David McKellar preferred to broadcast sow his turnips. Thomas Haxton and Beattie patented a broadcast grain and seed-sowing machine eighteen feet wide, selling for �24 in October 1883. It was first displayed at the annual North Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Show and was immediately approved by farmers due to the lightness in draught needing to be drawn by only one horse. Attached to the seed receiver was a pipe eighteen feet long, which could be shortened, and three inches in diameter, funnel shaped, with holes for dropping the seed. From this self-feeding central hopper seed could be regulated by a lever changing the perforations, depending on the bushels per acre that were required to be sown or the size of the seed. Inside the pipe was a screw conveyor (Archimedean screw) conveying the seed to ensure precision sowing, which was fixed at each end of the pipe. It did not matter what angle the machine was on when working and was capable of holding a large amount of seed or used for artificial manure distribution. The cylinder revolved by means of pitch chains. Within the first twelve months the sowing machine won nine medals at the various agricultural and pastoral societies shows.
Haxton and Beattie first began business in Gore, Southland manufacturing about one hundred flexible folding harrows in 1881. To meet their 100 orders they had used about 100 tons of material. They took a set to the Dunedin Industrial Exhibition in August 1881 and the Invercargill Industrial and Art Exhibition in September and the North Otago A and P Assn show in November that same year. They also produced a set of light harrows for �8 5s, and Chain or tripod harrows for �11.
In 1882, as sole makers, they decided it would be economic to move the business to Cumberland Street Dunedin, rather than rebuild the Gore premises after a fire destroyed everything. The fire originated in a bedroom of Watson�s Southland Hotel next door when a candle was left burning. Haxton who invented the harrows, designed and perfected a steam-driven machine for manufacturing them in steel in 1882. Beattie travelled through Europe, America and Australia resulting with exports to Australia and America. Beattie who did all the travelling discovered the import duty into Victoria Australia was 20 percent, which was prohibitive, therefore he sold the patent in Victoria in February 1882.
The flexible harrows made of 5/8in tempered steel or 3/4in round iron were decreased in price from September 1882. For example iron harrows with 50 teeth and weighing 2cwt 1 qrs and 9 feet 4 inches wide cost �5 15s; 60 teeth weighing 2cwt 3 qrs 11 feet wide cost �6 17s 6d; going up to 120 teeth weighing 5cwt 2qrs 16 lbs 21 feet wide cost �13 12s 6d. The tempered steel sets started at 60 teeth weighing 2cwt 11 feet wide cost �6 17s 6d and the 120 teeth weighing 4cwt 21 feet wide cost �13 12s 6d. Extra sections made of steel or iron cost 2s 6d each.
Originally Haxton used a hammer and chisel to sever the rods in three feet lengths. The next process was to twist the iron by a bore, mandrel and hammer on an anvil, which was an improvement on a machine made from wood that had been lost in the Gore premises fire March 1882. This method was replaced with a machine that had several handles, heated the iron to a tooth shape, then heated in certain positions and twisted the iron.
With the new system, manufacturing harrows had been made using a rather primitive machine that cut iron rods in uniform lengths using a heavy weight swinging on a pivot, set in motion manually. The new steam-powered machine once set, twisted the iron with ease working up to 600 pieces of iron an hour. Resembling something like a puzzle the twist or bends in the rod effectively made the whole set fit together and unable to come apart. These pieces were then eyed at one end and bent into a �V� shape using two hand machines Haxton had also made, and intended to refine the task using his steam-powered machine. A complete harrow set could be made in quarter of an hour.
Haxton and Beattie advertised their flexible harrows as �can be made in any length, breadth, or weight to suit the requirements of purchasers. They are so constructed that they may be reduced or increased in size within a few minutes, in the field or elsewhere, to suit all classes of land. By reversing or turning over they form a very effective chain-harrow. They harrow all classes of land very quickly and alike no matter how irregular. They are much easier drawn than the ordinary class of harrows and have no nuts to shake loose. They cannot break by coming against any obstruction. They are made of wrought iron, and are easily sharpened or repaired.�
At the eighth annual Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association Show in November 1884, Haxton and Beattie displayed their barbed wire manufacturing machine as well as the steel fencing standards. Barbed wire was also displayed by the Acme Patent Barb Wire Company, the Christchurch Patent Barb Wire Company, Mr H Walden and Mr E S Lees. The barbed wire patented in New Zealand was different to the American patent but equally as good. In August prior to the show Mr W A Murray of Piako applied for a patent on a wire straining and securing invention that attracted a great deal of interest when displayed.
Between August 1884 and January 1885 Haxton and Beattie in Cumberland Street changed to the New Zealand Implement Company and were located in Castle Street Dunedin still under manager Thomas Begg. Forty-three employees worked at the Castle Street business in 1889 and the business became known as the New Zealand Engineering and Implement Company�s Works. They still manufactured sets of harrows but also carried out large projects such as renovating the engines from the Burnside Flour Mills fire and constructing scraping machines and scutchers of the flax industry.
Beattie ended up at Milford Sound in 1888 where a Scottish �hermit� called Sutherland lived. Donald Sutherland took on a contract for �50 organised by the Chief Surveyor C W Adams to clear a track of eleven miles between the head of the sounds to the Sutherland Falls. Sutherland and a young man by the name of Davies did most of the work, which was very rough and took a long time but Sutherland was mainly there prospecting for gold, rubies, diamonds and precious minerals. He also did sealing, built huts for the government at various places around the sounds, Lake Ada, the falls and the Arthur River and in 1890 aged 51 married and ran an accommodation house for 12 years, passing away at Milford Sound in 1919.
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