THE GREAT BINDER COMPETITION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 8323, 10 November 1887, Page 3

THE GREAT BINDER COMPETITION.

ROSEWORTHY AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, ADELAIDE. By far the moat important reaper and binder competition this season came off on Oct. 25, at the Roseworthy Agricultural College Farm, Adelaide. The attendance of students, farmers, and agriculturalists was almost unprecedented, and the interest taken in the contest and the importance attached to the result may be gathered from the fact that whereas only two machines competed for the Jubilee Exhibition awards, the seven leading manufacturers of the world sent their latest and most approved machines to try conclusions for the Roseworthy honours. Each competitor having been allotted his portion of crop, a start was made, and the operations of each machine were strictly scrutinised, and carefully noted in each department of harvesting. The task of the judges, although formidable enough to the unpractised eye, did not embarrass the gentlemen to whose judgment and experience the duty of awarding the prizes had been left. Time, closeness and cleanness of cut, lightness of draught, certainty and excellence of binding, were all compared and considered with the most discriminating exactness; and it is seldom indeed that the result of a contest has been so unanimously approved or so convincing. The prizes were awarded as follows:—Buckeye, first; M'Cormick,second; Hornsby,third; Woods, fourth; Osborne, fifth; Howard, sixth; and Easterly, seventh. The awards, which were received with applause, gave general satisfaction, and the spectators were not slow to declare that the winner performed the finest piece of harvesting ever seen in the Colonies. The Buckeye already holds the grand national gold medal of Victoria, and a legion of other field trial, and show prizes. We consider that great credit is due to the manufacturers of this machine for the patient and practical manner in which they have brought their machine to the front, and solved the problem of superlative efficiency combined with unequalled lightness of draught, simplicity, and durability. THE PREMIER PRIZE OF - ■ AUSTRALIA. Since the above appeared in the Otago Daily Times of Nov. 1, we have received a cable announcing that the Buckeye has again beaten all comers (Woods, M'Cormick and Hornsby) for the blue ribbon of the harvest field, and carried off for the second time in succession the grand national gold medal—the premier prize of Australia, at Shepparton onNcv. 2. The Buckeye will be exhibited at the Agricultural Show on the 10th and 11th, and having beaten all competing machines for the principal honours of the year, farmers are invited to inspect it previous to purchasing their machines for the season.