THE TRIAL OF REAPERS AND BINDERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3094, 5 March 1878, Page 3

THE TRIAL OF REAPERS AND BINDERS.

(North Otago Times, Friday, March 1.) The competition of reapers and binders for fche gold and silver medals offered by the Northern Agricultural and Pastoral Association took place yesterday in a field of oats on the farm of Mr P. Orr, Springfield. The day was a magnificent one, and there was a large attendance of farmers and others interested, there being during the day some 300 persons on the ground, including a few ladies. The crop operated on was an uneven one, both as regards height and weight, and in different stages of ripeness, but would average about 60 bushels to the acre, the area allowed fco each machine being three acres. The Committee of Management were Messrs P. Orr, Morton (Kakanui), Maclennan (Whitestone), Hedley, and Church, Secretary to the Association, and the machines competing three .in number, viz., the Wood, the M'Cormick, and the Reid and Gray. Lots were drawn for choice of plots, that falling to the Wood's machine being rather less ripe than.' fche others. All three machines' struck in afc 1.20 p.m., the Wood and Reid and Gray working continuously until the whole of their sections were cut, but the M'Cormick had the misfortune to break her connecting-rod after tying about 50 sheaves, fchis causing a delay of about two hours, the broken part having to be sent to the farm to be repaired. After this had been temporarily effected, she struck in again, and showed great speed and apparent e4se of draught,. doing her work well, bufc, unfortunately, after aboufc an hour and a half's work, the repaired connecting rod again gave way, and fche putting it in order once more took so long that the machine was unable to finish her plot, and was, when aboufc two acres had been cut, taken off to have fche draught tested by the dynamometer. Following the harvesters round the field as they worked, we will first refer to THE WALTER A. WOOD. -.This machine is, as is well-known, fitted with Locke's patent binding apparatus, and has already been described so fully in our columns aa to obviate the necessity of our entering into details as to its mechanism, but ifc may be mentioned here fchat ifc has but one wire spool, and fastens its sheaf wifch a single length of wire and single tie, while the M'Corinick has two spools, and binds with two lengths of wire, one long and one short one (fche latter some 3 or 4 inches in length), and consequently fcwo ties, which circumstance was considered by many to be disadvantageous. This machine (fche Wood) throws out her sheaves well clear of her self, but this, on the other hand, was nofc viewed with favour, ifc being thought that ifc would cause a loss of grain in a dead ripe crop. This harvester worked very smoothly and well, leaving a good clean stubble, and the sheaves being generally -well bound and even. There can be no doubt of the excellence of fche machine, which had many warm champions and supporters. The time occupied by fche Wood in cutting and tying the three acres was 2 hours 25 minutes', which was considered very satisfactory, the average draught, as tested by the dynamometer, being 3 cwfc., with a width of cut of 5 feefc 4 inches. THE M 'COBMICK. The mechanism of this harvester has also already been described in detail, and we therefore shall notice only fcwo or three salient points. The most noticeable apparent advantage was the manner of delivery of the sheaf. Instead of throwing out the sheaf, as in the case of the machine first described, there are always fcwo sheaves on the delivery board, while a third is in process of coming over to fche binder, the binding-arm, by a lateral movement, pushing up the second sheaf as the third falls into its place, thus pushing off the first, which drops lengthwise on the ground. The sheaves fall gently, and lie in rows head and butt so straight and evenly as to present a very pretty and neat appearance. The machine cuts very clean, and binds firmly and neatly, there being not much to choose between it and the Wood in these respects. The machinery is, however, said to be more complicated, and there were some who held thafc in consequence there was the greater probability of its getting oufc of order, while again others claimed fchafc experience did nofc prove this to be the case. We think & .fair to say thafc fche fact of the breakages of the connecting rod cannot be taken as proof of fche special liability of fchis machine to accidents of fchis sort, as ifc appears thafc fche one in use yesterday had cut down some 300 acres of a 90---bushel oat crop at Mr Treleaven's farm, near Papanui, Canterbury, before coming down here, and that in consequence this particular part of the machine had been much worn. On fche other hand it was urged fchafc the very fact of the machine having been so much used made ifc easier to ' work, and if so ifc is ,fair to the Wood machine to say that it was a bran new one, having been only unpacked and put together a day or sd before the trial. The M'Cormick nofc finishing her plot, for the reason, before given, her time cannot be exactly compared with the time of the other machines, but fudging from fche performance so far ifc went it appeared thafc ifc would have taken her about 2\ hours. Her average draught, as tested by fche dynamometer, was found to be 3£cwt, with a width of cut of sffc 6m. THE BEID AND GRAY. This machine is a combination, being an ordinary Reid and Gray reaper fitted with a Locke's binder, and reel and elevators of the M'Cormick pattern. It was stated to be incomplete, and if so it would havo been better that ifc had nofc competed. Ifc certainly did . not make, anything like as good work as either of the other machines, some of the sheaves being missed by fche binder altogether, and others loosely and irregularly bound. There is no doubt thafc fchis enterprising firm will yet succeed in turning out as good a . machine as any imported, but there can also be no dpubfc tliafc they were altogether distanced yesterday. The time taken in cutting the three acres by this machine was 3 hours 12 minutes, and the average draught as tested by the dynamometer was found to be 4 cwt., with a breadth of cut of 5 feet. We may mention here that Mr James Reid and Mr Gray were in charge of this macliine ; Mr Morrow, of Morrow Bassefct and Co. (Christchurch), of the M'Cormick ; and Mr Griffin, from Wood's factory, New York, of the Wood machine. THE B.EBULT OF THE CO—PETITION. The manner in which the awards were made was as follows : — Cards were distributed to all bond fide agriculturists present, bearing on the face the names of fche machines on three separate lines, with the foot-note : " Voters will please mark Ist, 2nd, and 3rd opposite fche machines as they consider them entitled to be placed ; " and at the back the following memorandum of the points to be taken into iiccount, viz., " Neatness of sheaf, clean cutting, tightness of binding, time and breadth of cut to be taken, draught of machines, simplicity of fche binding mechanism." Some of those who voted left at various periods during the afternoon, and some who left omitted to vote, and fche balance of fche cards being collected from those who remained, afc aboufc 6 o'clock the points were totalled up and found to be as follows *. — |

M'Cormick 53 Wood ... 50 ReidandGray ... ... ... 7 The gold medal, fcuereforc, falls to the M'Cormick, and fche silver medal to the Wood machine. Ifc should, however, be noted fchafc there were three informal votes for fche Wood machini\ which, if counted, would have made it a tie between the Wood and M'Cormick,

and also, on the other hand, thafc one or two gentlemen afterwards stated fchafc they had placed the Wood first on then- cards under the impression tliafc the M'Cormick having, through -an accident, failed to complete her allotment, was out of fche competition.