AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 3003, 13 October 1891, Page 2

AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

Xo'.v thai Parliament is prorogue), tho Waikatn election over, and politics shelved for a time, we return tn the subject of agricultural machinery. We promised to refer to the implements exhibited at the Cambridge show when we gave » report of tho trial that should havo. been held at Mr James Taylnr's farm, but unfortunately thn wOiithnr proving verv wot the trial was a fiasco, thero only being one implement worked, viz., tho pulveriser, and that we did nnt see, owing to its not being tried at thn nppointnd tirnn ; cnn.seci/'.ently we could say but little about it. The implements were exhibited on tho plot of grrmni opposite Mr McNicol'h sale yard, adjoining tho officq of tho de.funct " Waikato News " ; indeed this ofh'co was made a species of machinery dopot, and proved very useful tn the representatives of tho firms who exhibited.

Messrs Booth, Macdonald and Co., of Christchurch, showed a large assortment of disc harrows, ploughs, and cultivators, also an iron windmill. The disc harrows at once took the attention of farmers, and wo heard Rovor.il express tho opinion that they were tho best that had over been in Waikato. Four sots of different size.s were exhibited, all of them fitted with tho special travelling gear which is manufactured by this firm only, and is certainly unique and effective. Mr Groig, tho representative of this firm, repeatedly packed up ono of the harrows ready for road travelling anil again prepirrd it for work under four minutes, without any undue exertion and also without assistance. When packed for travelling the harrows will easily go through any cart gateway, and the discs hoing high up from tho ground, there is perfect freedom from danger. The method of fixing tho steol discs is al?o unique, and decidedly the best wo havo yot seen ; theyaie held in position without touching the axle, consequently much wear and tear is avoided. A sure, guarantee as t> tho quality of theso harrows is tho number of orders booked hy Mr Grei?. who did excellent business while located in Cambridge. Of the ploughs the one that, commanded moat attontion was a combined single and double furrow, with tlirnn wheels and lever attachment for guiding. The alteration from single to double or visa versa, is simply arranged and i:au be. made in a few minutes by any ploughman ; and there appeared to bo on absence of weak points whijh are so often noticeable in combination implements. Tho two cultivators exhibited had r>. hackward lift to the tine.s, a stylo peculiar to the firm. It is an immense ad vantage, as, nhould tho tines become clogged, they at onco discharge their load at the buck and proceed with their work again freo from obstruction. This stives a lot of Ivird work to the man in charge. The windmill was made nntirely of iron and yet weighed no ir.oro than an ordinary wooden one. The fans are constructed of the Turbine principle, i.e., tuch ono passes the wind on to the next, thus getting all the power out of it, Tho advantages of tho windmill being constructed nf iron are obvious as it cannot Miirink or swell and is not likely to he torn to piece- !iy the wind. Messrs W. K. Garter, of Cambridge, and K. B. Walker, of Moanavale, have each used these mills for some tune and find them all that the firm profess them to be. Wβ cannot close our remarks upon Mes-n-s Booth and Macdonald's machinery without referring to tho "Screw Pulveriser , ' which unfortunately did not. arrive sufficiently early to be exhibited at the Show. At tho trial it did more than was claimed for it, for it worked successfully in noddene/I gronnd. As very few witnessed the trial or even saw the machine wo give a full description of it. Tn general charaeteristcs it resembles tho disc harrow, only tho discs am replaced by spiral ;ite,el knives, -J'.in. wide, bevolle.d to a sharp cutting edge,~and arranged like the threads oE a screw ro-.-.nd a frame or open barrel 3ft. in diameter. Tho total width is Sft fiin., and is divided into four sections. These sections work in pairs, two on each side the centre piece of polo—thoso on ono side having a right-hand scrow, and thoso on tho other a left-hand screw. They are at an angle to each other, the samo as the gangs of a disc harrow, and iinncfl the knives screw themselves into the ground, and as they run turn the soil over liko a mouldboard of a plough. Tho greater the angle at which tho gangs are set. the deeper they screw themselves into the ground, and tho deeper tho furrow. Tho Isnivßs aro cot fiin. »part, six in each seccion. They aro of the highest quality steel, will scour clean in working, and will keep a sharp edge. It will thus be understood that in this machine the knives form a perfect screw, and this peculiarity and the woight of the machine itself eiviblos it to cut full depth into the soil too hard and densofor the disc harrow to make any impression on, The total weight of the machine is about 1") cwt : tho power required to draw it, when cutting full depth iuWcikati, «ix horses. As a cultivator or harrow it will, thoroughly imlveri/.R tho ground from 2 to :"iin deep, ft will do more work in ime stroke than tho diso harrow will do in two or three, on dense ground. It will tako the place of a plough in any land of a moderately free nature, and will cover fivo times as ninch ground in a day as a double furrow plough with six horses and 1 man. When fitted with a sowing-box it will sow any kind of grain and cover it uniforml\\to any depth down to five inches. It will abso. lutely do away with the plough for putting stubble land into crop, ft will make seed-bed for grass seed in tussock land, whore the tnssocks'liavo been burnt off mid the laud is moderately froo and level. Tho managers of several of the. huge estates in the neighbourhood have ordered pulverisers, and Mr Harrison, of Lockerbie, speaks highly of ono that he has at work. In conclusion, we may say that Messrs Booth and Macdonuld have in their representative, Mr Greig, a man who thoroughly understands the business, ami by his courteous behaviour not only doe* good trade, but also makes raanv frionds. The Walter A. Wood Harvesting Compuny were represented by Mr Pickering, who exhibited a single apron reaper and binder, and ono of the company's new steel enclosed gear mowers. Of tho former, we can safely Ray it is certainly one of the best side-delivery machines ever seen in the Waikatn. It in adapted for handling light or heavy crops of grain, and we imagine would work well on either level or fairly hilly ground, as the frame is of steol and so firmly braced together that tho whole of the main structure is kept perfectly rigid. All tho bearings aro brass bushed, tho bushings beiug easily removed and replaced. The knotter is a close tying and simply constructed piuce of mechanism. It is self-adjusting, and will hold, knot, .md cut .iff any size or quality of twine. The main wheels ore made in sections, and in case of a breakage a new part is easily substituted ; all parts being made to eortain patterns, tho firm can supply any part that is required, aud it will fit without alteration. The single apron is a great advantage ; it elevates the crop over tho drive wheel, and the binder boing placed outside that wheel it brings the woight just whern it is wanted to give traction power and equalise the draught. N'oarly tho whole of the machine is composed of (steel or malleable iron, and is therefore almost indestructible. Tho mower was a very perfect machine, liko tho reaper, mostly steol and malleable iron. The knives run indnpently on hard steel plates, before and behind, and touch nothing else. The gearing is enclosed in a dust proof box, and all tho bearings are bnshod with brass. Tho working of the finger bar is perfect, while there is a simple device for dekaching the pitman and drawing out tho knife. When Mr Pickonng returns to Waikatn, just beforo harvost commences, wo predict ho will do a good trade in harvesters, and if anyone wishes to havo tho machines thoroughly explained to them, they should interview him. Another exhibit was "Tho Handy Syringe Pump and Sprayer," manufactured by Mr Genn, of Colombo street, Christohurch It throws a continuous stream to a height of 85 feet, and is just what the fruit-growers of Waikatn want. The cost \* only £1, and we holieve that Messrs Welle, of Cambridge, and Parr, of Hamilton, will shortly bo able to supply them. The instrument would provo of great use in cane of fire if il has not gono beyond tho incipient stage.