IMPLEMENTS AT THE "ROYAL."

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19160, 17 November 1927, Page 11

IMPLEMENTS AT THE "ROYAL."

M'CORMICK-DEERING DISPLAY. A WONDERFUL EXHIBITION,

. "This is the finest exhibit of farm impemeuts I have ever Me * of a , uouJd like a photo of it to send to mv Government in Washington." r-in Tr.?l S r- he comme nt of the American -trade Commissioner when he inspected the wonderful exhibit of tillhf'+l iar T e ! ting ? nd other implements J* International Harvester Company ol ]\ew Zealand, Ltd., at 1 i. ?°? al Show a * Christchurch last week. The opinion is not extravagant. The writer of this notice can speak with some knowledge of Zealand and Australian shows, and notwithstanding the fact that Australia is in the forefront in its use ?i ? 1( m r 'c. harvesti "g machinery, and that the Sydney Show is in a number ot the most important respects the greatest m the world, he can sav thai tho exhibition of McCormick-Deering implements at the Christchurch Roval was not equalled by any single display at the last Sydney Royal Show. It was not only in the variety and modernity of the implements that the> exhibition was outstanding, but in the effective way in which they wero grouped. The display took the form of a complete square, the four sides being m perfect alignment. On two sides were placed 22 of the Company's threshers, which, with their 22 "blowers" soaring uniformly into the air, provided a striking spectacle. On the foreground sides were a dozen or more McCormick-Deering tractors, and in the centre were all classes of machinery, a good deal of it in motion. It is needless to add that the stand was n source of never-failing interest to thousands of visitors throughout the three days of the Show. Tillage Implements. To give anything like a connected account of the striking display the idea appeals of starting where the larmer starts—i.e., at the plough. Hitched to a 15-30 h.p. McCormickDeering tractor was seen the very latest 4-furrow mould board tractor plough, fitted with what is conceded to be the finest lift on the market. What specially appeals is the quick detachable hitch, which instantly releases the plough should the latter meet with an obstruction. This hitch removes all possibility of an obstruction damaging the plough.. The whole outfit mentioned—the tractor and plough-has been purchased by Messrs James Bros., Sefton, who have been using a smaller type of McCormickDeering tractor. Hundreds of this typo of mould board plough are being used by leading farmers in the Dominion.

Then a 3-furrow plough, similarly equipped with hitch and lift, and attached to a 10-20 tractor, followed for inspection. A 4-furrow disc plough attached to a 15-30 tractor was inspected. The cultivator displayed is equipped with a special self-lift and tractor hitch, a 10-20 tractor being attached. A similar' tractor had a 7ft double disc harrow attached. The front set of discs cuts outwards and the rear ■ set inwards, which leaves the ground absolutely level after the disc has been over it. It is fitted with an ingenious device so that the cut can be put on and off from the seat of the tractor. I

The 17 coulter grain drill is of the most modern design—fitted with the latest devices for sowing both grain and manure. This drill has been specially made to suit conditions in New Zealand, with wide zigzags to the hoes, and equipped with feed arrangement to allow the sowing of all classes of seed, including .Partridge peas and the larger size garden peas. The drill was also attached to a 10-20 tractor. The Tractors. The well-known McCormick-Deering tractors, of which over 900 have been sold in New Zealand, the bulk naturally in Canterbury, made an impressive display. There were in all eight 10-20 h.p.'s and five 15-30's, besides three industrial road tractors, one of which, attached to a road grader, making a one-man outfit, has been in use by the Paparua County Council for the past twelve months. Over 50 of these road tractors, many with oneman graders, are already in use in New Zealand.

One of the most interesting of the exhibits was a 10ft binder attached to a 10-20 h.p. McCormick-Deering tractor, kept in motion practically throughout the period of the show. The tractor not only pulls the binder, but with the power-take-off with which it is regularly equipped drives the whole of tho cutting, elevating, and binding gear of the machine. An outfit of Ihis type handled with case a 120 bushel crop of oats last season on the farm of W. Clark, Temuka. Then a 10-20. tractor is yoked up to two Bft binders. The first is driven by the power take-off on the tractor, and the second by the main wheel of the binder. The mechanism by which the binders retain their relative positions is simplicity itself. The first binder naturally follows the tractor, and the second is steered by the operator, from where he sits, by the aid of an ingenious contrivance with which the machine is' equipped. Mr H. F. Nicoll, of Ashburton, cut all his crop last season with this class of Mc-Cormick-Deering outfit. A 6ft binder, with forecarriage, to save the weight on the pole, came next on the list, so that every phase of harvesting machinery, from the needs of the big cropper, with his 'thousand or more acres, to the little small farmer with his hundred or less, were covered in the display. To secure a silver medal at the show was no mean accomplishment, but the McCormick-Deering tractor was singled out for this distinction. Tho Army of Threshers.

