provided j classes and offered prizes for potato-raising ; machines, subject to trial in the field, at the : Newcastle show in 1887. There were 11 machines exhibited and subjected to subsequent trials — seven in the first class (for which the ! conditions were that the cost should exceed £5) j and four in the second class (in which the price of the maohines should not exceed £5). The eooiety was fortunate in securing a uniform I potato crop — at least so far as tbe amount of > : top was concerned,— and from the report n ttn Eoc'ety's journal of the trials whioh took plaod on October 6, 1887, the competitors were also in luck, »s the original luxuriance of the haulm was considerably reduced by sharp frosts of the j previous week ; bo that with one or two excep- : tions the competitors had no difficulty in deal- ! ing with the crop in its natural state — a point of much importance, as tho labour of removing the topi, whioh is necessary in some case 3 and for some kinds of 'mplements, must be a considerable item. The weather, too, was favourable, not only at the trial, but for many days preL viously. " This," the judges reported, " resulted in a dryntss and friable condition of the land which facilitated working, aud was more ' advantageous to the competitors than to intend- . ing purchasers, for whom a severer test, more in accordance with ordinary conditions, would 1 have been desirable." As it was, all the | machines in the first-class made good work, and ' even the lower-priced implements got throngh 1 the trials in a way that was batter than antici- \ pated. ' Most of the machines were very similar as to \ general design, but differing 6lightly in details. The prize of £20 was awarded to a machine ! priced at £13 135, manufactured by Powell Bros, and Whittaker, invented by Mr J. A. Lewis, of '. Hassall. A novelty in this machine was that the number of forks could be varied from six to 5 twehe to suit the soil and crop, Another j novelty was the substitution of a revolving cratch or wheel in place of the fixed screen usually adopted as a means of collecting the potatoes in rows so as to facilitate packing and prevent burying. It was claimed for this arrangement that it arrested the tubers more completely, and allowed the soil to pass through more effectually, but in the opinion of • the judges, owing to the angle at which it was, i and which they thought unnecessarily acute, a ; considerable number of the potatoes passed be- , j yond the screen. The fault was pointed out by ■ the judges, and the manufacturers admitting

the imperfection, decided to make the position of tbe oratob adjustable so that it might be worke.d at several angles. In this competition an excellent machine made by Mr Moorhouse A. Thompson, Berwick-on-Tweed, wa» highly commended ; one by J. D. Allan and Soni was ootomended, aud Robert Kyda Cupar Angus was reserved number. Although the judges awarded the prize offered, they were dissatisfied with the trials of the implements, tbe cost of which wbs not to exceed £5 each. Generally, all that these machines comprised was an ordinary plough frame, with a share which had cither one or two wings, and some special arrangement of skeleton fingers in place of mould board. The judge*' report on tbis class was :—: — "In fact, any ordinary plough may be made equally efficient by simply substituting an open breast for the ordinary mould board, or if it is preferred to split tbe drill and throw the potatoes .on either side — which certainly has advantages, as rendering them less liable to be buried — we take the double mould-board plough and apply the opea breast. Hence it | does not appear dosirable to encourage the introduction of a separate implement, and the utility of tho prize would have been greater if it had been for the addition or substitution of parts in a common single or double mouldboard plough which renders it best adapted for raising potatoes." From 1887 till 1896 no competitive trials of potato-raising machines were conducted under the auspices of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, but in the latter year prizes were offered for exhibits at the Leicester meeting of "machines for raising potatoes" and for " machines for gathering and sorting potatoes." The trials were deferred till October 6, and the particulars of the competitions on that and the \ following day were published in several Home journals. The tests on the recant occasion, so j far as the potato-raising machines were con- i cerned, were crucial in the extreme, and in ' every way satisfactory from a farmer's point ef j view. The opening day was bo wet and boisteroua that a vote of the repres f nfcatives of the ! I makers of the machines was taken as to whether I the competitions should be proceeded with or postponed till tho weather and other conditions werfi more favourable. One firm only desired postponement, and as all ths others desired that the trials »hould be gone on with as arranged j ! for, the proceedings were carried out under coa- | ditions which exacted the ••severe tests" I desired by the judges at Newcastle. The orop was fully an average one, being estimated at about H tons per acre. In a report of the trials ; occupyiog three columns of fcbe North British ! Agriculturist, October 14, it ia stated: ''The i work proceeded slowly, the working of eaoh | machine being most oarefully examined by the ! judges. Despite the unfavourable conditions of ! weather and soil the work was very well done, and was much superior to that done at the Newcastle trial nine years ago." The results of ! the first day's trials were pronouroidly in favour i ! of the Caledonian digger, made by Messrs Jack ' Jack and Sods, Maybole, with amachine made by Messrs Powell Bros, and Whittaker and one made by Messrs R&nsome, Sims, and J«fferies •loie up for honours. These three were selected for a final contest on the second day. ! In making the awards the judges were in- ' structed to take into consideration not only the ! { actual work performed by the machine, but also its strength, simplicity of construction, lightness of draught, price, and other points. After the three selected machines had been fully teßted at work, labourer* were set to work to carefully fork over 25 yards of a drill dug by each ! machine. To again quote the North British • Agriculturist : — " The result of this test was 1 emphatically in favonr of the 'Caledonian,' 1 there being only two marketable potatoes and four small tubers got in all the 25 yards dug by j it against four or five marketable potatoes and a corresponding number of ' chats ' got on the j 25 yards dug by the other two machines." Five ' square yards of the ground dug by each machine were then gone over with the " grasps " in the same way, and the result was again in favour of the " Caledonian." The decision of the judges was as follows : — First prize (£2O) to Messrs Jack and Sons for the •• Caledonian " ; second prize (£10) to Messrs Powell Bros, and Whittaker for their "Im- ' proved" potato-raiser; reserve, Messrs Ran- \ some, Sims, and Jefferics, for their Rotary potato-raiser. It may be added that of 14 machines entered only one was absent from the trials. ' | The trial of the mscbines for gathering and ' j sorting potatoes, the* North British Agriculturist says, proved a complete fiasco. The j maohines lifted the drill bodily and threw its i contents on to riddles, where the soil was shaken out, and the potatoes delivered in baskets at the side: Four powerful horses were j able to move one of these machines in work only a short distance, " and, unfortunately also, the riddles were unable to discriminate between potatoes and stones and clods, bo that these substances also wera da" '

