I20 Joiirtial of Agriculture, Victoria. [lo Feb., 1912. 



than the sole and sock of an ordinary drill plough with a series of grids 

 instead of breasts. The action of the grids was to raise the tubers to 

 the surface as the plough passed along the drill under the crop. Given 

 a friable soil and dry weather, this implement gave satisfactory results as 

 far as recovering the tubers was concerned. One serious drawback was 

 that it left the land in a succession of ridges, and made it impossible to 

 restore the field to its former condition. 



This drawback was recgnised and an effort was made nearly 40 years 

 ago to overcome it by Mr. Cockerell, of Morang, who invented an attach- 

 ment for the ordinary single plough. It may be described as a wheel 

 through which the upturned sod containing the tubers had to pass ; this 

 wheel was fitted with short spokes or prongs. The machine was put on 

 the market with the very comprehensive title of " Cockerell 's Prize Patent 

 Potato Raiser and Setter, Moulder-up and Land Cleaner," and was 

 awarded First Prize at Smeaton Agricultural Show in November, 1873. 

 As a DOtato raiser, it nroved a failure. 



JACK'S IMPERIAL POTATO DIGGER. 



The urgent necessity of some mechanical means of harvesting the potato 

 crop was brought under the notice of the Government in 1891 by the Wert 

 Bourke and olher Agricultural Societies, with the result that the sum of 

 ^^250 was offered in prizes for a machine capable of lifting the tubers 

 without damage or lo s. A trial was arranged, and took place at 

 Romsey on 12th July. 1892. Forty-eight machines entered for the com- 

 petition, but only 10 put in an appearance. The judges' report stated 

 that only 3 of the machines entered did work that came near the condi- 

 tions laid down. These were: — - 



1. F. W. Lee, of Woodend, who was awarded ^^25. 



2. Garde & Chrystal, " The Boss," ^20. 



3. John Hatch, " The Hoover," ;^2o. 



The machine entered by Mr. Lee was a purelv Victorian invention, and 

 was probably the first attempt to raise the potato crop mechanicalh bv 

 forks. This machine gives satisfaction in dry friable soils. The other 

 two machines were of American make, the " Boss " being what is known 

 as the spinner pattern, and very similar to machines made by Alex. Jack 

 and Sons, of Maybole, Scotland. The object of this and the fork type 

 is to remove the tubers from the ground without handling the .soil. The 



