FARM MACHINERY

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 107, 2 November 1933, Page 9

FARM MACHINERY

RAPID DEVELOPMENT

Although agriculturo is one of the world's oldest industries, it has persisted until very recent times without any considerable assistance1 rflutancd by mechanical devices other thflTthose of tho simplest kind, remarked Mr.' -P. E. Callaghan when addressing members of the Technological Section 'of the Wellington Philosophical Society lastj night on "Machinery in Farming." Machinery, he pointed out, found no place where there was almost always superabundant human labour available. With the rise of other industries and professions and the development of overseas colonial possessions, both of which reduced farm labour abundance in the Old World and made its shortage evident in the New—a state of. affairs which was Jrcached during the nineteenth century—attention was directed to overcoming the position by the devising of machinery to do those farm vtasks which demanded exacting and distasteful labour. . . ' So rapid had been the development of farm machinery in recent times that the span of New Zealand's farm history amply covered all the period when mechanisation .became a 'very real force in agricultural development. Many of the first cereal crops of New Zealand were planted in soil that had been cultivated with the spade, and were reaped with the sickle. The first-ploughing done in New Zealand was when the Bey. John Bntler turned a. furrow at Kerikeri on May 3, 1820, with what would be regarded today as a very primitive wooden framed implement. Tho great development in farm machinery was of very recent date, and had all been done within the last 60 years, though, of course, long prior to this much thought had been given to devising certain machinery; and, indeed, much of what is in use today was prior to 1870 in embryonic form, and quite undeveloped. ' The speaker proceeded to show how various farm implements have become mechanised, contrasting the position in 1870 with that prevailing today. Statistics were quoted to show how the use of power has invaded, tho farms in the Dominion. At the present time New Zealand farmers secure power for their purposes from 24,757 electric motors, 21,667 oil engines,- and 4972 tractors, yielding a total of 179,000 horse-power. They use 24,350 milking plants, 54,200 cream separators, and some 7986 shearing, plants. Unfortunately, said Mr. Callaghan, statistics did not provide any record of all those other implements which form an, important part of the farm economy of New Zealand. - In spite of modern developments, however, for haulagc'piirposes-on the farm there was still nothing superior to tho horse.