! livered into the baskets." The judges declined : to make any awards, as they considered the ; maohines impracticable.

The memorandum sent cuf from the Premier'a office should have the whole- ! Trade with somft tffeon of stimulating tbe Wcgtralia. export trade from this colony I to Western Australia. We have already expressed surprise that NewZea-.. land merchants have not loi:g ere this initiated a direct trade in that direction, and the list of wholesale prices appended to the memorandum must have had the effect of opening the eyes of producers and dealers to the harvest they have i neglected. The difficulties of transport i to the interior of Western Australia are being rapidly removed. A railway now runa ' to Kalgoorlie from Fremantle, and a line is ' projected to Ooolgardie from Espcrance. i Tbis will traverse a bnsy mining region at ! present badly supplied by a circuitous oourse. ! The Government are pushing on harbour works and providing facilities at Fremantle with great vigour, and we hear nothing now of the block that existed there some months ago. Snrely the spirit of advecmro is dormant among New Zealand merchants. To charter a sailing vessel of suitable capacity and draught, fill her up with New Zealand products, send a oapable man with her to effect a rale, and make arrangements for renewed supplies, ia an "adventure" that naturally suggests itself to an enterprising mind, which would think itself demeaned In commercial estimation by waiting for any oircumlocutc»ry Government to point out desirable markets.

The question above all ethers which has continued for some monthp • to Australian agitate the farming otmmuniJieeds ties, traders, and speculators in for Wheat or the Australian oolonies is the Flour in measure of the deficiency of the 1807. crops just harvested and the wheat requirements from extraneous sources during 1897. The tubjoot is one of much importance to tho wheatgrowers of this colony, whose crops so far in tha season promise a substantial surplus for export, and for which the best markets will likely be found in Australia. Such being the outlook, it is needful that farmers should be well-informed of the position there as regards the breadstnffs markets ; , therefore to help them to this understanding, , the estimates herennder are submitted for their : consideration, and which it muct bo noted I embrace only the productions and needs of the | several colonies, no accjunt being taken of tho j volume of wheat necussary {to sustain the conI siderable export trade in flour from South ' Australia and Victoria to other than British , ports. As might be expected, there is some divergence in the estimates of the wheat yield in Viotoriai, bu> after all tbe differences are no 1 ; considerable." The figures arrived at by the ; compilers are as follow :—: —

According to the Australasian, the population of the colony, estimated at 1,180,000 sou's, will consume five bushels per head, oay 5,900.000 bushels. Seed at the rate of three-quarters of a bunhel per acre will take about 1,125,000 baibels, or together 7,025,000 bushels. Probable deficit, 121.000 bushels. The Letder reckon* t that for food and other requirements 5 750 000 ! bushels .will be wanted, ana tor «eed 1,600,000 bushels ; taken together, 7,250.000 bushels, and showing a deficiency of 483,750 bushels. The stocks of wheat and flour in the colony having been reduced to a minimum account is not takenof these, as a working stook must always be maintained, and it is unlikely j that in the future it will be permitted to fall to i such a hazardous low level.

