REAPERS AND BINDERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1474, 14 February 1880, Page 9

REAPERS AND BINDERS.

EXHIBITION OF WAIiTEU A. WOOD'S AUTOMATIC

STRING SHEAF-BINDER.

The exhibition of one of Walter A. Wood's now automatic string sheaf-binders took placo at ivlr Jamts Shaud's farm, Outram, yesterdvy, a uum'jer of gentlemen specially interested beiog present; although, considering ilia important trial, it is a wonder that mauy nwiM wew uot, present. This can only be accounted tor by the fact; that the settlors generally wore buay on th.^ir farms, tho harvesting being now io full operation. It would be almost impossible so have selected a better spot to make the trial tban Mr Suand's farm. Thore were 150 awes nf red straw wheat in the field, averagiug at tii9 one end about 30 to 35 bu3hela to the acre, but at the lower cad the average must have been from 40 to 45 bushels, tho sheaves being particularly huavy, sines >me of them weighing )rom 501bs to 601bs. The new slieaf- binder psrforined its work exceedingly well, perhaps only three or four sheaves being ddlivered loosa dunog the pa-mage round tue large area above stated. Mr Freenuu, one of the'i practical engineers of the Walter A. Wood's factory, was on tha ground, aud regulated any little cec-jasary adjustments that were required. But tiie fact was the present machine wa3 totally different from most others that have been seat out to the Colony, It was properly put tjgetb.9r before it was started on its trial, and of course under such circumstance:! it need hardly be said it waß a success.

Ie may ba noted that the purchasar of fchu n9w machine, Mr J. Buchanan, of Evaus Fiat, Lawrence, was on the ground, and dimsolf took a turn in driving it round tho larger j>aJd<>ck, the result being that lie expre^ed himself fully justiiied iv accepting ins purchase. This must be very satisfactory to tue agents. Mr Carter (Brodrick and Carter), as representing the agants, supplied the visitors with all necessary information, and watched the movements of the new automaton with much interest, following the course of the machiue rouud the field with great pertinacity. Mr and Mrs Shand did their utmost in attending to the wants of the visitors, in providing them refreshments of a substantial nature, and making them feel at home. Mr Shand also ran his Wood's wire-binder in cou j auction with the gtring-binder, to enable the visitors to judge of the work of the two machines, and ie must be admitted that while the string-binder did not throw out so firm a sheaf as the 'wire-binder, it delivered a much better and larger one. Thadjtffcrence between the new automatic sheaf-binder and the old one lies in the fact that the new machine is able by a very simple contrivance to adjust itself to different lands. Tha properties of the machine under notice are replete in these contrivances. By simply .altering the Bet of a wheel behind, it enables anyone to regulate the height of the platform — in fact to raise the whole machine to a given level. Then again, if the driver finds the crops lying down, he can shift his fan up or down, backwards or forwards, by the means of two levers. If on hilly ground he has behind him a concentric, by meaus of which he can regulate the tying of the sheaves bo as to permit their being all tied in the centre of the sheaf. In this machine there are aleo the following advantages : — The grain is completely shielded as it comes from the elevators, and once on the grain-table cannot be disturbed by the strongest wind. The binding and discharging arms, when at rest, are below the grain-table, but are driven from above. Every part of the binder is visible, and easy of accsss for the purpose of oiling and adjustment. Coming from the elevators, the grain falls upon the grain table, and is pushed forward and straightened ont by packers, revolving discs with teeth, between which and a compressing lever, which projects down over the front of the grain-table, the grain is compressed until the required bulk is gathered, when the lever is forced out, throwing the packers out of, and the binding arm into gear. The binding mechanism being above, one end of the string is there held in a serrated retainer, the compressed grain lying on the string; the binding arm comes up, bringing the string round the sheaf into the knotter, where the knot is tied and the string cut, one end being securely held by the retainer. As the binding arm recedes, the lever described is lifted up and permits the discharging arm, which has advanced, to expel the sheaf with a moderate degree of force. As soon as these arms recede the compressing lever drops into place, and the packers commeace forming the next sheaf. So raoidly is this work effected, that as many as 27 sheaves per minute have been bound and delivered in actual field work. The action of the binder is eutirely automatic. As soon as the required bulk is compreseed in the manner described, the sheaf is bound and delivered. The binder having been adjusted, each sheaf is delivered of a uniform size, whether the grain stands thick or thin. The driver is relieved of all oversight of the binder, and has no unnecessary levers to manipulate. His horses, the height of cut,> and the adjustment of the reel and binder for various lengths of crop, he can easily manage. Should a loose sheaf be discharged, the string is seldom lost, and the following sheaf is invariably securely bound, the tension being automatic. The machiue can also be bo regulated as to admit of any-size sheaf being delivered, simply by the alteration of a spring ; but those gathered yesterday were of a larger size than ordinary— probably as a test of the machine ; undoubtedly they were half as large again as those of the wirebinder working on the same ground, and the machine only required the same supervision and the same team to operate with. Being newly put together, it is possible that it worked more stiffly than it should; but according to the opinion of many competent judges on the ground, it did its work neatly aad well.