MONSTER HARVESTEP.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1459, 18 January 1887, Page 3

MONSTER HARVESTEP.

The largeßt haryeating machine ever made hue been need successfully m California during the recent harvest. Jt is a combined hat vaster and thresher, reaping or binding the corn according to choice, and threshing, dressing, and delivering it into Backs as it travels over the fields- This machine, which is workf d by steam, ia the invention of Mr Berry, a farmer of Tulare County, California, who has been working at its construction during the last ax years. It ia thirty-eight feet wide, and about the same m length, and it outs a swathe of twenty-two feet. Two enginea are used m working * L _ , moves the harvester along and works the header knife if required, while the smaller one, G-hnrj^epowev, drives the threahiDg machfnery. Aa tho sacks ate filled they are sewn up and dropped m the field. The straw is passed on to the fairuce, to be used aa fuel, and tho chaff la blown out on to the ground, with any surpluß straw not required for fuel. There is, of course, great economy m using the straw for fuel m a country where it ia of no value, Th 9 only horees used are those m one team hauling woter for the engine, and another' following the harvester to pick up the Backs of, wheat. The men engaged m the work are the engineer, firenian, steersman, header-tender, sack sewer, water hauler, and aaok haa)er. Wjth these neven men, | it Is said, - fifty aorea can be headed and threshed m a day, at an outlay, apart from wear and tear, of 40 cents per acre. Of course, the glgantio machine can be used only on large level fields*