South Australia.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2372, 23 October 1880, Page 3 (Supplement)

South Australia.

To South Australia will most undoubtedly be awarded the laurels for the exhibition of agricultural machinery. Indeed, the South Australian agricultural exhibits, whether as regards numbers or ingenuity, quite eclipse the same description of goods shown by the United States of America in the same annexe.

James Martin and Co., Phoenix Foundry, Gawler, show some patent safety gearing chaffcutters, which are a vast improvement upon the old machines. The makers claim for their inventions several advantages which, no doubt, will commend themselves to owners of horses and stock, amongst which being that the toothed gearing for driving the feeding rollers are effectually protected from dust and danger. Gawler appears to be the Birmingham of South Australia, as nearly all the agricultural machinery in the South Australian Court is turned out from shops in that town. A patent ore separator, manufactured by the patentees, Warren and May, is a decided novelty, and d- servedly attracts considerable attention on the part of miners" In the treatment of the stream and precious stones the machine is almost perfection. Dobie's broadcast seed-sower, for barley, wheat and other cereals, is a most ingenious contrivance, the maker claiming for it that it will sow 100 acres per day without the assistance of manual labour. Now, if ,this be the case, Hodge’s occupation is indeed gone, and the hardest and most difficult work on a farm is, by this implement, made quite easy, and, indeed, pleasant for the farmer, who may sit in his cart, smoke his pipe, and sow ten or twelve acres per hour. The millennium for farmers has most assuredly arrived, and after walking round the South Australian machinery annexe, one feels that agriculturists will no longer have any occasion to indulge in a honest grumble. This conviction is forced upon one after inspecting a Damp Weather Reaper, by James Martin and Co., who have taken as many medals for this curious little machine as there are upon the breast of an Indian Rajah. The quantity of reapers and binders shown by the South Australians is something astonishing, and almost leads one to the belief that there are more of these machines manufactured than there are acres to be reaped. The Perfect Cure washing machine, by A. O. Chambers, Adelaide, is decidedly entitled to the very suggestive appellation it boars, for it certainly is a perfect cure. One feature it possesses cannot but prove attractive to a matron, as it not only washes her soiled linen, but also, and at the same time, rocks her infant to sleep.

Messrs. Martin and Co. also exhibit a new description of corn-crusher, which is both a handy and cheap adjunct to a stable. Vignerons would do well by inspecting a grapecrushing machine, by Williams and Dixon, of Adelaide, which appears to be a vast improvement on the ordinary grape crusher. Altogether, this is a most creditable exhibit.