But. it was tlic display of the 22 McCoimick-Deering threshers—a Oanndian made invention—which flanked the two sides of the exhibit that made the crowd, the townsman as ■well as the farmer, sit up and literally take notice. They presented a most imposing spectacle. It was no surprise to learn that every one had been sold for the coming harvest, and in addition there are another 19 on the water, also sold, and ths firm has cabled for a further supplv. As three months will see us fairly into the harvest intending purchasers should take noteThese threshers are undoubtedly_ going to be one of the most powerful aids in the solution of the problem of cheap production, and so help to put the 2sew Zealand grower on something nearer a fighting footing with his Australian wheat growing rival, who can cut, thresh and bag his wheat m one operation. Under our climatic conditions in New Zealand this is impossible, but the McCormick-Deering thresher, with its lightness, simplicity, durability and small staff is going a long way to put us "up sides" with our friends across the Tasman. The saving of labour compared with the ordinary plant is astonishing, and the threshing speed is only a degree less. Threshing with the McCormick-Deer.ing out of the stook two men only aro required at the bags, two in the paddock and three on the drays—no engine driver, no feeder, no "water-joey" (of fragrant memory!) and no straw "whallopper. ' A 10-20h.p. tractor will drive the

smaller thresher and the 15-30 the larger. There is no innovation about these threshers., They have been tried out. on a number of farms in Canterbury. A big cropper—Mr Talbot, Temuka, who used one last year—told the writer, when inspecting the machine on Thursday, that as a result cf his experience four other "members of the family had each purchased a thresher for the next harvest. This was the result of trying the machine out on a heavy crop." As this family possess amongst them no fewer than nine McCormick-Deering tractors there is plenty of power available for the threshers. One huge advantage of this 'easily-manned thresher is that the farmer can thresh when he likes, not when the contract mill comes round. He does not need to pay out over Gd a bushel threshing costs, when the price is low,. also storage on his wheat, before striking a payable market. Mr Talbot's own experience last year in this. respect is illuminating. Before buying his Mc-Cormick-Deering he threshed a portion of his crop and sold it at the prevailing price of 5s Id to 5s 4d, at which figure, it may be remarked, a good deal of wheat was sold, but confident that the market would rise later, and being in a position with bis thresher to put the wheat through when he chose, he left it in stack until a few weeks ago, He then got a better sample and a price of 6s 6d a bushel on trucks for iuscan, which, it is believed, was the highest paid for Tuscan last season m houth Canterbury. Such an advantage a* this is only second to that of. the great one of labour saving. Questioned as to the facility with which the outfit could be shifted from one set to another Mr Talbot said that m one test against time he had stopped the machinery, detached the belt, hitched the tractor on to the thresher, removed the outfit a distance ot six chains, re-set the plant, and had it- going again in the space of 3£ minutes! He was lucky in striking a level set for the combine, but even then ?

A striking demonstration of the lightness and perfection of construction was provided by placing the drum of one of the threshers on its ball bearings on a stand. It was so perfectly balanced that the bare weight of a pen knife was sufficient to start it off on its bearings. The screens of the thresher can bo altered by the simple turning of a small gadget with the fingers, without stopping the mill, the matter of a few seconds, and the alteration can be made to thresh practically every class of cereal. A Silver Medal Awarded. It is little surprise that the judges at the show, who made a close and exhaustive inspection of the many machines exhibited, awarded a silver medal to the McCormick-Deering thresher. To cover all the attractive points of this section of the exhibit would leave no room in this article for other subjects.

' Hay-Making Machinery. This was another keenly interesting exhibit, particularly to dairymen, who have realised the need of saving as cheaply as possible all the hay they can. Two is, feet mowers, a'ttaehedHo 10-20 tractors, attracted attention by their clever contrivances in retaining their relative positions. The first mower follows the tractor and the-sec-ond is manipulated by an ingeniously constructed crank and quadrant, which enable the operator of the rear mower to cut so that there is no "miss" between the swathes and the two cuts are swept into a 9ft swathe.

■•. _ The combined hay rake and teddei e is what one could call a "brainy" im--9 plement. By changing a lever it can i be made to either rake or ted hay. It - is coming into great favour by growers T of lucerne, as the teeth do not knock j the leaves off—which is all. important t in harvesting this crop. The general = system of sweeping instead of pushing , into a windrow is a big advantage. [ Then came-a heavy and entirely new type of rake specially fitted with a clever clumping device', a light pattern self clump hay rake; an ordinary 6-fork hay tedder, which is used extensively in parts where the climate is bad; and finally the famous McCor-mick-Deering hay stacker, with horse lift, hundreds of which have been sold in New Zealand. There was also to be seen the Company's sweep rake, which has been greatly. improved with a cleverly designed horse power lift. This rake is unique in the possession of an attachment that mechanically alters the implement to the various notions required. The Potato Digger. The potato digger exhibited seemed to be the last word in doing away with the laborious job of raising the indispensable "spud." and it is no surprise to learn that at the cheap price it is i being sold at a large number is going into use. One is left to ponder if an adaptation of this implement, with its capacity to scoop up a deep width of furrow and to so thoroughly shake the soil, would not be of value in eradicating one of the worst pests on th;-> farm —twitch. The Industrial Tractors. The industrial tractors demonstrated the advance that has been made in the production of machinery for road making and hauling work. The special tractor used for hauling road graders is equipped with belt pulley for all kinds of belt work, such as stone crushing, and is fitted with three speeds —2, 4, ind 10 miles ah hour. It has also a special system of brakes, which is desirable on hilly roads. Another exhibit was a 15-30 tractor equipped with specially wide road wheels and fitted with rubber tyres, this machine being suitable for threshing or general purposes on the farm. A general display of horse farming implements completed an exhibit of absorbing interest, and one that has never been excelled in this country for comprehensiveness. "Tho Weekly Press" of next week (November 23rd) will contain an illustration of this exhibit. 1 I