In South Australia the yields of the present wheat harvest vary so oonsiderS.A.. and ably that as yet it has been K.S.W. Yields, found impossible to form a reliable estimate of what the probable average and aggregate outturn may be. The most favourable representation is that put forward by Mr Connor in j a monthly grain circular of the Adelaide Milling Company. "We think," he writes, I "it is certain now that there will be more than ' sufficient wheat for food and seed, but how much more is the problem that cannot be solved at present." At the same time Adelaide millers were baying up all they possibly con Id of the Riverina (N.S.W.) wheat crop. How they are enabled to do so is thus explained by the Sydney Morning Herald :—": — " There is a loophole in the South Australian duties. Imports 1 of wheat by sea in that colony pay a duty of 2 per ! cent, per 1001b, but imports overland are free ; consequently South Australian millers can buy up Riverina wheat at a price we can hardly afford to pay in Sydney, and may do well out |of the operation. Possibly when this overland ' freedom was invented the Adelaide millers thought to draw business from the Victoriana." The demand of the Victorian and South Australian millers for permission to grist in bond having been refused, their industries are hampered through inadequate supplies of raw material. The estimate prepared by Mr T. A. Coghlan, Government statistician, sets forth the probable yield of the New South Wale* wheat harvest. The area under crop for grain was 751.661 1 acres, with an average of 98 bushels per aoc

and total yield 7,435,000 bushels. The requirements of the colony ure set down aft 7,500.000 bushels for food, and for seed 1,250,000 bushels, aggregating to 8,750,000 bushels, and so the shortage will be about 1,250,000 bushels. Tha followiug.tible is compiled from detailed estimates in the Sydney Mail, obtained from reli? able correspondents in the coloniis, and puts in as concise a - form as possible the production, requirements of tbe population, and deficiencies of .wheat in Australia :—: —

Our contemporary says of the position : *' Taking the deficiency between the estimated production and estimated connumption, it is seen that the net deficiency amounts to more than 4,500,000 bushels ov-or and above the quantities of grain that have been already ordered from America." The actual figures

* ( Or its equivalent in flour, A net quantity of 4,670,198 basliels hffl thas still to be imported. The Mail Imports of December 20 gives a list of front the vessels then afloat, or under America. chtrter to carry breadstuff* to Sydney. From San Francisco there were 12, including mail boats, engaged to carry 20,880 tons wheat and 8710 tons flour ; from Vancouver service 3350 tons flour ; from Portland (Oregon), 300 tons wheat and 3700 tons flour; from New York, tw« ships and rrgu'ar traders, 5550 tons wheat and 200 tons flour, and from Hongkong the Taiyaan and other vessels, 1700 tons flour; making a total for Sydney of 26 350 tuns of wheat and 17,960 tons of flour. At the same time two vessels with 5000 tons wheat at San Francisco wera uadar orders for Brisbane, and for the Fame destination ene from New York with 1000 tons of wheat. For Adelaide from San Francitioo, two vessel* with 6000 tons .of wheat, makiDg a grand total for Australia of 38,530 tons of wheat and 17,960 tons of flour. The above facts go to prove that it pays to import wheat to Sydney at the prices now current in that market.

Area. Acres. Average. Bushels. Yield. Buxhelg' Assistant Government Statist ... 1,412.736 The Australasian 1,493,5(10 The Leader ... 1,490,000 4-93 4 02 4-54 6,958.543 6.!X)4,00C 6,766,85 c

Population. i FroduotiOD. Require meutt. STew South Wales Victoria Jouth Australia ... Jncetifland iVest Australia ... L'asmania 1,311,000 1,172,000 354,0 )0 453.000 140.000 166,000 Bushela. 7,435,000 6,904,000 3,150,090 120 000 160.001874,000 Bushels. 8,750,000 7,688.200 4,261,700 2,845,150 917,000 1,244,725 18,643,0001 25,706.771

J.W.Wales... /ictoria 5. Australia... W. Australia Queensland :. . L'asmania ... Total .'.. Require- F °™P* meats, n^ ram , le« ordered ut °P- a£oa C t.» Bushels. Bushels. 1,314,98^ 1,879,610 8(i6,(i00 1,101,651 222.0C8 875.10U 2,725, >60 232,000 37U.325 6.993,808 2,323,610 Net Net Deficit. Burplu! Bushels. Bnsheli ... , 564,621 80fi,600 ... 879,651 ... ' 6.'5,101). ... 2,1)03,150' .... 370,325 ... • 5.234,826'; 584.62J