THE DEERING TWINE BINDER.

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 49, 14 January 1880, Page 2

THE DEERING TWINE BINDER.

[Canterbury Mbssrs Mason, Strothers am! Co., tlic Now Zealand agents, exhibited at work yesterday, a Marsh Harvester, wit!i Deering twine binder, and nothin”-could be. more satisfactory than the work performed by it, which was in fact the very pcM-feotiou of harvesting. The field chosen was one belonging to Mr John Overton, of P.-ehbidton. The crop of oats varied from two-und-a-hali to five and a half feet high, and contained a large proportion of broken down straws by wind and sparrows, lint-i very clean even stnbhlo was left. The sheaves wore turned oil’ all exactly the same size, and Avith a wonderfully uniform tightness of tie. Each sheaf was so tight that it was impossible to shake anything out of it, and difficult even to draw a straw from it. The knot was perfect, and would not yield to any strain upon it, and would he very difficult to untie. On putting sufficient strain on to break the string it never gave way at the knot. The sheaves are compressed into a shape not round, but flattened, being about fifteen inches through in one direction and only seven in the other. They looked very well when built in stocks, but wore certainly not symmetrical standing or lying alone, as besides their flattened shape, they looked very waspish, with their drawn in and highly compressed waists, and their bulging out huts and tops. Neither by baud nor machine, by straw nor by wire, has there been seen hero the whole of a crop so securely and uniformly tied before. The uniformity of size in the sheaves is obtained by a spring, which yields at a given amount of pressure, and which instantly stops the gathering rakes and starts the hinder, which completes its work in one revolution, when the binder stops and the gathering claws commence their work again. There is no confusion or imperfect separation between the bound and unbound straw, and absolutely no waste. The whole is performed under conditions that would be unaffected by the strongest winds ; and indeed, after the grain leaves the cutting platform, no wind could have any effect on it until quietly pushed off in a lightly bound sheaf with about one foot drop to the ground. The trial yesterday attracted a large gathering of farmers and others interested in agricultural pursuits. I‘uuc-

tun Hr :ft tell o'clock Mr Overton's man; with a pair of horses belonging to that gentleman, wore attached to the Deering, and after the oil can had b -on applied to the working gear of the machine by Mr Ellithorpe, the maker's representative. tiie word was given am! the work begun. Tim first sheaf was eagerly criticis'd, Tim knot was the subject of diseimsion, and the m.mimr in which it stoo I the strain that was put upon it by one niter anollmr gave evident sutis!ae : in:, 1 him the machine was stopped, and r!m mammr in which the knot is lied was slowly ami pratieally shown and explained by the makers representative. Tire knot tier is in apj;earan. - e like a-bird s bill, which opens and receives the two ends of the string at the moment is is cut by the knife which are thus drawn through the loop by the beak retaining its bold 'on them till Urn knot is made and- the sheaf is gently dropped on the ground. The width of cut of the machine is hit., and the representative claims that in a day often hours ho can negotiate afield of fift-'en acres with ease. About 2'Ht 4 1 persons were present during the day, and the expressions of satisfaction at the work tbnio both numerous anil unanimous, attention heing’cuHed by many to the dean way in which the work was done. Not an ear of corn was missed by (he reaper and hinder in its'course, or allowed to fall on the ground untied. At a late lionr in the afternoon it was suggested by Mr 11. J. Anderson-, of Yaldbnrst, that all those present wlic were satisfied with I lie manner m which the Deering did its work should give them some tangible proof of the same, • Accordingly a letter was drafted by one of the visitors as under ;

J.mnniy sth, ISBO. To Messrs Mason, Stnithers, ami (Jo., Christchurch. Dear .Sirs.— We. the undersigned farmers in the Province, iS.Z., have this (lav witness''.! a trial of the Marsh Harvester with DeeriugV Twine Hinder in a heavy crop of oats belonging to John Overton, Esq., Prehhleton, ami are desirous of testing to the excellence of the work done, and have no hesitation in saying that it is a most perfect machine, an 1 does the host work of any we have seen in Xew Zealand, and consider it will he a great acquisition to this colony, and elsewhere. \\ c also desire to thank Mr Eilithorpe. the maker's representative, lor his lucid explanations of the machine, and attention to ai! inquiries, Signed hy over !ifty farmers on tile ground, including many ofthepnn-

cipai settlors in Canterbury. It was staled by tie agents that after tic trial ilmv took cveral orders iorilic machines from persons who had been, present and witnessed the work they had accomplished. it is worthy of notice that not a single hitch oceured to mar tic working of the binder, which is slrietly an.om oic not. even a tic broken. Tin; agents maybe fairly congratulated on a trial resulting in unqualified satisfaction to those witnessing it.