HARVESTING TMATAMATA

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 39, 1 March 1884, Page 7

HARVESTING T MATAMATA

Tub sp ci.il correspond- m t of the Auckland Her.dd writes as follows — The Ai.'lauifiti wheat crop this year consists of 740 acres, grown on No. 4 paddock. Tmsj h\ d was ploughed up and so-vn with two bushels of velvet chaff wheat in Any la>t. A variety of nmninvs wms dri'l'.'d in with tlie seed, chiefly >up rpliosplirit< 1 from Linden and Molbourre. In accordance With Mr Finn's u«ual custom, this field was -.owed down with Gibs, of red el ver and 2'bv. of white cljver, in September, before rolling. The crop has looked fairly well all through the winter and spiing, and jroni new 'and (it Laving only bjen rcc % ntly p'ough.-'l), it give us the idea of a yield of from 20 to 25 bu&hels per acre. The chief feature of Matamata this year is the harvesting nuohinorj*. Owing to Mr Firth's ystem oi growing clover with his wheat crop the re.ipor and binder has been discarded, and (Jalil'ornian headers have taken their place. In the No. 4 Held, we noticed fou • oi. thes mac. Tin js at work. Thej' certainty ;ire tii" most singu' u nriehino we over IvjlHd in n harvest field, and we think tip m >st effective. They are apparently pushed, hut really drawn by four hoiscs, each ln.iclunc cutt.ng a width >f twelve feet. The most rennukable fcatm :oc fiesc luadeis i-> th ; way theyaie controlled. Tier 1 are no reins for guiding the horses, t heir movements being directed in t'u Hr^t instance by the voice, and \)y the diivcr, whost.mdson an iron bai to whi, ii Uie hordes arj .ittajh^d. Tlirun ;h tlii-^ ck-ss bjain a spindle i iin*-, to one end of nhich i-> affixed a wheel liLe a bu-\eie st"t*ring wiieel. To the othor, or U[»p -i end, i> a tiller. WiLh t'n-. tiller in his light liiind. tho driver stiersthe in ichine andguiiLs ihe hoises in one oivration. In his L-l't hand ho holds the end of a long lev>'r, by which h l - rogulates the length of. stiaw to be cut, thus rai ing or deposing the knives when fho strawis tall or h.iort. Tlie wlu-at can be cut from six inches to 18 inches below the ear* The cutting at M.it.miata ;s about 12 inches below t lee-vr. Uu being cut, thcc.usiall into a canvas cirricr, winch travels in front, ot the kui\o«, and then continues to a heig.it of: Jib »ut six feet at \v\ nngle of about 45 degrees. Ihe ears are carried along this canvas ban. l into a waggon. Two of these waggons attend each machine being loaded in turn. The waggons are about 10 feet in length In 12 i'cet in width, divided with two equ il sized cotnpaitnicnts. In each oHlu^ccompiuhnents are a pair of huge meshed nets, attached at the bottom by three or fon»- hooks with steel spring iittachmeriN. Bj this arrangement the header is kept constantly moving, one waggon being loaded while the other is being discharged, the stacks being placed at convenient points for this

purpose. The mocb of discharging those huge waggons is most eff jotive. Four minutos are allowed for .1 waggon to pull along siilethosbujlc, disch irgo its hnd, and dnlw olf. This discharging eou d only be done by ni'iuns of a poweri'nl derrick, worked by a pair of hor.ses and men in attendance. No sooner has the man in charge of the waggo 1 pulled alongside tin 1 stuck, than he <-eizes a couple of large hooks, swinging i'roin the g.ifl! above him. which he attaches to the iron ring-? .it the four corners of the nets. Jumping from the w.iggon, the man ut the derrick gives the word to the horses, wherein the load of wheat is at once raised to the require 1 hdiglil, and swung by a guy rope to the ex.ii t part of the stack where it is wanted. The H-'cmd o'oinpurtiu-int of the waggon is limited in a similar m inn jr. wh -n Ihe Siets are droppjd into the Wciggon, ( .ind tho

