• B-J-Lancaster Farmini
HARVESTING TOMATOES by machine in the field of Harold Martin, cal company. The machine features positive stalk cut-off and soil
Mt. Joy Rl, last fall. Martin originated the idea to build the machine rejection mechanisms,
around a central power unit and it is now being manufactured by a lo-
[• Harvesting
(Continued fxom Page 1)
d-tions heie as they do in Cal
ifornia w hei e they have flat land
jnd can turn the iiligation sys
tem off to get the giound leady
fo-i the picking machines, - ’ Gray
iwll said 'But last yeai the ma
chine iv as used in the field two
eajs aftei a five inch lam so
Penn State To Host
Livestock Field Day
Judging contests, tours, educa
tional demonstrations, and a
speaking piogram will be featme
attractions at the State Livestock
Field Day scheduled for July 24
at The Pennsylvania State Uni
versity.
The field day is being sponsor
ed by the Pennsylvania Livestock
and Allied Industnes Associa
tion and Penn State Department
of Animal Science.
‘The piogiam is being deve
loped so that it will be of interest
to both huge and small livestock
p.oduceis as well as those who
part'c’phe m the business on a
pa t t me basis,’ said Dwight E
Younkm Penn State Extension
livestock specialist
Tne mo.ning sessions which
ill sta't at 10 am aie to be
legatee. at the various Univei
sitv L\estock centeis and will
Cea'ii.e educational topns con
ce. i ng vhe fom majoi species—
feeei sheep, swine, and hoiese,
Yojrkin explained
Tie Swine piogiam will m
c’uae ? tom of facilities at the
Swine Centei and Meat Animal
Eva.nation Centei, and a judg
ing contest for both jumois and
scults.
Foi the beef cattle enthusiasts,
specialists will conduct a dis
cussion of modem beef type and
grades of calves Also included
are bieedmg cattle judging and
calf giading contests.
tmeepmen will have an op
portunity to take part in a de
fieecmg demonstration, ewe-lamb
identification contest, and judg
ing of bieedmg and maiket
animals There will be a Univer
sity flock inspection, tour of the
eew Penn State Sheep Centei,
and a sheep dog demonstration
Highlights of the educational
iOiSe session will be a type
demonstiation, western ndmg
a~d pleasure hoise demonsfia
fcon, and a Quartet Hoise judg
ing contest
The afternoon piogram will in
clude talks by Dr. Russell E
5.1969
Saturday, Jul;
we aie cautiously optimistic
about the ability of the harvest
er to opeiate under adveise con
ditions.”
The harvesting operation of
the Roma vanety of tomatoes on
Martin's faim last year included
dnect filling of pallet boxes from
the output of the haivester
While no real difficulties arose
with either the localized abun
dance of weed growth or lack of
plant separation between rows,
some tomato losses were made
due to hilling on the rows. This
year Martin has planted his to-
Larson, dean of the Penn State
College of Agriculture; Penn
sylvania Secretary of Agriculture
Leland H Bull, and Mr. G. G
Connei, of Harrisburg, president
of the Livestock and Allied In
dustries Association. The group
will also inspect the Deer Re
search Center, Soil and Forage
Testing Laboiatory, and Dairy
Bleeding Research Centei.
New made possible with the
Wayne Tail Curler Program.
Latest, proven formulas,
quality ingredients, make
market toppers fast. Simple,
.easy • to - follow program
matoes in shallow fuuows and
cultivation will have the rows
level by harvest time.
Eight soiteis weie used on the
machine and they were able to
handle the output at giound
speed of 69 MPH in a field
which yielded 16 tons of usable
tomatoes per acie. The hand
sorting and dehveiy conveyor
is in front of the opei ator and de
livers to pallet boxes on a wa
gon along side. Graybill indi
cates the machine has positive
cutoff of stalks and weeds below
the giound surface plus soil and
trash rejection devices.
Build around the New Idea
Um-System, power unit, the har
vester is designed to utihze an
electionic color sorter in place
of the hand-sorting platform.
This sorter patterned after the
one developed at Penn State is
expected to be available in the
near future.
If you are not acquainted with
the new vanety development,
Giaybill said, “you will not be
. . . from farrowing to finish!
GRUBB SUPPLY CO. WHITE MILL PARADISE SUPPLY
Elizabethtown R. D. Paradise
HERSHEY BROS.
FOWL’S FEED SERVICE
K D. 1, Quarryville
R.D. 2, Peach Bottom
MOUNTVILLE
FEED SERVICE
it D. 2, Columbia
makes grinding and mixing
convenient and practical.
Bemholds
• \ t> j^fjjVTrr
able to understand how a mach
ine can handle the tomatoes
“But the \ aneties that have been
developed for machine harvest
tend to stay unspoiled longer
and ripen more umfoimly. In
our experience last year the to
matoes weie 90 to 95 percent
upe at the time the machine
picked them up.”
In Dauphin and Northumber
land Counties it has been re
ported that farmers have found
it is best to use only harvesting
machines lather than both hand
and machine picking. They tried
sending migrant workers in to
haivest the first picking from
fields to be harvested mechani
cally,, but this did not increase
production. Hand harvesting dis
tuibed the plants. And where
spots were left unpicked by the
migrants, machine harvesting
took off bigger production than
the total harvesting where both
machines and hkhds were used.
Graybill did not disclose the
cost of the tbrfiato harvesting
•aviS*
-x.*;
Ask as for free folder with
complete details on the Wayne
Tail,,purler Program for Life-
Cyg|.:Hog Feeding.
H. M. s'ffUFFER
- & SONSpINC.
Watraer
C. E. SAEDER & SONS ROHREE’S MILL
R. D. l. Sast Earl R ‘ D - 1. Ronks
HEI-SEY
FARM SERVICE
Lawn Pb: 964-3444
machine but said that a taimer
with 30 to 50 acies of tomatoes
to harvest could find the machine
practical.
So, when jou see a machine in
Harold Martin’s tomato field this
fall that looks like a combine or
a potato digger, you’ll know be
is picking tomatoes—succeeding
at his new attempt to make lo
ir ato picking undei local condi
tions a mechanical process.
Robert K. Rohrer
Bulldozing - Grading
Petr Sales & Service
Barn Cleaners - Silo
Unloaders - Cattle Feeders
Quarryville, It D. 1 \
Hensel 548-2559
H. JACOB HOOBER
Intercourse, Pa.
DUTCHMAN FEED
MILLS, INC.
It D. 1, Stevens