REAPER AND BINDER TRIAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1062, 28 January 1884, Page 2

REAPER AND BINDER TRIAL.

The trial of Messrs Reid and Gray’s New Zealand twine binder, which was to have commenced this morning, was postponed, owing to the weather, until this afternoon. The machine arrived on the ground, a paddock of oats belonging to Mr Rose, of Wakanui, at about half-past two o’clock, and soon got to work. Unfortunately, however, after cutting round two sides of the field, a mishap occurred, the pitman attaching to the swayboard breaking off. This cessitated some slight delay until a fresh attachment was obtained. Up to the time of the accident, the machine was unquestionably doing excellent work, not a sheaf being misted. Messrs Reid and Gray are to be congratulated on turning out a reaper and binder, manufactured in the colony, which will equal in all respects the imported machines. Indeed, the firm claim, and with justice, that their knotting apparatus is an improvement on that of other binders, an ingenious arrangement preventing the slightest possibility of the string escaping, in this connection we may mention that Messrs Reid and Gray are perfecting a still further improvement in the knotter, which has already been tried and found to work well. The con- . situation is so far simplified that from twenty to thirty parts are done away with. The obvious advantage from this is that any mishap is easily discovered, and as easily and inexpensively remedied. The farmers present to-day expressed great satisfaction at the way the machine cut the oats this afternoon, but as time was wanting to finish the paddock today the trial will be continued to-morrow, when no doubt there will be a larger attendance. The accident of this afternoon was a very rare one, and in no way impairs the merit of the machine. Mr Peter Walker, the local manager of the firm, was on the ground, and clearly explained all the various details