HEADER HARVESTING

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23349, 7 June 1941, Page 5

HEADER HARVESTING

Sir,— ln your issue of June 5, in the “General News" column, under the heading “Proper Use of Headers,” is r eflsrted a decision by the Primary ;rfauction Council to ask the field ''ikjTX of the Department of Agriculture 1 Vj 1 .investigate inefficiency in the use 'Mfiheader harvesters, causing smaller . fields. I take this to mean that when , 1 farmer grows 32 bushels to the acre he really bags 28 bushels, four bushels to the acre being wasted. This would ; apply to grain. Where clover is headed •• a great many farmers grow two bags ■‘to the acre and bag one and a half hags- I- have always claimed this to be the case in a great many instances; in fact, I have stated that there is enough grain and seed wasted in Canterbury by our so-called "up-to-date > methods" than would pay for half the " harvest, to say • nothing about the waste of straw'. ' This is not always due to the in- ' efficiency of the driver or man in Charge. The header, no doubt, does a 'wonderful job, but in a great many Instances the capacity is overtaxed, often because of sales talk, which is misleading, as American and Australian specifications are quoted, which cannot be applied here. I have always looked upon the header and also tin mill as merely gatherers, to make a rough job and get the grain to the elevators, irrespective of chaff or white heads that are left in, before the grain is dressed and graded. If this state of affairs could be tolercfted by our millers here, it would no doubt get over the difficulty of unconditioned grain, as the foreign matter would ' | e ip the grain to sweat or mature properly; but they are up against our - large mills, which, no doubt, have proved to be the most efficient threshing and finishing machine in the world. If the header owner wishes to make a finished job as the large riull does it will cut their capacity down considerably or waste the grain, which ls, no doubt, often the case, especially in a heavy crop. I should like to suggest that the Canterbury Production Council interview several large mill owners, who are also header owners, and get their candid opinions.—Yours, etc., H. C. JELiIj. June 6, 1941.