The Paris Plough and Tractor Show.
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MHE Tractor and Agricultural Motor Section of the fifth annual Paris
Salon de la Machine Agricole," which opened last week, was the smallest yet staged. In spite of the fact that the show as a whole is by far the largest yet held, there being 59. exhibitors in all, the tractor and agricultural motor section was a very poor effort as compared with previous shows. Three years ago the makers of. tractors and motor-driven agricultural machines had 60 8tands in the show. This year their number is reduced to 26. Even the American contingent was comparatively
small. •
In justice to the firms who took the trouble to 'exhibit, however; it must be admitted that their small numberwas made up for by. the quality of the machines shown. Although nothing spedal in the way of novelties was tobe seen, an advance in the Way of finish and the careful design of certain machines for special purposes was noticeable. Charcoal gas-producers were again in evidence, although only eight manufacturers of producers exhibited their machines, against 16 last year.
The Czecho-Slovalt firm of Excelsior again had one of the most impressive exhibits in the show with three Of their great motor ploughs. These implements have been considerably improved since last year. Gigantic though they still are, they have been rendered more compact, whilst still retaining their ability to perform an extraordinary variety of different operations. Messrs. Delabaye also showed One of their very fine motor ploughs.
Latits showed one of their T.L.-type tractors mounted on giant pneumatics and coupled tm to a long two-wheeled trailer. The wheels of .the tractor were fitted with the speeial Latil arrangement of hinged driving plates for use on soft ground. All the tyres on this_ exhibit were filled with Tank, a new French tyre-filling for heavy vehicles which appears to be giving good results.
England was well represented by Austins, who showed five tractors, including a. sort of de luxe model fitted with two upholstered seats and a Capecart hood; by Ruston and Hornsby, Ltd., with the finest exhibit of fixed and portable oil engines in the show; and B by amfords, of Uttoxeter, who sowed agricultural machinery of all kinds.
Renaults, as usual, showed a fine range of tractors, including their gas-driven model. The types exhibited were similar to those seen at last year's show. An exhibit which attracted considerable interest was the Bauche tractor on the Pilter stand, specially designed for golf courses and coupled up with an-arrangement of three lawn-mowers. On 'their own stand Messrs. Bauch° showed a tiny three-wheeled tractor with a singlecylinder engine and specially narrow track, designed for'work in vineyards.
The Etahlissements Mistral showed motor cultivators and tractors fitted with an improved form of their curious patented non-slipping wheel. The Pan cable-operated motor-plonghing plant
shown by Dubois et Plantade incorporated several small modifications from last year's model, particularly in the anchorage arrangement to prevent the machine from. hauling itself towards the plough. The Agra was a fine example of the general utility avant-train type of tractor suitable for direct coupling to a variety, of agricultural implements. The tractor is of the two-wheeled type and, when coupled. up, the implement and tractor make one vehicle.
Dion-Bonton had a smaller exhibit than usual. An interesting item on their stand was a particularly well arranged portable engine set for farm work, S.C.E.M.I.A. and S.O.M.U.A., the two great French industrial-vehicle concerns, both exhibited their standard types of tractor without change since last year. Chapron et Cie exhibited small cultivating machines and motor ploughs.
One of the features of the show from an engineering point of view was the very real .advance which appears to have been made recently in France in the matter Of malleable castings. The show was held in that unattractive new wilderness known as the Pare des Expositions, which has been created outside the Porte de Versailles. The long approaches to the buildings gave an excellent imitation of ploughed land and provided visitors with the real agricultural atmosphere. MIT or six inches of melting snow and a fine drizzle of rain an the opening day helped to complete the