THE CROPS IN THE ELLESMERE DISTRICT.

Press, Volume XLIII, Issue 6369, 17 February 1886, Page 2

THE CROPS IN THE ELLESMERE DISTRICT.

Oar Leeeton correspondent writes*— It gives mc great pleasure to be able to even more than substantiate my last reporton the crops in thu Elleemere district. Sinoe writing a very large acreage has been cut and stacked, the unueu&Uy file acd hot weather very materially aetisting the farmers to get their gram into stack in beautiful condition. Therain lass week has done no harm. Although raining very heavy, it cleared upas rapidly as ie came, allowing the farmers to commence stacking the following day. The weather this harvest reminds one ot•,-' the Beasons nine and ten years ego, when it; was a common thing fer farmers to threeh out of the stook and send their ' grain straight away. This season a very .. large number aie threshing out of thestook with very satisfactory results. The wheat is a really grand sample, hard and dry as shot, borne samples of new wheat * 6O threshed have a largepercentage of broken grain, showing that the gram is too hard and dry/ In these,cases farmers would be consulting their own interests Lest by etaoking their ' wheat, for although perhaps tie cample will not be spoiled for miUicg purposes, yet its value will be lessened for exportation and seed. When a farmer has a penny ~ or two per : bushel taken off his price, he ' will wieh that he had used a little mote caie. The absence of the usual northwesters these last few weeks has helped the farmers to get their barley oat in ~ splendid condition, paddocks all over the >" district: being allowed to stand till they "ri were dead-ripe, before being cut. This is a ~ thing that has not occurred for.several' f seaapne, owing to the usual prevalent wiiids shaking out tho grain. The barley* ' where it is not blighted, is a beautiful ■' bright sample, several cropg, till last week* '" pnly having had one shower of rain on them, and that waa in the beginning . - of Novettiber. The most of thie cereal in. the heavy swamps is blighted a good deal,' in Borne places being very bad, the grain is Only fit for feed. One farmer on the I D.am road has jußt harvested a splendid* looking crop, the sheaves were almost tonohing each other on the ground. Yet* owing to the grain being blighted through the dry weather, he assured your cures- . pondent there would not be more than flva bushels to the acre. I am glad to state this is an exception to the general rule. On" Saturday last your. ooireepondenfevisited a splendid crop of barley on Mr F. , Jackßon's farm at Irwell, which should yield considerably over 50 buahels per acre, being a really good and bright sample. Mr Goldamita has also eotte , really fide crops, which are expected to , yieid heavy returns. Threshing is now •_ pretty general, the yielde being quite up to expectations. Mr W. Clark, of Orton fara,Taaa threshed a paddock of Tuscan - wheat that yielded over 60 bushels ;pe# acre. Mr J.Milliner,ofßhuddlan farm, has. threshed a paddock of pearl that yielded tit '"' bußhels per acre, and a really good ea»ple& and a paddock of Hunter's White, belong- , ing to Mr H. Gardiner, of Irwell, yielded . over fifty bushels per acre. Except in the- : Bwampe (where a quantity of grain has - yet to be reaped), the reaping is all finished, and about naif the acreage ia in stack. Sound Brookeide, Irwell, and KiUincny» moat of the corn is either in stack, or eIM bring threshed but of the stook. The ' country presents a very pretty eight, being etudded ail round the farms with beautiful looking stacks, which, with the plantations and groups of different sorts of treea, ' p eeente a picture that would gladden the) heart of eny, painter or artiav A few lobs of cera are Le'ing carted to the railway, Mr F. C. H. Murray having sent a crop of „. this season's wheat through to Port. I "- think this is about the flrafc this season.?', Mr J. Bennie, of Doyleston, is now sending - • wheat away, having sold for three abipinge '.' and sixpence, f.o.b. Farmers are anxiously waiting for prices to improve. It is to* , general opinion that there will not bexnuoh difference in the prices for t omo few months " to come, While writing about threshing, I " think it would not seem out of place for mc to mention the improvements made in this district'ia threshing machines this seaioß, : especially aa they have enabled the ownen < to lower their tnraihiag to 8d per bushel. The first improvement under notice w , made and patented by Mr A. Werner, :-' which ia a self-feeder, bo constructed- that , the band-cutter cuts the band in the usual way and throws the eheaf on to a platform constructed of a series of spiked battens the width of the opening on the combine* I which are jointed on to an eccentric crank, , revolving at a medium rate of speed. I These battens, or platfoiin, elope at a ebarp I angle into the drum, so that the sheaf can- | not escape being effectually spread and fed v j into the combine. There is also a large ' spiked roller, revolving at a high rate of speed over the top of the drum, v which helps to separate any stuff that ie tangled together, and doe* not get separated on the platfom already referred to. Messrs Eobb and - Maddock have also constructed a selffeeder on a Bomewhat similar plan, except that they nee a wide canvass belt (eomewhat similar to the reaper and binder aprons) to convey the sheaf into the dramAfter repeated trials these self-feeder* < have been found to answer very well, a- ; few combines having now worked 6 con- . eiderable time with them on. Tie next improvement brought under notice is an . extended shaker platfoim, introduced by Mr J. Oaborne, of Leeeton. This gentleman's name in connection with mactdnery is a sufficient guarantee that this addition ' to the threshing machine will be a success before ita introduction to the public The- ' new shaker is fixed on the end of the j combine at the end of, and juat under fcbe usual shakers, and extends tbe end of th* y combine four-feet. It ia made of nsnov »■ elate of wood, screwed on to a frame, which in turn is hung by two, . ? epring bars, on the' outside of the-, <j combine, and as the shaker ciank woikfl it propels the new shaker by driving ~'; against the end of it* thereby giving-the j_ platform a baokward and forward »«*•"*••:■■

- meat, of this lmpigfßjaießtjf the Btraw to another ehaking- ' tertaken up ;to ;the ■ j&UvatflffS- ,' Advantage is *cry obvioue, aar the r ifaaw after leaving the original shakers on fiie oombine, falls about 2Ec on to this new (or aiditOTial) ehaker, as d then travels ' 4ft before beiog taken up by the elevatore;; The motion of the platfona ttoroaghly ' t^ ayt "g out any grain likely to remain in the straw, the platform being fixed on '" euch an angle (and being racked lor half its length), it is impossible for the straw to lodge on it. Mr Osborne was convinced come years ago of was required to prevent so muCb,. grain ■ being wasted in &» Btraw, and has" spent sum yearly in experiment- -■ ing in fhis direction, till at last he has iutroduoed an improvement that will be a great saving to the fa-mere, and a like credit to himself. It has been tried in different sorts of grain, and has answered splendidly. ry-~