World’s Farm Machinery

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 660, 11 May 1929, Page 29

World’s Farm Machinery

America’s Big Output THE vast amount of money spent each year in the manufacture of agricultural machinery and the hig hold which America has over the trade is indicated in a recent report drawn np by the British Imperial Economic Committee.

The committee’s report states that the principal countries of production are the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and the United States. The exports of the four principal producing countries in 1926 were valued at slightly more than £17,000,000. The share of the United States was 53J per cent.; the shares of Canada and Germany were about 19 per cent.; and that of the United Kingdom was 7.7 per cent. Germany’s share is due to her hold upon the Russian market, which is practically equal to that of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India combined. The British export of agricultural machinery in 1928, excluding tractors and prime movers, was distributed thus: Europe, 37.8 per cent.; South America, 12.4 per cent.; British South Africa, 15.5 per cent. Australia., 9.6 per cent.; and New Zealand, 4.4 per cent. The United States sent 7i per cent, of its agricultural machinery to Australia and New Zealand in 1926.

In judging the causes of the relatively large production of agricultural machinery in Canada and the United States, the Imperial Economic Committee was impressed by the advantage which both countries enjoy in their large home market. The trade in the new world has grown up alongside a great and rapid expansion of farming, and thus mass production was not only possible but was actually called for. In Europe, on the other hand, farming was well established before the modern development of industry. Thus in the new countries the farmers have been led by the imple-ment-makers, whereas in Europe the implement-makers have had to adapt themselves to existing farming practice. The agricultural machinery industry is not one of merely producing standard articles. Success may involve the displacement of implements for which there was a large demand. Two recent instances are furnished by the introduction of the agricultural tractor and of the reaper-thresher. The reaper-thresher in its present form has been evolved from the stripperthresher, which was developed in Australia about 20 years ago to strip, thresh and winnow the standing crop and to bag the grain in one continuous process. These machines and others oi! similar type are displacing the ordinary thresher in Australia, Argentina, Mexico, in large parts of the United States, and in the small portion of Canada in which for climatic reasons it has been possibXe to use them. Dampness of climate, leading to moisture in the ear at Che time of harvest, has so far tended to limit their use, but efforts are being made to overcome such difficulties. Machines on this principle are now made by many firms, and their use, when practicable, has in many cases reduced harvesting costs by 50 per cent. A very important manufacture of the reaperthresher is in Canada, a country in which the home market is limited for the reasons given. This is an instance of a country developing an export trade in an implement not greatly used la its home market. LAMB FOR OVERSEAS LONDON BUYERS’ NEEDS “It must be gratifying to Southdown and Corriedaie breeders to learn, according to expert London advice, that the most suitable fat lamb for export is a direct cross between these breeds, and that a line of such lambs realised £d a lb over best New Zealand," writes a London ent of “Country Life." "Until recent years the three-quar-ter-bred Longwool was considered the most desirable lamb for export, but now that prime lambs of less weight are in more demand the SouthdownCorriedale cross should be the most profitable lamb to the grower, because the Southdown improves the conformation, while the Corriedaie improves the skin value. "I do not. however, agree with Colonel Dunlop-Young, that a cross between cast Merino ewes and Southdowns is a desirable one for the lamb export trade; as, although the skin might be a little more valuable, the carcase would not be so shapely, nor would the colour be so good, and the lambs would not be so prime—the Corriedaie being so much better a mother. "The ram to join with cast-for-age Merino ewes is undoubtedly the Longwool, and to the progeny join a Southdown, or in Australia—where so many seasons are adverse—a well-shaped and well-bred Corriedaie. “The latter cross would be a more profitable lamb to carry over in adverse seasons, because the skin value would more than balance the improvement the Southdown would make in conformation.”

Tractors receive special treatment in the report, the term being defined as a tractor fitted with an internal combustion engine and capable of direct attachment to a plough or other implement. The United States practically monopolises the international trade. In 1927 its exports of tractors were valued at. £9,297,000, wheel tractors accounting for about £7,000,000 of the total, and tracklaying tractors for £660,000. The number exported was 59,543. the average value being £145. Australia took wheel tractors from the United States In 1927 to the value of £525,000. The purchases of Canada in the same year were valued at £2,560,000. The export of tractors from Britain is negligible, numbering 164 in 1927, to the value of £72,000. In Britain the manufacture of agricultural machinery is only part of a g;reat engineering industry, whereas in the United States it is a very large part of the total engineering activities. The home market

in Britain has always been small, and the trade was built up by export to European countries during the 19th century. In 1923 home sales accounted for 54 per cent, of the British trade, and 46 per cent, of the agricultural machinery was exported; before the war 30 per cent, of the agricultural machinery was sold in Britain and 70 per cent, was exported. The production in the United States i 3 about £70,000,000 a year. The 1926 figures show tractors to the value of £30,000,000, ploughs £6.800,000, planting and fertilising machines £5,440,000 and harvesting machines £9,430,000. The ploughs numbered 630,000, cultivators 613,000, harrows 579,000, spraying outfits 257,000, farm tractors 181,000, cream separators 194.000, and feed grinders and crushers 181,000. CATTLE BREEDING WHERE SCIENCE HELPS Mr. J. A. Fraser Roberts, M.A., B.Sc., and distinguished biologist, spoke on “The Application of Science to the Practice of Cattle Breeding” before the Welsh National Conference of Cattle Breeders. The science of breeding, he said, was very young, and it was not surprising that the practice of livestock breeding was ahead of the science. The object of science as applied to cattle breeding must be the analysis of the hereditary make-up of the animal; and as that knowledge increased, so would useful facts be placed at the disposal of the breeder. Lethal factors had been discovered In many species of animals, the result of which factors were the birth of animals that were unable to live. Seven such factors had been discovered in cattle, and it was possible that science would reduce and ultimately eliminate them. It had long been the aim of the breeder to produce an excellent and uniform stock, with excellent progeny. Pedigree The first criterion of excellence was the appearance and performance of the animal. The next step was the establishment of a pedigree system. To test an animal by its progeny was a most scientific procedure; the success of the advanced registry system in improving milk yields of cows was an excellent example of what could be done. When an excellent animal had been found it should be used as long as possible. The effect of inbreeding was to sort out purebred lines of animals. It must be accompanied by rigid selection and was still a difficult and risky procedure only to be applied to good stock by a skilful breeder. It was usually admitted that the highest development of milk production and beef production could not be obtained in the same animal or the highest production of wool and mutton in the same sheep. Breed societies should not fix standards impossible of attainment.

Mr. Roberts spoke of the excellence of first-cross animals; but further breeding from first-cross was disappointing. The first-cross would exhibit the best qualities of both breeds and the best commercial animals were those of first crosses of different breeds, but it must not be forgotten that the excellence of first-cross depended on uniformity and true-breed-ing characters of parent breeds. In future the cattle industry would depend more and more for good commerciai animals on the crossing of different pure breeds.