man dr:i,vs off, retnr iin«»- I • Lho head -T,to bo filled 0=! before We notified that tju 1 average time occupied by oholi waggonjin discharging it> t\o '•;>;up.i;tm.\.td was four minutes. It is ti common belief, that wheat cut by li'U'vu.-tv'rs ought to stand in »i stook a 'ong-Tor short w litu", according tv: h" dryness- or d.ini"n jss of the sou 1 - >n. r|l lv l'u 1v f'(in pr«" .'titim;' itsvlf to in us u'difli-' oulty m the way of tno header.*, was th.» circumstance tint the wheat is cut and curried to the .stuck without any field curing. We th.nk, bower, thai the absent 1 . 1 of t lie butts of the sheuws irf a great advantage. In place of the thick, dump, straw, weeds or clover, b 'in;' stored away aiiKiii^t the -'ry ears, all tiu^e are left in the Held, nothing b it tlu ears and about u loot of tho driest part oil the straw being put in the stack. Being placed in every conceivable po.-utioci, the stack is composed of a vast inunbor of interstices, through which thu air can fively circulate. Tlu result of this we found to be that in the first stack, erected about a week before our visit, the wheat was quite hard. We must not omit one feiture which stiuck us from its very rarity. ICvery stack on this estate, whether of clover or wheat, is thatched us finished. Whilst on the subject of thatching', wo must mtiee a thatch-making machine we saw at work. This machine is like a hugj double-sowing tv ichiue. It is worked by three linn, turning out 1500 of rye straw thatch a day. The iye is grown by the proprietor for thatch purposes. During our stay some of it was being threshed — by what do our readers suppose ? Nothing moi\; than the old-fashioned flul, the like of which we Mipposcd had not been heard of for many yeais. T'> see this oldfashioned implement wielded by a List;'' Irishm m. as though he meant it, was a sight to sec, especially in a Held where were to be Joui-d in open lion implements of the most modem and c)mpn-hensi\e construction. Tiuly the measured whacks of the il.nl were like the echoes of the par.t amidot the din and bustle of the present. Tin 1 thatch nude by the machine ischieily us 'd for covering the sidjs of the stacks, as it will be eudent that thousands of wheat cars come to the outside, which, in case of wet weather, would bo spiouted, and so damage the sample. To pi event this Mr Firth inns three tier.-* of the long rye thatch louud tlu stack, binding c ich tier one abo\ c the- other by ti-tivi> htakon. The upper portion of the stack is thatched with lushes, suliiuent ive-sti tw not having uecn gio\vn ior thi>i purpose. This field of 7 1 J iicro.s was neatly fmisiied at the time «>f our \ iait. There hud been four headers employed, with 'four hordes each; ei^iit i iiV.,O double waggons, with two hors >s< aeh,with threp liorses engaged in onryin 1 * water and food to and from the diiierent < amps. These 7-iO acK-f of wheat ii.'ye thus been cut, carted, stacked, and thati-hcd. in eight working daj'S, 35 men .hid k dL horses having bev'U employed m tfk' woi k. Befoie we lea\e thi.-. iield we may as well describe the " h.irv '-.t re illation^" in force oi the Mataiu.ita e.tat 1 . At live o'clock in the morning ilie horses aie collected, fed, and hniue^scd. At six all hands get up. At a qu uter-past six a horn is blown fn m Hie chi •!" cimp, calling all hands to breakfast, wlii< 'i consists of oatmeal pott i^e, with mi <<, m al. bread, and butter. At seven o'cloeu a'l "• > .it work in the field. At twolv th • flag goes up i for dinner. Tin. meal is t'ken in the Ivld ! to avoid walking a inJe or two to the ni"n'f hotnt'S. Tlie iih-n m the lield are ilivided Mito t»vo pait' • , t v o stick* going up at once. On the h 1 il^i 1^ up the two parties assemble in the '-pace between the two sta( k ,'whicli are ab nit half a mi'e apart A largo tank of water on wheels is daily brought to this p ii.it, w'lich of cours 1 changes from lay to day. A boy, with a light i-art, bi iiiii.- dinner and a bairel of hot tea ; a pannikin, tin plate, and knife and fork bciriii, handed out to efich hnnd. Dinner consists of large neat pie, roast joiuts, and u - peach or apple pies. These pies aiv " a caution," boing aoout 2 feet G in he.s long, 2 feet wide, and deep in proportion. After dinner the boy ( lines roun 1 with a bag, and irmds out two hwcet buns t) "aob man, which he pocket-, to he.p him tlnough until sown o'clock. Wlh-n the men are at dinn r, all the horses aie loo>e I oui, watered, lurn.'d out to feo.l kn.v dj^p in clover, lh>' diuiK r pai tv b.'ing placed bjtween the hor j es and the cit wh \it At one p.m., each patty ivsiim i s work, eating t'loir cakes a-. thu\ i\cm\ them until seven pin., when all hind* »o honu for supper. Supper consist-, t)i! roast boef or mutton, potatoes, cabb.tgo,, F broad and buitei, ((ou^'h-nui , and cakes. Each ui'np is supplied in the eveni'ig' with the Auckluiul daily papers, the S\dney Alail. and t!.e Australasian. Mr \V. T. Fii t' , the man ig(M - , has carried thc^ telephone lii«e up to the No. 2 paddock, which answers to tin; operations going on in the clover au.l wheat Holds adjicent. To each station Auckland tel graph time n telegraph ;'d (I n '>• The advantages- of this telephonic- communication with the harvest IL'ld is v^vy i^ivs.it. 11l am ichinc breaks a message is sent down to the machine house t » send up duplicates, or to exjcute the tucd.ssary r.'paiis if no duplicates are in stock. By this moans the whole aiVair goes on w it'll, .great precision and reguianty. Tlu utmost-cheer-fulness and activity evidently prevailed am >ngst the men. In No. 3 field there are about 700 acres of clover, which were in wlunt last year. About one-fourth of it, was cut and saVdd before wheat harvest began. No. 2 paddock, GOO acres, further up the plain, has alrea ly be -n cut and saved. This Hold, cit for clover twice hi-.t year, has this year thrown a very excellent crop entirely free from fern. Wo have already described No. 3 field, which is now Ivmg cut and stacked. The next in turn will be No. 4, the wheat field. , -As < our readers will have observed, the headers cutting off from 12 to 15 inches-, leaves the straw or stubble about three feet high. All through this stubble the red clover was, at o.ur visit, from 12 to 15 inches hi^h, and said to bo growing away ac a great rate. This field will be cut in about a fortnight, close to the ground -for cattle feed. With fine weather it is expected to give at least 1000 tons of gotl'd winter feed. The total quantity of clover cut, and now being cut, on thisost'ito tlii 1 * season can hardly bo loss Mian 3000 tons. One thing that s'li'nc'k us very much is that in the handling of these enormous masses of material, several of the > men loid us no one has any hard work,. to do. Not a sheaf or bundle of hay is* HI"! od by hand all flu* mgh the operations the whol& system requiring inteljigenjs', industry, and

en refill nM'Mi ii the v»)t id ti ■ woi-kiiiui., in <tcu<T'o£ I) U'd, l)p)iv\' iiniip il labour. ,