POTATO DIGGER.

Patea Mail, Volume III, Issue 302, 9 March 1878, Page 4

POTATO DIGGER.

Fon move than fifty years past have people been trying to invent a machine whereby potatoes can be dug out of tho earth without peeling or injuring them, and at the same time do away with that perpetual bore—of which farmers are always complaining—the excessive sums to be paid for manual labor. Mr. Aspinwall, to whom all praise is due, lias, after years of labor and much anxiety, succeeded in inventing such a machine, he having devoted his lifetime to such a result. The machine tried recently on Mr. Howard’s farm, near Rufl’ord, is the perfection of what has tor a long time been required by agriculturists. Its capacity with an ordinary pair of horses is from three and a half to four and a half acres per day, but with those yoked to it on the occasion of the trial the rate might be put down at five acres. Tho machine leaves the potatoes entirely on tho surface, clear from the tops, and never ‘ chokes,’ a fault which, we believe, it possessed last year. The potatoes are deposited directly in the rear of the plough, whithout their being in the least injured, and the gatherers have not the slightest difficulty in getting them, "With respect to the draught of the machine, it is so easy that on such land as that on which it was tried one horse would have sufficed to work it, while the management of it is such that a boy only is required to hold the reins. From what we saw of it, it will do good work in either green or dry tops, in all kinds of soil, and under all conditions, and certainly by its use farmers would save money. The machine consists of a revolving flat separator, which revolves at a speed sufficient to remove the earth and potatoes gradually as they are brought back by the plough or shovel, and it seemed to give entire satisfaction. Farmers were there from all parts of Lancashire, and one and all spoke in high praise of Aspimvall’s invention. Though the tops were ‘green’ the potatoes were brought up and laid on the surface as clean as if they had been done by hand labor, and, consequently, the remarks were— ‘ That is the machine which we have so long required.’ That it will now become popular there cannot be the least doubt, and that it will work in any soil is also now fully demonstrated. From the evidence of those present at the trial, and from our own actual observation, we can earnestly recommend the machine to those farmers who wish to save about 10 per cent, of their present labor.—Southport Visitor.