TRIAL OF REAPING MACHINES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume I, Issue 43, 25 May 1853, Page 4

TRIAL OF REAPING MACHINES.

lIUBBP.V AND M'CORMACK IHATKN.

Wk take Ihe following interesting account of a trla' flf reaping machines from the Times' report of the doings of the " Highlimd and Agricultural Society of Scotland," which held its annual meeting at Perth. It will bn seen thnt, after nil, America mu<t yield the palm to Scotland's ingenuity and •kill.] Tho competition pf the reaping machines ex. cited the mok intense interest nmong stl rlasnea of the community. It hud become generally known tt)at the directors of the Snoiety hnd arranged for a fiircoiii petition hetwern one of Hu'«ey'« Ameriasn rf^pen and B new machine, 'invented by the Rev. Mr. Bell, of the, parish of CnrmylUe. 25 years ngo, «nd which has been in use on the farm of Mr. Bell, of Inchniiohnel, Curie of Gowrle, for the lint 15 yr«r>. The competition being limited to ilicsr two miidiinei, the contest was pdpulnrly viewed as Scotland vrrtus America. The whole population oftheciiy, nnd many of the.inhablta'iti of ihe neigh^onring cnuuties, appeared to hnve turned oat to vritness'thU trial, and never weie the racers fcr th,e " Derby," more scientifically examiped, or more in»lou»ly sconnrd, than wire these two reap* Ing machines as they lay on the highway previous to the hour of tri»l.. To tbofe who bsve not seen a reaping machine it Is difficult to corey 8 tangible idea ol its appearance. Moit'm'en are now familiar,' however, with th« look of thote exhibited by M'Cormack in the Gre«t Enhibition, and by Hussey ac Inriproted 'by Garnett, and now in use at Tiptree, and on ,fomje o|her farms in England, principle ii the samo as Bell's, but the details ate essentially ditTtrent. Huisey's machine on' bqng put tp work, a clear space on the right band of ike standing corn for the horse* to draw it, Bell's goes' right into the coin at once, the cutting, apparatus beine before thq )( hor»er, Huuoy's machine may be illustrated by°snppoiin|> two men drawing 'a joythe down one kide and through a, standing crop,, with the handle fcr a pole. Bed's like two mencmting forward with a Dutch boe. "When Huiiey's machine takes thr field one, mm at least is required to stand. 011 ii,

°nd with a hnntl-rake throw off tI)R rut corn to Ibr gatherers and liinilcu. Bell'ii mucliinc la supplied with a canvass opron on ri'llrm, liiin; at nil angle of 45 degree* from the cm ten, and worked by v concern lie mutiuns no vi to lay the out corn In a line to be gathered, Hussej'n rrmchino cuu the crop oa it utaiidn ; Bell's litn flying nrmi in front, which lay the corn to be cut exactly at a newspaper printing miiithtneUvt hold of the iheel of |mj>er to lie printed. Hniit-y'* machine goes to work with n rumbling; noise; Bell's in silence. Tile fiut 'riul wim by Belli maclilno on a field of oats, in the prmcuce of the judge*. Ie went on vrry amun lily and laid the corn with the inmost cn«c. The Muhule left m about tbree inches high, mid vriy evrn. Eijrht women nnd two men wrrc jcarrely able to gather it which gives us some idua of ltd aperd, and the horses, two Clydrsdnle t;rey«, »eemed (juiic tqmil lo their work, Huiiey's machine w,i« then tried : it cut two or three breadth* eiixily »n<l rlranly, but gettine; to a piece of rough grimml by the furrow of the field, or the '• rii? " as it is uullotl In Scuilhiul, wh>re (lie prass ii«(l grown shout a third |> -rt up ilia straw of the oats, it gnt choked, mid c mie M a dead itand. So far ni it had rut here the ttubhli: wni very uneven, and the corn mnclnpoilcd. On being cleared, the rcit o the breadth, ifmtal nil, wa> not a intisfacti>ry pcrformnnue. The second trial wan nn k field of onrky. Thn lute krary tains lind "hi id" the batley in kCf cml phicc<, and in smiepnitn it was so tfftited that but little hope was eiiurldiiied that it could be cut by one machine or tin- oilier. Bell's mnehino went in fiitt uml cut a breadth very smoothly. Here the practical va'ue of the arms hern me apparent. They laid hold • f the crop no as to put the m»i>t tw'ntoil pnrt» of it in order lor ihe scissors, nnil when the btcmlth win cut the nubble was as good as thnt of the tickle. Huney't nn. chine worked much worse among the Imrl'jr than among the oats. It cut smoothly and ipredily where the otraw was straight: but whenever it enmc to a portion that wus luid at an angle from Ihe machine, the cutters misted or tore the corn up hy the roots, leaving a very uneven stubble on mo-,t patts of the ground. The third trial was on 1 field of whent in beautiful order for cutting. Bell's machine mowed the strong stubble and laid it in order Viry freely for the first twenty yurds, but it then got loaded mid stuck fust. The enntns npron ! did not upper to have power or velocity to throw off tho wheat an quickly ns the cuitcrs laid it on, mid this deficiency in the working of the machine, nccaiioned it's coming to a stnnd still three or four (•Hies during this trial. Hunsey'n macliino went into the wheat with great case wnd power. It wm noon evident that its forte lien in cutting straight whent on smooth land, nlnle for oats and barley it is i'l adapted. The competition ended about hnl(-p(nt four o'clock, when the atmosphere, «hich had been most oppressive during the day, wos relieved by a. heavy thunder storm. In the evening the judges gave their award nnn« nimoutlyln fav»ur of Bell's machine. They are I to puhlisli a deluded account of the ground* on which they have given it the preferenco, which wo were givuu to undcrMund would bo simply then 1 : —Economy of time— the gram cleanest out—loss iJiakcu— Uid with greatest legulnrity — lest liable to iiiicruptioni from choking in cascofgraen— requires less power to cover the siune orendth— requires no open nido to the field before commencing work— h«s a power of 1 tying off on either side, which Htmey'« wants— a power ol depositing grain in i()w« without moniial labour, and saves, by rnechanicul power the cost of t»o men, which lluinry's requires in the process of laying for the ifithcrers. An objection was made by some parlies on tl>o ground to the use of the feeding arms, I wna thought th:it in l»vlng hold of the corn, they would shake out some of the ears. The dirrctor* had an examination of the corn and thr ground to atccrtn n if this objection was nell founded, and report that nono of the heads were shaken, nnd that fur one com whioli fulls out of ear by Bell's machine, two fulls out of Husry's. The difference, of cost of i lie two machines. wuhhlio the subject of consideration, lioll'i being £3.>, and Hustey's only ill 8; but in emiinnting the compnr»tive savini; of labor by Bell's," tony nothing of oiher advantages, they found thai, tiiuu^h the dearest machine at first, it is cheapuni iv the end. The diputntion of the Royal Agricultural Improvement Society of Ireland were preicnt at the triil, and itated to the judges thut the; were so much impressed with the sense of the value of Hells machine, that although it had been concluded by the director! of i heir institution to have trial of only Huiscy's reaping machine at their forthcoming nhow, they would now have one of Bell's also, and give an award on competition. The Judgei of this tri.l were:— Mr. Ollphtnt, of Condic; Mr Watson, Keilor ; Mr. Stirling, C. B. Mr. Finnic of Swanston | Mr: Gibson, Woohuat ; Mr. Stefdman, Boghtll ; Mr. Sephelis, author of <• The Book of the Furin," Mr. Wat ion, millwright, Errol ; Mr Young, implement maker, Ayr j the Duke of Alhol, attending member.