AGRICULTURE AT THE EXHIBITION.

Manawatu Times, Volume IV, Issue 102, 25 December 1880, Page 3

AGRICULTURE AT THE EXHIBITION.

i [JBOMOTTE OW» OOBRSSPOITOKCT.] Beyond • doubt one of the grant results expected from inhibit! is the introduction of improved agricultural appliances. The ,- Melbourne Exhibition is. no exception, and [ a variety of exhibits are shown from all j countries, some of them new, all of them of a most superior kind. We hare come to | the usef ul part of the show. In these days eompetitioa it only possible by the use of ererykind of labor saving appliance, and the stern truth has been brought home to •very branch of indjistry m these colonies. I There was a time, not so long ago, when the rudest implements were used. I remember seeing m New South Wales m 1860 all the wheat fields in* largo wheat district reaped i with sickles, and after them m 1862 came ! American cradles. All these hare, however, been supplanted, and except m districts w »i ere the orops are small the sickle, cradle, flail, and scythe have disappeared and been supplanted by various reaping and mowing machines, culminating m the stripping. New machinery has also been introduced into •very other pursuit, and consequently there is a probability that we can hold our own. • Notwithstanding the heavy duties that exist m Victoria, there is a Bne show of mai ehinery of all kinds, and the neighboring; colonies, particularly South Australia, have | made good displays. In the material, iron I and steel, the exhibits are splendid, especially m the cold -twisted iron. Belgium especially shows iron twisted cold m every shape, just as if it were a mere bit of twine, and Herr Krup, of Germany, exhibits steel similarly dealt with, while England is not behind. New South Wales is the premier colony for the exhibition of iron, and she shows well. In machinery, however, Victoria leads, a result brought npon by the expensireness of transit "and the Customs, but m agricultural implements, she is closely followed by South Australia. Both these colonies appear to have paid great attention to agricultural machinery, and the result is- really astonishing, seeing the youth of the communities. It should be mentioned that the machinery part of the Exhibition it considerably shorn of its attraction and usefulness by the loss of the "Brio the Red," m which' were shipped the American machinery exhibits. The machinery is exhibited m two annexes on the western and eastern side of. the building. j The latter Is occupied by the British and Victorian exhibits, which comprise the larger number ; the former by the sister colonies, Belgium, France, and Germany whioh latter country comes out very strong. T» give m a l*ttar. like this any description of the exhibits m detail would be im- J possible through want of space, and "wearisome and uninstructive. The plan which I think will auhieve the end desired, to give an idea of what is new and useful, will be to take each particular form of farming, and to describe the implements and maohinery designed for it which are worthy of notice. .'■'■.. Wool stands at the head of Australian industries; indeed, the Australian fleece, is the best m the world. This has been achieved through the excellent pasture and dry climate, and also, to the enterprise of the graziers ; who have carefully improved their flocks until oar sheep are exported to improve th« flocks of the old world. Heaviness of fleece, as wall as increase m number have increased our exports until m 1879 Australia, including New Zealand, exported 819,874,8816 pounds of wool, valued at £15,90l,?8&, and .there vrere at the close of 1870 nearly 70,000,000 sheep m the colonies which mast hays been worth £20,000,000, at the lowest calculation. Wool-growing does not required complex machinery or implements, and therefore we do not find many exhibits. Wool-presses and water raising or finding machinery form the principal exhibits Humble and Nicholson, of Geelonjr, who show a capital lever woolpress. Windmill* are to be teen m the grounds on various principles, but I saw nothing new m them, and would only be repeating the reports of Agricultural Shows were Ito notice them. We lost m there garde of water raising and boring machines by the loss of the *• Brio the Red '" Wright and Edward's water auger k one of the best shown. I should not forget to note that ia the New South Wales Court there ie a splendid exhibition of wool itself. Next to wool, for we cannot notice cattle, wheat is the great product of the colonies, especially South Australia, Viotoria and New Zealand. In the year previous, 83,008,826 bushels were raised, which may fairly be set down v worth j87,500,0X>, or half the value of the wool. Competent authorities estimate the yield Jikely to be gninered this season likely to be fully 50,000,000 bushels, which would be worth m England dose on £15,000,000. Wheatgrowing ii therefore an important industry and likely to be more so, as our wheat is of greater value than that of America and Europe, and is now a necessity to the millers of England to mix with the damper grain of these countries. It may (herefere be supposed that great attention has been devoted to machinery which d«als with wheatgrowing. The show of the implements necessary to plant the grain is very large indeed, and ploughs of all descriptions, from the ordinary, implement to the steam plough, aw 1 shown, Hugh Lennon, of Victoria, running aft exhibitors pretty hard, plough* being, hit speciality. None of the plough* shown, however, are new m a great degree. Of barrows., that exhibited by the OockeriH Implement Company is the most worthy, of attention. It is rotatory, and so fixed that it acts, on the land something Hke a circular saw. The Climax and Invinoible. ploughs, exhibited by Davejr, Skap A Co., of England, are. new m various reepeoU and deserve' a trial. I pass over the lower implements, however, as I am anxieus m this article to deal with the harvesting of the grain, whioh is the great sob* jeet for the farmer, for. if- we wan* to, compete with other countries we must harvest the graia cheaply as other, countries. To Sonth Australia belongs, I believe* the invention of that machine which is destined to help the Australia*: wheat . farmer, so much, the stripper. Until this rn.ao.hine was invented |he farmer had Urals to reap, his crop, Jthen to stack it aod afterwards thrash H. The machine does all these- three, opeva •" fo»#°4^Wtilslftd/s3Kterß fc K M%

importance can be seen even by the nonagricultural reader. True, the stripper has not yet mastered one thing, dealing with wheat m damp districts, for so far strippers are suited only for dry country, where the straw is dry. With few exceptions therefore, its use is confined to South Australia and the northern areas of Victoria. Where straw is of value to pay for its stacking the stripper is not used ; yet there is no reason why it should not, for after the stipper has gone over the land and extracted the older grun the mowing machine may be uead.