TOPICS OF THE DAY

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27838, 10 December 1955, Page 7

TOPICS OF THE DAY

SOMETHING NEW IN POTATO DIGGERS

Something new in potato harvesters | is now undergoing its final trials at the National Institute of Agricultural I Engineering, Silsoe, Britain. The gen- | eral principle of this new harvester, which was inspected this year by a New Zealand farmer, Mr F. E. Jarman, ' of Darfield, is a departure from most i previous methods of approach, there | being several fundamental differences. , The first is that, in place of using the | ordinary share, the machine uses a circular disc share which is fitted with a scraper to ensure that the share never becomes clogged with soil. Secondly, the makers have introduced a very efficient haulm separator. Another advantage claimed is that when the potatoes ultimately reach the picking table both the soil and the potatoes are deposited thereon. The potatoes are then picked from this table into bags, the soil being allowed to travel on and down a discharge chute. By this method the potatoes are cushioned right to the point of picking and digger damage is reduced, it is claimed, to rather less than 1 per cent. The rate of picking is reasonably high, and the machine can handle 1J to 2J acres a day, according to soil conditions. Mr Jarman saw the machine working in a paddock of new potatoes witn green tops two to three feet high. He considered it made the best job of harvesting potatoes he had ever seen, in- I eluding the performances of a number of other harvesters he saw in action during his visit to Britain. This Clydebuilt machine is illustrated on this page.