TRIAL OF HARVESTERS IN VICTORIA.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 2989, 24 January 1881, Page 4

TRIAL OF HARVESTERS IN VICTORIA.

The trial of the harvesting machines exhibited at the late annual show of the National Agricultural Society of Victoria took place in afield of green oats near the Moonee Ponds, Melbourne. The crop was very strong, and in places had been much laid. Eire reapers and binders competed. Tho Deering stringbinder met with an accident soon after starting, and had to cry off. M'Cormick's string-binder also met with a slight accident to the string-tying ge<ir, and so changed to wire, with the loss of only a few minutes' time. The Osborne string-binder had the bad luck to be placed m a very heavy and badly-laid part of the crop. The only reaper and non-binder on the ground was the Johnstone harvester, and it did its work so well that, although there was no competition, the judges gave it a first prize. Two acres was the area each had to cut, and the first prize was taken by the Walter A. Woods stringbinder ; timo, 1 hour 38 minutes. Of this machine the judgos say: " Its arrangements are simple, the sheaves well bound, and put off without hanging." The special silver medal was also given to this machine. The second prize fell to the Osborne combined string and wiro binder ; time, 1 hour 38 minutes. Third prize, M'Cormick's wirebinder ; time, 2 hours 33 minutes. M'Oormick's string-binder was highly commended. The judges were not much influenced by the time test, as several of the drivers showed unnecessary haste in this matter.