1920.] 



P'arm Drainage Machinery. 



1087 



types is very heavy, and steam power is advocated wherever 

 coal is procurable. The swinging boom is mounted on a bed 

 frame and the upper end of the boom is supported by a cable. 

 The bucket or scoop hangs on a cable from the upper end of the 

 boom and is filled by being dragged along the ditch. The 

 loaded bucket is raised by a cable from the boom, which then 

 dumps it on the waste bank. 



Figs. 13 and 14 show two types of drag-Hne machine, the 

 first driven by steam and the second by an internal combustion 

 engine. The first is the " Marion " Model No. 28. This is 

 equipped with a 32 -ft. boom, weighs about 21 tons, and will 

 cut from 200 to 400 cubic yards of soil a day. The multipedal 

 tracks are 5 ft. 8 in. by 2 ft. One ton of coal is required a 

 day. The second is the " Austin " Combination No. 5, which 

 has a 4-cylinder engine of 45 h.p. requiring 30 gal. of paraffin 

 a day. It has a boom length of 30 ft., weighs 17 tons, and will 

 cut a minimum of 300 cubic yards a day. Both machines 

 require two men to operate them. The cost of the former is 

 about £2,500 and the latter £2,750. 



Conclusion. — It has already been indicated that only the 

 very large farmer can afford to buy a machine other than one 

 of those in the first class described above. There would 

 appear to be ample scope for local authorities (such as Drainage 

 Boards) and for contractors in carrying out by mechanical 

 means the various classes of drainage work requiring to be 

 done. In this connection it may be of interest to set out 

 briefly a scheme in operation in parts of Canada where drainage 

 machinery is largely used. 



The actual work is undertaken by contractors, but the 

 Provincial Departments of Agriculture assist farmers and 

 contractors in the following way. Provincial Drainage Officers 

 get the farmers together in a district which needs draining, and 

 endeavour to secure an undertaking from them to proceed with 

 the work, with the object of arranging for sufficient work to 

 make it worth the while of a contractor to come into the district. 

 Clearly a contractor cannot pay his expenses if the only work 

 in prospect is an odd field here and there. Drainage Advisers 

 are sent during the summer months to farmers who desire to 

 have their farms drained, and who require technical assistance 

 in preparing plans, etc. The Adviser surveys the farm, pre- 

 pares a scheme and advises the farmers generally on the best 

 methods to be adopted. No charge is made for the services 

 of the Adviser, but the farmer pays his travelling expenses, 

 defrays the carriage of his implements, boards him while at 



