The Steam Farmer.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2543, 27 October 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

The Steam Farmer.

This new machine, of which a model was exhibited in the Canadian court of the Glasgow Exhibition, is the invention of a Mr Romnine, of Ottawa, who for 30 years has toiled patiently at the work. In describing it, the North British Agriculturist says it is one of the most daring, persistent and puissant efforts of agricultural engineering genius. The steam fanner has neither the steam plough nor the steam digger. It consists of a rectangular frame, which may be varied in size, but will not in common use exceed nine feet in breadth. The engine for producing the motive power is placed on the central part of the top of the frame. Either coal or petroleum may be used for generating the force required. The cultivating parts consist of a closely fitting series of rotating discs, driven by a shaft from the engine. Each disc is fitted with three knives, 12 to 15 inches iu length, and each knife is fitted with four blades or wiugs, which are set with a slight upward slope. The discs rotate at a high rate of speed as the machine is advancing, and in this way the soil is not only pulverised in the most thorough maimer, but, on account of the upward slope on the knives, it is most thoroughly mixed as well, while

every tiling in the nature of weeds or other organic matter is sliced into the finest of mince.'neat. But the use of the macliitio does not cease with merely pulverising and mixing the soil and slicing up the weeds. Provision is made for seed drills following the cultivator, so that the seed may be sown at the time of cultivation if desired. Besides, the e itting discs can at any time be removed, and theirplacc taken by other discs fitted, not with four-bladed knives, but with sharp tines. The rapid rotating of these tines also ensures tho complete pulverising and mixing' of the soil and a short shrift for the -weeds. In this way a field winch had bsen cultivated with tlio cutting knives in tho autumn could be gone over in tho spring with the rotating lines in front of the seed drills. Ihe ground would in this way be most thoroughly pulverised and cultivated without any of tho impaction caused by the treading of horses or tho weight of ho;tvv iron ploughs, livery fanner, and especiiillv every clay farmer, knows well tho advantage of having tho soil thoroughly pulverised, and (ho seed sown in tho freshly mixed soil. The side wheels are immediately outside the discs, and the inside wheel mark on the one round is the outside mark on the return round. At first sight it seems a disadvantage to have the wheel mark left uncultivated! but the disadvantage is abundantly comfor otherwise. The wheel mark is only about ten inches wide, which is little more than the space between the seams of seed after ordinary ploughing. Besides, by altering the set of the discs, and taking out the outside tines on each disc, tho machine by the guiding of these wheel marks, could be made to pulverise the soil and destroy the weeds between the seams of growing grain before it got too rank. We all know that when the plant food in the soil is taken up by weeds, it is lost to the crop for that season at any rate. But the uses to which the Steam Farmer may be put are not yet exhausted. If, instead of seed drill, the moulding boards be placed behind the rotating discs, the land would be drilled up, and the drills split up again when wanted. It will also act the part of a drill lioe, the space between the ridges lieinur pulverised, and the weeds destroyed by the slicing knives or tines, a3 may be thought best. And despite the extraordinary array of most important uses to which it may be put, its total cost would be less than one-half that of producing an ordinary set of steam-ploughing tackle, and certainly not so great as tho cost of purchasing a set of horses, harness and implements to go through an equal amount of work. Besides, as only one man would be required to work the machine, tho cheapness of this form of cultivation in comparison with any other is at once apparent.