TRIAL OF REAPERS AND BINDERS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 86, 17 February 1879, Page 2

TRIAL OF REAPERS AND BINDERS.

(From the Otago Daily Times). A competitive trial of reapers and binders was hold on Thursday last on land belong, ing to Mr. 6. W. Elliott,, of Dunedin, ad> joining the farm of Mr William Souter, Pleasant Valley, Goodwood, under the auspices of the Palmerston and Shag Valley Pastoral and Agricultural Associa- ' tion- The interest which this contest excited in the district may be judged of from fact that there were over 300 persons upon the ground. There were four entries, . each of the machines being driven by one of the American experts who have come over to introduce them.- M'Cormick's machino. was managed ;by Mr Newell j Wood's by Mr Brown; Osborne's by Mr Case; and Marsh's % Mr* Hemming. The prize offered, by the Association for the best machine was £lO. The machines were put together and tried on the day previous, but owing to the wet state of the weather the competition did not take place until the afternoon. . The ground selected was a steep, flat-bottomed hill, bearing a ripe crop- of oats of very fair growth, a portion on the high ground being thin, and a good deal on the lower ground rather heavy. It was laid out, not in the most advantageous manner for cuttingj but to make the task a difficult one,- 1 and it was admitted upon all hands that; the test was as severe a one as both horses and machines could bo . put to. Work was commenced at 2 o'clock,-the machines following each other round for about three-quarters of an hour, Wood's leading with three horses and the others with two - each. They all made splendid work, there: not being a single stoppage through; acci-, dent. Each' machine then took up .a,, separate piece of ground, and in this way " . they worked for nearly two hours, with > two horses each, not a single hitch occurring, nor a halt through any mishap. As far as we could learn there, was not even /, a breakage of a wire during the day, and we noticed only one or two loose sheaves. , Up hill and down thoy.all worked smoothly from the start, and mowed down and threw off the sheaves in a manner that drow forth tho admiration of all present. Upon a halt being made, each , machine was carefully oxamined in all its parts by tho judges, wlio, with Mr John Douglas, president of ,the Association, and. Mr W. Cowan, the secretary, were indefatigable during the day in looking after tho - work. The judges were Messrs Matthew Todd, John Duncan, W. Souter, J. K. Robertson, J. E. Glover, John Maxwell, and J. Diack, aiultliQ. committee of management ' Messrs Douglas, Haynes, Malloch, and Cowan. The horses were found by the committee.

_ It was late in the evening when the judges brought in a verdict, placing M'Cormick first, Wood second, Osborne third, and Marsh fourth,