THE HARVESTER AND BINDER ON THE TAIERI.

Clutha Leader, Volume IV, Issue 189, 22 February 1878, Page 7

THE HARVESTER AND BINDER ON THE TAIERI.

For the first time iv this part of Otago a trial was made on Friday of Wood's self-binding harvester, at Abbotsford, West Taieri, tbe farm of Mr James Shand. Amongst the gentlemen present were Mr J. 0. Carter, of the firm of Brodrick and Carter, Dunedin ; Mr Beaumont, of Woods, Shand, and Co., Christchurch ; Mr Roy, of Swan and Co., Melbourne ; Mr H. R. Griffin, representing the firm of Walter A. Wood, Hoosac Falls, New York ; Mr Peake, of T. Robinson and Co. ; and Mr Allan, of Hope Hill. The crop npon which it made its preliminary operation was very uneven, and in places heavy, green, and laid. It was also saturated with moisture, ns the day was wet. The machine, which was put together on the previous afternoon, commenced working* at 10 o'clock. It was drawn by two horses, nnd managed by Mr "Griffin. In travelling round that portion of the crop which stood straight and was not "over heavy, it made most excellent work, but where it was of rank growth, green and laid, the cutting was not altogether clean, and the binder did not perform its work so well. In the afternoon, the machine was manag*ed for a round or two by Mr Shand with very fair success. At about 3 o'clock work was discontinued on account of the raiu. It was. the opinion of !Mr Shand, and other farmers present," that the work performed where the crop stood up and was not too heavy was all tbat could be desired, but

that owing to the heavy growth of a portion of the paddock, and the wet state of the grain, it had not had a fair trial, ft will be started again to-day if the weather is fine.

There can be no doubt whatever as to the economical effects of this new in-: vention. To run the ordinary back or. side-delivery reaper no less than eight men are required to bind. Wood's reaper and binder cuts Las much per day as the back' or side - deli very . reaper (twelve acres), and saves the labour of eight men. The saving* to be effected by the new machine is therefore very great — probably about 6s per acre. The cost of wire for binding* is said to belittle over 2s per acre, but it is worth half its value after being used. It is admitted on all hands that the cuttingpart is very perfect. As to the binding and reaping attachment, although apparently rather complicated, it is extremely simple and easily understood. The wire is wound on a spool, the tension being regulated by a spring. A lever worked by the driver's foot determines the size of of the sheaf. When sufficient corn has been collected to form a bundle the operator raises his foot, and two arms encircle the sheaf and draw it tight. Then by a shuttle ar- ' rangement the two wares are twisted together, and in an instant the Wire is cut ancl the sheaf is tossed aside, while the end of the wire is held fast to form the next band. The size of the sheaf, it will be seen, can be regulated according* to the crop, but where the crop is heavy, as it was in a portion of Mr Shand's paddock, it appeared as if the binding was not performed with sufficient celerity. This was the only fault we noticed. In -an ordinary crop it delivers a sheaf at every ten feet. Mr Shand's crop, in places, was evidently a heavier one than Mr Griffin had been in the habit of dealing with. We are informed that during the present season 100 of these machines have been sent to Australia ancl 300 to New Zealand. The latter were rather late in arriving, but nearly all of them have been disposed of. Mr Patten, of Rakaia, Canterbury, will have sixteen of them engaged in saving his crop of 2000 acres of wheat in about two weeks. Several have been sold to travel in Canterbury, the charge for reaping* and binding* being 7s per acre. A number have been sent to Invercargill, five of which are for Mr M'Caughan of Wantwood. — Daily Times.

The Melbourne Argus has published the following statement in reference to reapers and binders, which aie peculiarly interesting at the present time : —

At present the cost of binding and cut'ing an acre of corn — say wheat, 15 bushels to the acre — by a good twohorse side-delivery reaping machine, citting 12 acres per day, is nearly as follows : —

Or as nearly as possible 7s 9d per acre, and a fraction under fid a bushel. By the automatic machine, 13 acres per day of the same crop would be cut down, because its knife is I*2 inches or 18 inches longer than the older machines, and the accounts would stand thus : — >

Or a little less than 2s 9;|d per acre,' and and 2£d per bushel. The saving to be effected by the new machine is therefore at the rate of about 4s ll^d per acre, or 3|d per bushel, and if we estimate the yield of grain for the current agricultural year at nine million bushels (or a slight increase on the yield of the past two year?, and fully warranted by present circumstances), there would arise from the universal use of the reaper and binder, a saving or a profit of about £140,000 in w-ages alone, besides what would be gained' through the harvesting of the crops exactly at the proper time.

A man driving tlio machine £0 8 0 Two horses 0 8 0 "Wire, at Is 6d per acre 0 19 6 £L 15 6

A man and boy, per diem ... ... £0 13 0 Two horses, per diem 0 8 0 Nine men, binding, at 8s 3 12 0 PA 13 0