New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1866-07-28
AGRICULTURAL.

AuBtIr n. Y. july 10 1900.
There has been to day one of the most interesting trial.
Of rcapers that have witnessed and perhaps the
most so made this county II took place upon the
farm Of William Sheldon m the town OF Sennei', about
six mile. east OF Auburn Tie field selected Is hin side
Of varied inclination covered with pretty heavy growth
Of wheat partly Med rncon and partly nd chat white
wheat good deal Of the Mediterranean much tangled
and some Of il as Eat as though It had been rolled down
1t was also grown 90 full Of gr that the bottom Of the
cavcls was quite green nnl adhered closely together
H. addition 20 these several things 20 make the cutting
difficult severe rain Of an honr aud moderate OF longer
duration had fallen the Cay before, ~ hoIen the eouh1
and the straw. Yet al these difficulties were encountered
and completely By every machine on the ground
The most tangled wheat cut by some % the machines
As suootv and close ~ though had stood upnght and
not one Of them failed 20 90 through u without breakg
and but Of them cogIed as 20 have stop aud BACK
aud start anew So cutting grain under the worst
possible circumstance that can be conceived matter
of interest this day las settled Tie question OF dong ny
machinery. ! have dozen different rrapers cur
wheat this day that could not be- cut with cradie-that
rod only be emf with the point of scythc ~ very slow
speed-that man with sickle would have bad to cur
fsv stake Al a time while be was upon his kneesyet
this grain which could not except with the greatest an
guilty. have boon cut by hand, was most rpluy eul 3
machinery the horses moving at NC same Iaco thy ul
I'm the standing wheat, and most OF them gathering II
coll cicar This fact In regard 10 reaper has been long
known 10 those who make thcm, aud 70 those VINO nave
had most experience " their use but III MOI known 70
many people who have not been familiar WIN ines" great
labor-saving farm implements ,...,
as moi 10 prove that such wheat could be cnt by ma
olinery; IT was how 60 dispose OF 1t aerwaId Inc
great question 10 be solved Is how TO put IN gram
into gayes ready for the binder IN the very best possible
manner. II IS not question between seH-iakers ana
hardrakersht point, 70 my mind is settled would
as soon go backward tho first Hnssey Mccormick or
Manning machine, rs they were originally buiit as 20
recommend purchase Tor winch the
grain be naked by hand ct such J. the inYeterate
old fogyisin Of farmers that have heard one OF
them upon this field to-day holding an argument III I'Of
e 10 the objection thdt ~ re-
ourd an extra hand do the work which hsell-rakng
machine could do less time, he replied that ne was III
the habit of driving and rkng without any assistance
and he was perfectly satisfied with that operation Upon
further inquiry asceained that be was the owner OF an
old syle Hussey machine, and presume he could cut
about onohird much grain IN day as one OF these
reauers now at work; who he would expend hs Inuch
horse and manual labor 10 put three acres IN bundles as
good selfraker eIpends upon nine acres yet siahd
ing here with eyes and Open he VIII arene IN favor
of Handwriting machine 10 harvest wheat IL rs, sup
pose TO accommodate this class OF farmers, who stu
cling to ideas that belong 10 fo'slliiefoas age tha
manufacturers OF reapers continue 10 hAAo 'heHtno"
O self raking attachment
empts reapers from taxation think Congress pas maue
a uistao II should have made discrimination IN hVor
OF those which rake the grain ron the platform by the
same power that H. Any who viii build OF use
o hand rake upon reaplng machine ouBhl l" w 0Aeu
until he acquired more sense.
The work Of this day has proved that wheat IN every
condition that is likely 20 occur upon any ana ali
farms can be by machines NOT by any particular ono
for here are representatives Of all the prominent kinds
which have reputation enough 10 dare enter the lists "
such ra as the present aud oil have shown to-day the
pefee ability ~ mp hill and down; to cut win tho
knives NJ m inclination Of 30 degrees TO the ght OF ZEN
10 cut and gaye the wheat equally well whether IL stood
as thick and stout it grows upon ts icn "heat
soil or as in spots knobs very thin and snort or IN
other spots in the worst ange ever saw Ana I'll ths
variety was encountered in every round OF the hed end
vet not one machine failed 10 do work satisfactory 10 Tue
Committee and also to great concourse OF intelligent
scrutinzng and critical farmers. .., -
IL is true that some machines, both In cutting ahd
rakina did the work somewhat better than others ana
aarently easier and boast yet none Jailed broke
snck nor had 20 back down back out OF any OF the
tests nt upon them-and Of those tests were more
severe than would be required in pracnca operations
upon III farm. A.o. al, -.
Farmers in putting q reaper INTO Wneatneiu ha'e
always supposed that 1t preliminary necessity 70
send GRADER forward 70 open the way That IDEA cx-
nloded While waiting for q GRADER 10 cnt pain through
this field Mr. Osborne mounted upon seiranng hIpy'
said: Allow me to do that JOB, ana wiz pay MY
Sheldon for all the wheat waste py usnPnnP Vi INC
horses" 90 Go ahead then" And he pushed boidy IN
went through and turned back and picked up every straw
the horses had broken down. THIS ne" feature Ia 1eah
was hailed with accamatons by the crowd ana produced
some little jealousy on the part OF some n'a machines
whose owners declared that they cond 'he same
thing quite as we'll No doubt OF III and so can many OF
M do other things very wo-whon We learned how. 4
good many other things have Deen anu VIII W ieAlheu
during these two weeks.
The Of operations to-day mas bocA ono OF e MOST
animated and beautiful rural pictures ever eAhbited 10
- slnII An