DEEP TILLING

North Canterbury Gazette, Volume 5, Issue 62, 30 June 1936, Page 5

DEEP TILLING

Rotary Plough in Action at Rangiora DEMONSTRATION OF QYROTILLER Every square inch of the caterpillars on the giant rotary plough demonstrated this afternoon for the first time in the Rangiora district earned 12 pounds weight and, above them, a Diesel motor of 170 horse-power not only drove the machine along at a good speed, but also powered two sets of five revolving skyves which cut 20 inches of unbroken land into a fine tilth. Many farmers watched the exhibition with more than usual interest for, although experiments with gyrotillers were begun at Leeds 13 years ago by the firm of John Fowler, it is only in recent years that their use has spread beyond England, Russia, and Italy, and it was only last year that Mr A. D. Paterson introduced them to New Zealand. Five machines are now working in the Dominion, and the one >;cen this afternoon was the biggest of three models. Effortlessly, it churned the earth as a ship's propeller churns the water, and the land it passed over was practically ready for sowing. A run. over with harrows, and its cultivation would have been complete. Remarkable costing figures were given by the demonstrator: One man had bought gorse-ridden land near TVmuk'a, cleared it, tilled it with the gyrotiller, sowed turnips, and with one crop paid for the land, the seed, the cultivation, and made a profit of 100 per cent. Similar performances were recorded on stony land, soured paddocks, weed-infested land, and ordinary farm land. Without bringing the subsoil to the surface, the gyrotiller broke it finely, thoroughly aerating the whole depth of its deep cut, providing for the proper flow of moisture, and cultivating for healthy root growth. Yields of oats near Waitnate Avere increased by -'SO bushels per acre, and half a paddock tilled with the rotary plough returned 200 per cent, more than the other half tilled in the ordinary way. The skyves were adjustable in number so that land could be broken coarse !o lie open to the weather through ;i winter, or tilled fine for early sowing. One man operated the gyrotiller with rase. It turned in its own length, heaved left or right as the caterpillars moved independently forward or back, cut deep or shallow as the driver wished. The starting problem associated with Diesel engines lias been reduced to a minimum by the use of high-powered electric motors run off two large batteries (charged from tho engine). For four or five hours after running the electric motors will start the six-cylin-der engine with case; but, if it is too cold, oil-soaked waste has to be burnt in a special chamber to heat the air before it mixes with the jets of vapourised oil in the combustion chamber. Once started, the engine supplies its own ignition by compressing the oil fuel to ignition point. Contract work has already been done in the Woodend district during the last few days, and several more orders have been booked up.