STALKER'S THRESHING MACHINE FEEDER.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1479, 10 February 1887, Page 2

STALKER'S THRESHING MACHINE FEEDER.

A. trial of h.i c*utoni<iuc feeder for threshing machines, invented by Mr .1 Km b Hiker, of I'lnwaldj ni^H patented ••y h m iu>'iut tw«» y^ars ago, to;;k place , itsteid >y, tho feade.- beiug attuched tVlr PerkY m.ohiie, whloh ia iliroiDinga orop of wheat on Mr Adair's property ai SiMfield. A. paty consisting ol Mobsth J. Keir (of Mesars P. uud L>. Duncan), -V Kwi'urts (tU'-eaaio-j aii.chiiid pioprietor), and J. •■Stalker (i.ho luvuntor' ii d pa onnif), and ropreaeniAtivoH oft-") Ashburton Mail aiid Oiiribtchurch Press 'oft Afcliburton about eleven m the morning, and on arriving on the ground, the scene of the trial, were joined by Mr Hoyoe, a ihreahinK-miil proprietor reaid»:»tf at Rnkais, and others. The feeder wa>* foand to be doing its allotted work m excellent style.

Some time ajo Mr Stalker became impressed with the idea that ihe method generally adopted of supplying the straw to be operand on to the drum of the threshing machine, vfz , by the nun saehiiicaily known aa tho •' ftieder." who rook t,h.\ thouvea fx-orn^tha '' bandcuUer," slir-twinji *h« atr;iw ia with hi* hands, uigJt be iropoved upon, aa hueh suuply even with iho best of ' feedois " was apt to be Irreguhr, caoaiug j^i-s an i st>>p. uages of the machinery, aud oona-qneut loaa of time. It ia trua mechanical f eerie, a were m existence, but, the majority, at aoy r»te, of them, m addition tj being very .lomplioatud aud cumbersome, were by go means the bucceaa that could ue desired In view of this, therefore, iyjr Stalker set to woik himself to construct ■* machine wh oh would perform the work r. quired of it, and the present feeder was the result. Ha worked it with hia threshing machine during the seasun of 1885, aud so sat.stied was Lv With it that he duy applied for letters p»toiit, Last year Mr Sa-kef again worked it with hia machine, and so also, we believe, did Vlr Quigley ; while thiu year Mr Perks i itd~is another to those who h.ve made use of this bandy tiitle feeder. Thure can be no doubt that these feeders, which are made for Mr dtalker by Moaara P. and D i>nncan, will make their way into favor when their raunta become known, All who have used tbt.m and they are certainly entitled to speak with aa thorny, aooord them the highest, praise.

The feeder U a moJei of simplicity, but without h woodcut or other illustration, it is rather nifliju.lt to describe. However, as moat of our readers _have douotless seen it exhibited at the laet two Agricultural dhows, a mil description will not be necessary Briefly, it is aa follows, two pieces of woodwork, some five feet bread aud two fuet an-i a half deep, join e^ch other m a V sh»pe, but at an augle of übout 60 degrees. Kound one of these boards a number of eudlesa belts, about an inch wide, revolve, the motive power boing supplied by a pullty, to which is attached a Binall belt from lue thresher. These b Its are provided at distance of about fcix inches with atripa of metal or teeth. This is tho feeder complete. Ie is, of course, attached to the machine just above the drum, and the band cutter, as soun aB he removes the bindings of i he sheaves, aimpty casts th^m into the V-snaped apparatus, when the teeth attuotted to the belt. Btizj' the straw, and supply a rapid and regular stream to the d> urn. No jolts are notice aule, because the supply is ao even and regular.

It <vaa thought by aome thai the supply would uob bo faut euough, but when the feeder is aeen at work this is Bpeedily found to be erroneous. All who were present, at the trial yesterday impressed the opiuiou thai the feeder was a great success

After the conclusion of the trial, and before the ptrty left for home, thty were very hospitably entartaiued by Mr G McLean, the in.tna^erof the property en which the trial took pace.