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Reaping Trials

The wheat field was divided into thirty lots, of one acre each, the bottom generally smooth, tolerably level, and the grain (Mediterranean) stood up very well.

Walter A. Wood, entry No. 30, with a handraker. The gavels were twisted at the bottom from the left-hand corner towards the right. The binders bound ten of these gavels in 5 minutes.

Time of cutting 49 minutes. Mark for quality of work, 33.

D. M. Osborne, No. 27, using a reel and sweep rake. There is a want of a proper divider. The rake draws forwards some of the last cut straw, and in its next sweep this is twisted in raking.

The twist is from the left-hand corner towards the right, and in the lower part of the gavel the twist is less than on the top, but what there is, is in the opposite direction. The binders bound ten bundles in 4 minutes. Time of cutting 53 minutes. Mark for quality of work, 33.

Cayuga Chief, J, No. 46, with a dropping attachment. The lower part of the gavel is drawn forward and somewhat twisted as it falls. It requires six men to keep up with the machine, who occasionally fall behind with their work in bad places. The binders bound ten of these sheaves in 5 minutes. Time of cutting, 57 min.

Mark for quality of work, 32.

D. M. Osborne & Co., No. 19, hand-raker. The work is as good as can be done. Not a fault could be found with it in any way. Ten sheaves were bound in 4 minutes, 3 seconds. Time of cutting 644 minutes. Quality of work, 40.

No. 33, (wood), hand raker. The grain in this Lot No. 5 was cut by Dodge, Stevenson & Co., lot was lodged in one or two places. One man drove and raked, the sickle being set almost low enough for mowing. The gavels are crossed, the bottom towards the right and the top towards the left. Ten bundles bound in 5 minutes. Time 664 minutes. Quality of work, 30. was cut by Adriance, Platt & Co., No. 31, hand Lot No. 6 was not a good one for reaping. It raker. It was cut the wrong way and a good deal of the lodged was left upon the ground. It was thrown off the platform with a fork instead 47 minutes. Quality of work, 31. of a rake. The gavels were not very good. Time sweep rake. Time 53 minutes. Work, 34.

D. M. Osborne & Co., No. 36, with reel and gavels unevenly laid. Ten sheaves bound in 5 Aultman, Miller & Co., with a dropper. The minutes. Time, 58 minutes. Quality of work, 32.

D. M. Osborne & Co., No. 37, with the combined rake and reel, or Burdick self-rake. The gavels rake. Time, 684 minutes. Work, 34. were rather better than those made by his sweep gavels were tolerably well laid. Time, 47 minutes.

W. A. Wood, No. 23, with a chain rake. The ten sheaves.

Work, 35. Binders were four minutes in binding work excellent in all respects. Time, 39 minutes.

D. M. Osborne, No. 48, with a hand rake. The Work, 40. cutting was very good, but the gavels not as well W. A. Wood, No. 40, with a sweep rake. The laid as the chain rake. Time, 52 minutes. Work, 35. "Four machines were allowed to work at once, marked stakes being driven down at their entrance; they cut entirely around the lot, passing through all the different kinds of bottom and of grass, and into all the gullies and hollows. Then four more succeeded them, and so on in groups of four, until all had gone round. Then each machine cut a double swath across the lot. After this the whole number of machines were put in motion at once, until both meadows were cut down. In this way the path of each machine could be traced without difficulty through its entire length, and | ground that they are never sold or used as such. W. A. Wood's chain and sweep rake being admit- Mr. Osborne and other exhibitors protest against ted into the class of combined machines, on the D. M. Osborne & Co., No. 36, with the same that cut No. 11, now working with a sweep rake and a reel. Time, 53 minutes. Work, 34.

Dodge, Stevenson & Co., No. 53, with iron frame and combined rake and reel, or Marsh's self-rake.

He came in collision with a stump and bent the guard finger. The gavels are badly scattered in front of the platform; the gavel does not all drop at once, but is dragged forward. Time, 53 minutes. Work, 34. W. A. Wood's revolving rake, No. 24. Binders make ten sheaves in 4 minutes, 20 seconds.

Gavels very large. Time, 57 minutes. Work, 36.

Williams, Wallace & Co's Hubbard Machine, No. 42, with Johnson's rake. Gavels laid straight and compact ; no scattering; the swath between the gavels very clean. The binders make ten of the sheaves in 4 minutes, 12 seconds. Time, 524 minutes. Work, 39.

C. Wheeler, Jr., Cayuga Chief, K, No. 54.

Half the lot as a hand-raker, and the other half as a self-raker. The gavels were badly twisted and the straw was scattered between the gavels.

Time, 56 minutes, 32 seconds. Work, 28.

Columbian machine, self rake, No. 51.

There was some lodged grain in the lot which it cut very well, but the gavels were strangely twisted, and the work as a whole was poor. Time, 57 minutes.

Work, 31.

C. C. Bradley & Son, No. 22, with Johnson's rake. The gavels admirably laid. Time, 484 minutes. Quality of work, 39.

C. Wheeler, Jr., Cayuga Chief, G, No. 34.

Hand rake. Time, 48 minutes. Quality of work, 31.

Dodge, Stevenson & Co., No. 12, iron frame.

Hand rake. Gavels very well laid. Time, 37 minutes. Work, 32.

Seymour, Morgan & Allen, No. 44, with their sweep rake. Gavels very well laid, and all the work was very well done. Time, 62 minutes.

Work, 38.

C. Wheeler, Jr., Cayuga Chief, L, No. 55. Half the lot as a dropper, and the other half as a hand rake. Time, 59 minutes. Work, 32.

D. M. Osborne & Co., No. 37, with Burdick rake.

There was a very bad, rocky place at the end of this lot which he cut over very well with the wind against him. Time, 684 minutes. Work, 34.

Aultman, Miller & Co., Buckeye, senior, No. 41.

Self rake. The gavels crossed and dragged.

Time, 50 minutes. Work, 30.

Wm. H. Halladay, No. 47, with Marsh's rake.

Machine left-handed. There was some lodged wheat in the lot which he cut very closely, and the gavels were in general very well laid, but occasionally he would make a very bad one; this want of uniformity reduced his mark. Time, 54 minutes. Mark for quality of work, 37.

C. Wheeler, Jr., Cayuga Chief, H, No. 35. Hand rake. There was a fast rock in his swath 18. inches high. The driver, without any deviation from his line, drove over it, dropping the whole height perpendicularly, demonstrating at the same time his own skill as a driver and the great strength of the machine. Although much of the ground was stony, the work was the best done by any of the Cayuga Chiefs. Time, 53 minutes. Work, 36.

E. F. Herrington, No. 29, hand rake. The cutting was very fine, but the gavels were not well laid. Time not noted.

Dodge, Stevenson & Co. Wood frame, No. 52, Marsh's rake. Gavels laid square and handsome, without scattering. Time, 60 minutes. Work, 37.

Seymour, Morgan & Allen, No. 27½, self-rake.

Time, 51 minutes. Work, 39.

The average time of all the machines, in cutting an acre, was 53 minutes.

The longest time was made by D. M. Osborne.

The shortest time made by any hand rake was D.

M. Osborne. The shortest made by a self-rake, was by Walter A. Wood. in reaping, is 34.3.

The average of the marks for quality of work RESULT TRIAL IN 22 ACRE LOT, GRAIN