COCKERELL’S CULTIVATOR.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3502, 26 June 1884, Page 2

COCKERELL’S CULTIVATOR.

PUBLIC TEIAL. A public trial of one of Messrs Cockerell and Son’s cultivator and pulveriser’s took place yesterday on Mr T. Mitchell’s land at Seadown. The trial was conducted under the direction of Mr Wearne, the local manoger for Messrs Cockerell and Son, and a number of farmers and others interested were interested were present. The condition of the ground could hardly have been worse, owing to the recent wet weather having saturated the soil, In spite of this, however, the result of the trial was roost satisfactory, and the experienced farmers who witnessed it were unanimous in declaring the cultivator to be a most useful invention. The machine consists of a quadrangular frame in which are set a number of rotating discs each with eight ten-inch teeth. There are two sets of these discs in front and rear of the machine, so constructed that when the cultivator is in motion, the fore teeth penetrate the ground, pointing in one direction, while the hinder points the opposite way ; and thus the roots are effectually torn up and the soil thoroughly broken up. The two sets of teeth are so arranged too, that those of each side point between those of the other. Over the machine is a driver’s seat, centrally placed so that the man’s weight steadies the whole very considerably. The amount of horse power required depends upon the size of the machine and the nature of the ground. The machine used yesterday was of medium size, of about six square feet. There were aixteen discs each containing eight teeth. It ought to be mentioned that the machine can be set to work any depth at the will of the operator. Three horses kindly lent and driven for the occasion by Mr King were used, and the ground being heavy their work was sufficiently hard. The first experiment was on some turnip land where sheep had been feeding, and the manner in which, despite the continual clogging of the discs through the adhesion of soft earth, the turnips were turned op was remarkable. A piece of ploughed land was next experimented upon with still more satisfactory results. The machine doing the work of harrows in a most effectual manner and rooting up the sorrel at every rotation. Frequent halts bad to be made to remove the clogging earth from the machine, but its excellent manner of doing the work at which it was tried, convinced everyone that on fairly dry land it would prove very useful indeed. The trial was watched with great interest by those present, and the result was an unanimous verdict in favor of the machine, as a very handy and effective farming implement. The inventors claim that this oultivator supersedes disc iiarrows, and certainly the result of yesterday’s experiment goes far to justify the claim. It may be used on turnip and stubble land, weedy and rooty land, and for breaking down fern and thistles, its breaking up qualifications being equalled by its power of tearing up and eradicating weeds and roots. It has been largely used in Australia for some years past, and more recently a branch establishment has been opened in Invercargill. Within the first three months of the opening, not less than £BOO worth of machines had been disposed of in Southland. The implement will probably soon come into general use among the farmers. The firm have now an agency in Timaru, where farmers can inspect their agricultural implements.