918 Agricultural Machinery Testing Stations. [Jan., 



TESTING STATIONS FOR 

 AGRI C U LTUR A L M AC H I N ERY. 



Agricultural ]^Iachinery Testing Stations have been estab- 

 lished in many continental countries: — E'rance, Germany, 

 Austria, Scandinavia, Holland and Belgium. Italy too is soon 

 to have one. The object of such a station is to test, scientifically 

 — which means also practically — such machinery as may be 

 submitted to it, and to issue reports thereon, public or con- 

 fidential as the case may require. To these functions it may 

 add the collection — both in the course of actual trials as well 

 as from other sources — of all data bearing on the subject of 

 agricultural machinery; and investigations, both theoretical 

 and practical, on such questions as may from time to time 

 suggest themselves. The station may or may not add education 

 to research. 



To take a concrete instance. Sweden, with a population of 

 about 6 million (or roughly 1 /6th of that of England and Wales), 

 has two testing stations — Ultuna and Alnarp. A Director of 

 Testing is responsible for the work at both stations, each of 

 which has a staff consisting of a professor, an assistant engineer, 

 a farm manager and two mechanics. The number of machines 

 tried in 1914 was 200: in 1916. 82 (Ultuna 46. Alnarp 36 >. It 

 should be mentioned that Alnarp specialises in milking 

 machinery. Both these institutions owe their existence to a 

 gift in 1896 of some £5,000 from the Separator Company, a 

 gift which at any rate so far as the Company is concerned, 

 seems to have been particularly well placed, to judge from the 

 reputation for dairy machinery which Sweden enjoys to-day. In 

 addition to the two testing stations for agTicultural machinery, 

 there is in Stockholm a testing station for materials, which 

 possesses what is considered the most modern laboratory equip- 

 ment for the purpose in the world. 



The programme of the two testing stations is simple. There 

 are, on the invitation of the Testing Committee, public trials 

 (known as trials in series) designed to test a number of imple- 

 ments having a similar purpose. Besides this any individual 

 may for a fee, graduated according to its value, submit a 

 machine for trial, or for expert opinion. Reports on the public 

 trials are published. The publication of the report of an 

 individual trial is, with certain restrictions, at the discretion 



