A NEW REAPER AND BINDER

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 9010, 24 January 1895, Page 5

A NEW REAPER AND BINDER

THE SAMUELSON LOW DOWN. Yesterday a public trial took place at Mr F. Holmes' farm, next the Show Grounds, Lincoln road, of a new reaper and binder. This is the Samuelson Low Down, a most compact and self-contained machine. It is easily drawn by two horses and cuts a nice, clean swathe. Only a single apron is employed, and all the principal mechanism is placed well in Bight of the driver, the operating levers being, of course, fixed so that they can bo readily handled. Of the cutter-bar and platform it is needless to make remark, for they are of the usual type employed in harvesting machinery of the class. The essential points of difference begin as soon as the cut corn is lying upon the canvas-platform, and carried forward by the revolving apron. When the apron has reached the end ot the platform it hands over the corn to a rotating-drum, which is provided with, a series of prongs. These prongs coiivey the corn into an upright gavelling-chamber, w herefrom it is further carried by means of rotating packers on to a binding-table, which issituateu over the main travelling-wheel. Abovo this binding table the knotting mechanism is rigidly placed, and it is arranged so that after sufficient grain has been carried up by the packers to form a sheaf the knotting mechanism is thrown into gear. The needle next rises from below the table, compresses the bundle, and forms the knot, and as soon as the string is cut the sheaf is discharged«to one side of the ; travelling wheel by means of discharge arfrii of the ordinary pattern. As the sheaf wpr'on its side there is little or no shelling isfjjthe corn, as in .the case of the sheaf being pitched upon its head. An efficient separation is obtained by the fingers of the rotary packers being stopped at the throat or upper part of the gavelling chamber, which prevents the loose gram from following the bundle which is being bound and discharged. - As Boon as tied bundle is thrown off the machine the needle again descends. under the binding table, the packers once more come into action, and bring forward the grain for another bundle. The machine is very compactly built, and can easily pass through a nine-foot gateway Without tuking the horses' out or using transport. A very ..simple form of the Appleby, knotter is used.

' Tbe work done by the machine was clean and good. The crop operated upon was Oats which would go at least fifty bushels to the acre, and not a stoppage or a miss occurred. For hillside work the machine ought to be especially, suited, as it cannot topple over. Altogether the work done by tbe machine was excellent.