360 



The Trials of Corn and Seed /drills, 1U12. 



weighed out and placed in the seed boxes of all the competing 

 drills. After each machine finished drilling its allotted area 

 it awaited the completion of this part of the trial, and then the 

 barley remaining in the seed boxes was carefully weighed «»-J 

 the amount sown in the plots of equal areas by ttc respective 

 drills was found to be as follows : — 



Trial No. 1. ^°'^ * '^°-' ^^^^- . . • ■ 



,,' „ ' 2. Thomas Baker & Sons 



,, „ 3. J'easdale Bros., Ltd. 



,, ,, 4. Francis Walker & Sons . 



„ ,, 5. Kell & Co 



„ „ <!. Martins Cultivator Co., Ltd. . 



„ ,. 7. Teasdale Bros., Ltd. 



„ ., 8. Francis Walker & Sons . 



It should be noted that to sow the area of 1,490 square 

 yards (roughly one-third of an acre) at the required rate of 

 8 bushels per acre, about 4 stones of seed is required (allowing 

 the barley to weigh 56 lb. per bushel). 



The efficiency of the pressure arrangements was the next 

 test. The drills were run empty over unopened land in a 

 field adjoining the barley plots. This land had been ploughed 

 after wheat and was intended for a turnip crop. It had been 

 fallowed down by digger ploughs somewhat, but the surface 

 was rather rough and hard and slightly caked, and provided a 

 suitable test ground for this purpose. 



Pressure was obtained in practically all the exhibits by 

 means of spiral springs operated on the coulter bars by means 



Fig. l.-F. Walker & Sons' First Prize "Anglo-Colonial" 13-ro\v Corn and Seid Drill, Class I. 



