REAPER AND BINDER TRIAL AT FENDALTOWN.

Press, Volume XXXI, Issue 4177, 17 January 1879, Page 3

REAPER AND BINDER TRIAL AT FENDALTOWN.

Yesterday the interest manifested by the farming community in the trial of harvesting and self-binding michines, held under the auspices of the Canterbury AgriculiarU and Pastoral Association, was very much sr-jater than that taken in the similar contest at Riccarton, attributable to the facts that the competition was expected to be very eLse between six machines, as against three last year, and that there was the additional novelty of the exhibition in full work of the. machines made available for hand-binding. In consequence of the reported scarcity of straw in tbe couutry, and the fact that straw of any kind will this season command a high price for winter feeding and chuffcutting, and the general aversion to using the wire, owing to a prevalent, though somewhat mistaken idea, that theme of the wire is bound to be injurious for these purposes, the farmers have thin season exhibited a very keen intere.-t in the hand-biDdicg machines, and numbers came from all parts to witness especially this part of the trial. The contest among.-t all the machines was very carefully watched and keenly criticised, and all the wire binders did their work remarkably well, in fact not a sirn-le disparging remark need be made on any of the comp-itit some of whom, however, it m*i->t be admitted, labored under cer. am disadvantages. The hand binders were not able to cope with their task at the same rate of progress as their automatic rivals, and hence the tyers, seeing in what manner they were being distanced, lost heart, and gave up before completing the task set before them. r>'o far as the latter proceeded in the trial the result wa3 eminently satisfactory, from the fact that a ltrger proportion of grain was Fayed than could have been secured under the former system of using the side-delivery reapers, and it was clearly shown that a sufficient relay of tyers would have bound the sheaves as fast as the implements could cut the grain and pass it to them. The general results of the contest were excellent, and the committee of the association carried out the details of the same in a manner which entitled them to unlimited praise, and those who were present must have been pleased with the great service which they were doing to the agricultural population by placing them in a position to judge for themselves, by comparison as well as results, which is the best harvester, and most likely to suit the requirements of their particular districts ; for, as they were all excellent in many points, the farmers of light and heavy land may ► elect one or the other of those competing, and find that each in its way is a perfect pieo of mechanism, capable of saving labour and reaping his special crop in a manner every way satisfactory.

Glorious weather favoured the day's operation;. Although there had been rain for two d_ys previously, the ground was in no way uncomfortably wet, and the burning rays of the sun were tempered with a cooling breeze, a. pleasaut drive through the roads of Riccarton and Kendalton brought the town visitors within three-quarters of an hour on to the Avonhead farm of Mr William Boag, which includes a block of 500 acres of rich alluvial land, and which, judging by the pasturage as well as corn crops,,. must in regular Beasons bear very abundant crops. The scene of competition was an eighty acre field of improved Essex wheat crop, opposite Mr Boag's Burnside estate. To the right was a paddock on whioh visitors were allowed to leave their horses, and here there were some scores of vehicles, as during the day less than about 2000 persons must have visited the spot. Near the entrance of the wheat field there was a booth for dispensing refreshments, presided at by Mr Morton, and a luncheon booth as well as a marquee, in which the committee and judges were entertained by Mr Boag. The ground was level though somewhat open. The crop stood np well to the height of 3ft. 3in., was eared out to about 40 bushels per acre, and pretty even throughout. The wheat has just turned, and was rather early for cutting, which together with the abundance of flax leaf in it rendered the test to which the harvesters were subjected a pretty severe one. The alio ments had been measured and marked off with flags, and the machines about an hour after the advertised time having been placed at stations decided by lot, were were started at 10 a.m. Mr Wm. Norman, president of the association, acted as gen-ral marshal, and to each machine two field marshals were told off in order to prevent the public following too closely, so as to interrupt work or get in the way of the judges. The competing reapers and binders were as follows, the names of the marshals of each and color of flagon the allotment being also eiven :— WIEE BISDERS. 1. MarsTn, Messrs Bruce and Henderson; blue. 2. Wood, Messrs O'Callaghan and Gilmonr; light blue. 3. Osborne—Messrs Money and Mcßeath; yellow. 4. McCormick—Messrs Mcllrait— aud Wi__n: red. The Buckeye and Massillou machines entered did not compete, and the Elward harvester, for the reason assigned by Mr E. Recce in these columns on Wednesday, wa3 not present.

MACHINES WITH HAKD-BIITDnrO PLATFORMS. Marsh—Messrs Mann and Holly; green.

McCormick—Messrs Cunningham. and Marcroft; pink. The regulations under which they all worked were briefly that they were all to start on even terms at a given hour, no one to be allowed to manage the machines except the owner and two assistants for the hand binding ones. The

judges bad to take into account strength of each combined with simplicity of construction, lightness of draught, quantity of ground gone over, and time in winch tha work was performed and the quality of the work generally. It rented with the judges to settle tte height at which the stubble should be left. Each implement had four acres apportioned as its shara, though, in the case of the Murs 1, at the end of the d ty it was discovered this had, by a imre accident, been exceeded. The prizes offere < were—.£2s by the association, undt>r the conditions named in its prize schedule of the last November show, and £b added by Mr John Grigg for the be*t hand binding, if there was any competition. The commission appointed to d.cide the merits of the machines were — Engineers, Messrs W. Conyers and Allison Smith; practical farmers, Messr3 J. Eetmie, Doyleston; J. Goff, Greendale; W. E. Ivey, The Model Farm, Lincoln; T. Black, Longbeaeh; and W. M. Boss, Kaiapoi Islind.

