THE AGRIMOTOR IN THE HARVEST FIELD.
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THE harvesting of corn is now in full progress . throughout the country, and one notices that the agrimotor is being employed more this season with the binder for cutting the corn.
This is no matter for surprise. Indeed, it appears strange that in past seasons the appliance has been so little used for this purpose. It is one of the most economical and useful means of power application that can be employed in the harvest field. Several farmers have said that, even if they did not use the :agrimotor much for other purposes, they would certainly use it for harvest work. Others who do not intend discarding their horse teams say that it is an appliance quite worth while having on the farm, even though it may not be used to do all the work. Of course, the regular agrimotor user knows how to use it properly, and that it pays when kept fully employed, both in winter and in summer.
The present season has ;been, and apparently will continue to be, in the farmer's agricultural parlance, "catchy," but the use of the agrimotor enables a field to be cut and the produce hauled to the stack much more rapidly than when horses are employed. Its value in this respect is then fully realized. Considerable ;benefits also accrue when it can be set to plough the land immediately the corn crop is off in readiness for the reception of the seed for the succeeding crop. Further light is thrown upon the difference between agrimotor and horse costs in the harvest field by experiments that are being conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, for we are told that what costs 44s. 5d. per acre to do by horses costs only 13s. 7d. by the agrimotor and modern appliances.
Some time ago the Ministry set up an advisory committee, which is still sitting, and is expected to report some time as to the best ways in which the Ministry can help the farmer on the mechanical side of his industry. In the meantime, the Machinery Branch of the Ministry has been experimenting in various ways in the economics of power farming. It has prepared a number of tabular forms, and by actual working has -endeavoured to fill up some of them with particulars that, on the one hand, may help the landowner or farmer to improve his land and his methods of cultivation ; and, on the other hand, to supply the machinery firms with hints as to the sort of new machine or improvement in existing machines that may be desired. In connection with the present harvest data have been drawn up showing that, whilst the horse-drawn binder costs 44s. 5d. for cutting and stooking ten acres of oats, the tractor-drawn binder costs 35s. id., tractoredrawn two binders costs 27s., and the tractordrawn binder and stooker (International Harvester's latest model) costs only 13s. 7d.