THE JOHNSTON HARVESTER COMPANY'S STRING BINDER

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5583, 7 October 1879, Page 3

THE JOHNSTON HARVESTER COMPANY'S STRING BINDER

Tun compauy was the first to introduce a Btrii)gsel£-bitidiug harvester. The prejudice against wire for biuding the sheaves was, and is, very strong amongst farmers and cattle-owners, as the cattle might swallow Binall pieces of chopped wire, which would easily become mixed h ith the straw from the clialf cutting machiues. There is 110 doubt that, should the workmen allow the wire binding to enter a chaff-cutter with the straw, the wire would inevitably work its way through the coats of the stomachs of the cattle fed upon it. The strength of the striug-tie has been already fully proved by tests at the Bristol Agricultural .-how, where the string was found to stand loOlb., as agiinst 1001b., which was the breaking strain of the wire. The Johnston Harvester Co.'s binder first shown at the Bristol show last year, though its tying arrangements were first-rate, had several detects in it elevating parts, aud in the action of its binding aim, which was rather weak aud complicated. All these defects have been energetically taken in hand aud remedied in the improved machine shown this year at the Koyal Agricultural Show, Kilburu. The platform and elevator have been made of a sufficient width to take the longest grain to suit the I'nglish market. The elevator is now formed by a couple of canvass webs, betiveen which the grain islifted and securely held, in t-pite of the rough est wind, so that the operation of binding can be conduct id perfectly cleanly, and without waste. The motions of the cutting knife and binding arm have beeu improved. The cutter bar is driven dircut fr. in the front of the machine, and not by meaus of the rocking lever, pivoted under the sheaftray, and driven by a Cjnnectiug rod at the back end as formerly. The bindiug arm has a forward, hoi izoutal, and descending motion, and is supported by a side bracket. The grain is delivered from the elevator on to the binding platform, where it falls against the string. The string has one end securely gripped underneath the binding platform, and tne other end passes through th.; needle which carries the cord round the sheaf aud descends through the table, bringing the cord together, aud enclosing the sheath. Then by the continued autiou of a linger, a revolving clasv, and a ho.)k which draws a loop through, a secure knot is ma le, 'l'ho twine le then cut from the portion which is being n el'j: jut. The needl once more ascends, leaving behind it one end of the string again gripped in the under jaw ; and a beut claw rising Iroin under the biuding platform, and which has hitherto held the sheaf in positiou for binding, now falls, and, passiug under the sheaf, rises at the back of it, and pushes it genfly off the binding table. The cutting and working of the harvester ia very good, the main driving wheel being well situated to receive the principal weight o£ the macbiue, and gives an excellent balance. The machine has a carrying wheel at the extremity of the tray, pivoted so as to turn easily. All the adjustments are placed handy to the driver, who can traverse the biuding tray over so as to ensure biuding in the centre any sized sheaves. A foot-trip is placed handy, so that the driver can stop th-i action of the binder when desired, which is very useful at thin places or round headlands. The knot is formed by twisting the ends of the string, then a double loop is partially pulled through the twiit. In the former knot tlie double string was pulled through, not looped, and looked the most secure, but is found to be equally so on test, aud it has the advautago of being readily pulled out, instead of requiring cutting, aud this gives hack the whole length of binding string uncut. The company can fix any class of knot-tying apparatus to binder that may be preferred, and they have three or four.—Home JVeii'S.