STRAWBURNING MACHINES.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 738, 10 March 1877, Page 3

STRAWBURNING MACHINES.

A well-known colonist sends the subjoined to the Canterbury 'Press': —Sir, —l send you the result of two days' thrashing with one of Ransomes, Sims, and Head's straw burning machines, which has just been imported to this district. In your ' great province, where coal and timber are so scarce and straw so plentiful, the result of my experience may be acceptable to many of the farmers who live in parts where there is a difficulty in getting fuel. Tho engine is of 8-horse power, single cylinder, 11-inch stroke (but of course they can be had of any size), and; to a casual observer, there is no difference except that, attached to the firebox door, there are two rollers like a chaff-cutter, which are driven slowly round by a belt from the crank shaft, The fire-box is about a foot longer than in the ordinary engine. There is also a jet of water thrown into the ashpan from the pump on the engine, which effectually puts put any sparks and consolidates the deposit from . the straw (which is much more than from, coal), so that it can be scraped from the ashpan. I must admit that I felt sceptical whether we should be able to drive a large machine and straw elevator with only straw for fuel, and that only oat straw, which is not so good as. wheat j but 1 found, in getting up steam, that the steam rose very fast, so that, in 40 minutes, we could commence with 501b of steam. ; As the machine was a new one, and elevator also, things went; very stiff,' and. we had to carry 601b of steam, which we found no difficulty in being able to keep, and more if we wanted. What was the most pleasing part of it was the small quantity of straw that was required to do the work, the total absence of danger from fire —tfor I did not observe a single spark up the chimney—and the easy work to feed the engine. One boy was able to fetch the straw from the machine and keep plenty of steam. We thrashed fast frequently, so as to see what could be done, quite sometimes at 100 bushels per hour of oats, long straw, and; found no difficulty in keeping what steam we required. I may state that 2£lbs of wheat straw is quite as good as lib of coal, and of oats straw, say 3£lbs. There is no more trouble than there is with coal in the firing of the engine, except the boy to fetch the strawy In five minutes your fire is out after leaving off feeding, but while feeding it to the engines there is an intense heat thrown up, the tubes being a continuous white blaze. The fire-boxes of the engine would last longer than with coal. The engine has thirtyseven tubes through the boiler, and steam is mostly generated by the tubes* .

I feel sure that these engines will become most fashionable when once they become known, and I should advise some of the thrashing companies of Christchurch to import one and judge for themselves. I may add that I have seen' a good deal of thrashing, having had the first steam thrasher that was imported to New Zealand twenty-five years ago from Ransome and Sim's, and have alway had ever since then two going for the public, and I never used any tackle that gave less trouble than this. Had I had an engine of this kind years ago, when we had positively no use for the j straw, it would have saved me many hundreds of pounds for coal, and now when straw is of some value, the small quantity used would- not be missed, for 1 ton lOcwt. of straw will thrash about 600 bushels of average corn. Suppose you have bush of your own, you have the trouble of cutting and carting j whereas wherever you use the engine for thrashing, your fuel is on the spot. Any kind of kedge trimming, reeds, light brush manuka, is equally good for getting steam; and by putting in more fire bars you can use the engine for coal or wood with first-class results. I have' troubled you with this acccount, thinking that it would be acceptable to the farmers, as in my wanderings in Christchurch I never saw an engine of the kind. Yours, &c., H. Redwood. Spring Creek, Jan. 2nd, 1877.