New Marvel In Agricultural Machinery

Chronicle (Levin), 9 March 1948, Page 2

New Marvel In Agricultural Machinery

Deseribed as tlie greatest agricultural inventiou since the advent ' of 'the reaper-and-binder, a robot transplanter inaehine which cau plaut 12,000 plants in an hour with thc aid of ohly iive men was demonstrated for the iirst time in New -Zealand at Massey Agricultural College, Palmerston North, yesterdav, and attraeted widcspread interest ainong .faimiers and niarket gardeners. "tkdl^in4i Ibibo'hr -lesS; than ltlOO plants could be piantedyin the saine time. f j, Also displayed' 5dV'the demonstration was the new British- idea- of overhead irrigafiqn. Eliminftting: the ancient sys tern 0f. -c9.nM dramage gnd further developing,the principle oi: the swivel gar den liQse, the British haye produped ,a new spraying device which has proved i.ls woi;th to. British- pri'mary producers during their all-out production drive. .Water ^rawu from a stream, pond'or vy.ell by'.electric pumps, or power from a. faimV tractor, is spread in an r ex-i tt'ftij.i-eiyi iiiip. spray, over an area .of up to i\\ 0 and/a.haif acres by seientihcally designed rotating Units. The shxallest of ' th'psp,.. units* produces a maximum f all of one-fifth of an ineh .of . water pei hour over , one-fifth of an acre. They operate at pressures ranging from 50 to 100 pounds. The equipment has a bladed rotation wheel which is run in the jet, serving the double purpose of breaking up the jet iuto a iine spray aud of driv-ing th rough a reduetion gear 011 to the maui uoz/.le assembiv, produeing a circulai mcxtiou. The spray is so iine that it has the appearauce of Seoteh mist, and is such as. to cause no damage to even the most delicatc crops. Taller crops, KiK'h as hops, pip, stone and citrus * fruits, are irrigated by mounting the spray units on tripods.