Coming to a notice of the individual machines; the first was the Marsh, under the control of Mr H_. H. Hemming, who drove a pair of Mr Hiatt's bays, a team which, however, was hardly able enough for the work. 'Ihe wiith of knife used was sft., aud the performance of the Marsh, though good, was somewhat marred by one or two drawoacks which happened to it. A s the b arrester King, the larger size of the Marsh Company's machines, has been referred to at length in these columns, it need only be added that, in the heavier crops the Marsh has the preierence. Mr Hemming was nnfortunate in ihe selection of an inferior spool of wire, which caused some sheaves to be left unbound, and the frequent stoppages to which he wa3 subjected, together with the fact that he was overmatched by about 15 yrds extra width in his allotment, excites a hope thit the Marsh will before the season is out, be subjected to a better and more favorable trial. Wood's machine was ucd_- the control of Mr N. F. Heath, and his horses were sent by Mr Blake. 1 he working of this machine was eho at some unaccaunt-ble disadvantage, in its adjustment to the level of the stubble of 6 inche3, and tne crop operated upon was a trifle lighter in this section fliau in son>e of the othfrs, as the implements had apparently bean set to deal with long straw and heAvy earn. Since last season the improvements made are in the adjustable reel, position of tbe driver's seat, the increased range of the binder, which extends 18 inches backward or forward with one motion of the and the binding has generally been simplified, the wire spool now regulating its own tension. The sickls knife during the day was found to be not in proper working order. Tbe full cut of swathe was 6ft 6in, and the draught apparently light, from the_ early tims in which the machine was enabled to finish, being first ont. The sheaves were well bound and of a fair size. Osborne's machine wis under the skilful management of Mr H. J. Cas9, who had a very; fine team from JJr Boag's farm. This" harvester; % although tf* judges'

put it down as tho heaviest in draught. The start made was an excellent one, the opining showing that the width of cut of swathe w_s sft H-in. The corn was well received on the platform, and very comf jrt-bly delivered up the elevator on to the binding platform, where tho wire was fastene i in firm style, and the sheaf lowered on to its butt end. This arrangement pleased the farmer* very greatly, and there was a noticeable improvement in tbe arrangement added to last year's machine, by which the sheaves are quite separated before leaving the platform. The elevator has been improved, so that " huffy " grain and cross strawß, no matter how much entangled, are carried forward without delay. To farther test thii our reporter sent a whole Eheaf through the elevator with the greatest ease. The wrought bar acd malleable guard and steel plate on which the sickle works are important features in this machine. The work done was excellent, the machine being well Bet down, and leaving its sheaves in fair sizes. The real contest of the match lay between this and the next machine in point of workl McCormick's machine was under the guidance of Mr F. C. Newall, driving a piir of Mr Hack's horses. In its opening it cat sft. 3in., and in regular work 4ffc. 9iil. It has been improved since last season in the binding frame, shell crank, tension, and wire feed. The implement has also been widened to take up longer grain. The mechanism of tho apparatus the judges consider le?s liable to get out of order than in the case of any other. It has no knife in the wire-cutting part, the wire being cut by a deferential wheel, which twists and cuts in the same operation, making besides the connection between the wire of the first and second spool. Although from the outside it might appear to be complicated in its parts, the judges had no hesitation in saying it wa3 not likely to get out of order, and would prove to be the most durable machine. * f its work it may be said there was not a fault to be found with it. the stubble left was not toohigh the sheaves made were even and convenient in size, the wire round them being well secured. Ihe order in which the grain was left pleased the judges, and the manner in which the machine was worked could not have been excelled by the veteran Beardsley. The machines used in the hand-binding were the Marsh, managed by Mr John Anderson, Rangiora, and the McCormick, managed by Mr Hack, which, as they are counterparts of those described, need not again be referred to.

_ The judges took great pains in their inspection, and in submitting the machines to the test of the dynamometer. The draughts of each were given as—Osborne, 5 cwt.; Wood, 4V cwt. -, McCormick, 4 cwt; Marsh, 3f cwt ; MoCormick hanibinder, 3 cwt.; Marsh. 2J- cwt. The time in which each machine finished from time of starting was—

h. m. Wood ... ..- 2 49 Osborne 3 5 McCormick 3 8 Marsh 4 35 the hand-binders, as before stated, not completing their task. At the close of the inspection Mr M. Murphy publicly announced the result, to bi that the machines had been placed— McCormick, first. 0.-borne, highly commended. No prize had been awarded to the handbinders, as the judges considered they had not completed the work. The announcement was received with general satisfaction, and it was stated to have been the unanimous verdict of the judges.

During the day one of Aveling and Porter's traction engines was exhibited by Mr J. Anderson, of the Canterbury Foundry, which during tbe afternoon towed one of McCormick's sidedelivery reapers through the crop at a good speed, but the real service to which the engine ought to be applied is the removal of threshing machines, or the conveyance of several tons of grain in loaded tracks uloag the ordinary roads from the farms to the station.