732 



Expenses of Corn Harvesting. [Jan., 



We have in this table five examples of cutting under 

 several conditions of crop. In all cases, however, on this 

 farm the same three horses worked, weather permitting, the 

 whole day of 10 hours through. Taking the average of the 

 five examples, we get 1*22 acres cut per hour, or 12 acres 

 per day by three horses. This is a widely varying result 

 from the estimated one that it takes two shifts of three horses 

 or six in all with a heavy crop, or two shifts of two horses 

 or four in all with a light crop to do the same amount.* It is 

 but fair to point out that this makes no allowance for delays 

 caused by the weather. Hence 10 acres a day might be con- 

 sidered a fair return from cutting ten consecutive days in the 

 harvesting of 100 acres of straw in the average run of years. 

 There was also another consideration : the horses in this 

 instance were very much reduced in condition after this par- 

 ticular harvest. It will be remembered that the weather dur- 

 ing the harvest of 1905 was particularly fine, so that the horses 

 were kept going practically every working day of the four 

 weeks of the month. This excessive working is not econom- 

 ical in my opinion, as the horses had to draw the machine 

 1 J miles for each acre cut, or 18 miles in the day. This is 

 too much; but, on the other hand, to supply a double shift 

 and reduce the distance travelled to nine miles seems to me 

 equally extravagant. There might, with advantage, be one 

 rest horse with three workers, so as to reduce the distance 

 travelled per day for each animal to under 14 miles. 



Another point that struck me very forcibly was the in- 

 advisability of having two machines working abreast. It is 

 evident that with this system the number of stops is added 

 to by practically 50 per cent., that is to say, each time the 

 leading machine pulls up the machine following has to do 

 the same. A case in point occurred towards the end of 

 harvest, when I observed two machines which were travelling 

 at a very rapid pace. It was a level field and early in the 

 day, the corn, though heavy, was particularly dry and clean, 

 standing well up, there being hardly a yard "laid" on the 

 whole 12 acres. Though the machines went so fast that I 

 had difficulty in keeping pace with them while they were 



Royal Agricultural Society's Journal, 1906, " Comparative Economy of 

 different methods of harvesting." 



