A NEW AMERICAN HARVESTER.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1483, 5 January 1882, Page 2

A NEW AMERICAN HARVESTER.

The Stockton Mail describes a new harvester at work near that city. It says : — " Silas March's land benders upon the tules, and the field in which the machine was working was reclaimed but two or three years ago. Last season he raised sixty bushels of wheat to the acre on it, but this season the crop is noh more than hJf so heavy, on account of the great qu mtity of rain that fell during the winter and spring. Land of this character that is so low requires not more than one-third the amount of rain needed in the eastern part of the county. Viewed fiom a distance, the machine does not look larger than an ordinary header and the waggon that accompanies it. But the noise and dust created tells at once that something more than the grain is being done. Four men are all that arc requred for the work. Twenty horses furnish the power. Three of the men sit in comfortable seats — one , steering, one driving the horses, and the third sacking the grain. The fourth man stands on a broad platfrom near the sickle, and by means of a lever, which can be moved with one hand, raises or lowers the latter. There is no hard work about the machine for any man, except the sacksower, when heavy grain is being cut. In ordinary grain he, too, has an easy time of it. The owner thinks he will earn the prioe of the machine (2500dol.) this season. On good ground he threshes 40 acres a day easily and expects to average 30 acres this season. Two dollars an acre is the cost to the farmer. At 30 acres a day this would leave a large margin of profit. By going into figures we can see : l?our men at 2dol a day : 8dol ; 20 horses at 50 cents a day, lOdol ; for incidental expenses, 2dol ; total, 20dol. Thirty acres a day at 2dol an acre, 60dol ; less 20dol, equals 40dol a day profit. This is a large profit to the owner of the machine, but the farmer always comes in for a due share of the advantage. Silas March says he saves about Idol 50 cent an acre by employing it. Heading alone has hitherto cost him 50 cents an acre. The expense of threshing this year is 7 cents a bushel. Counting thirty bushels to the acre makes it 2dol 10 cents per acre, which added to the cost of heading gives 3dol 60 cents against 2dol by the new machine. Samples were taken from the machiue which were as clean as the cleanest wheat brought into the Stockton market. Where there are no stacks, furthermore, there is -no" dirt scraped up and run into the grain to perplex millers and discourage produce exchangers. The handling of, grain from the Header- to, the accompanying thence to the s^ack', - a^id, Jheijce^ subsequently fo^the" 1 machine,; Bhells'a.cpnsider- : per<»ntage" ; 6f no| j&re used about the cbinb^jition-machme.' xinV 'is c an rimpbrtahV 'consideration '<• of' ( itself/ vithf 'W^armersf^iTheref %&, ,ihjriy-tw6 of* ttieseinacliines" in operation^ ,inlthisWd ' oth^/counties'' to JthV;sputh'/, ( 'wTibrKave f 'Bee^ ronvincefsbaM