Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1865-07-25
Agricultural.
Agricultural Machinery.

The farmers of our eastern states, compelled
to till rocky and uneven lands, aud used to small
holdings, do not know, by experience, of all the
changes which improved machinery has wrought
IN agricultural operations on the great western
prairies. There machines do the labor Of men
to such a degree that the farmers heaviest tolls
are l~lghtened, and one man is enabled TO achieve,
with ease, the work Of half a dozen.
We saw recently a corn field of one hundred
and sixty acres, on the Grand Prairie, in the
blowing, planting and cultivation of which
no man walked a step. a rotary spader, drawn
by four horses and driven by a man upon the
box, pl0Ted the field to Il unlirom depth OF
eight inches, and gave such q thorough tillh
that 1t was not n%ecessai to use Il harrow at all.
A corn-planter, drawn by two horses, and driy.
en- by a man upon the box, next planted the
seed. A cultiyator drawn by two mules, one
walking on each side Of the knee-high corn, and
driven by a man upon the box, completed the
culture OF a row at "a single operation and in
the tool-house lay another machine, also to be
drawn by horses, which will cut down the corn
when it is ripe and lay it in regular rows, to be
finally gathered by hand. But 1t is expected
that BY next year this machine will be SO i'm
proved as to gather up the corn also.
w hNh ~ 10 NAhAAA . AAhF ~ ii tlt u
follows a common plow or cultivator during
u long summer : daY, performs a march OF from
ten to fourteen miles, 4 will be seen what a boon
is The machinery which relieves him from this
toll. And When we remember how scarce we're
men during The last four years in the West, we
shall see that but for such labor saving nipple
ments our vast crops of cereals could neither
have been planted or gathered.
The farm OF which the cornield we speak OF
was a part, has seven hundred acres in a single
field OF timothy. OF what Use would tins be 4
1t had to be cut by hand But halt a dozer
harvesting machines suficed to cut it all, il
good time, and will do, without grcaniug, TIN
work Of half a regiment OF men patent horse
rakes gather it up and two hay presses upol
the place compress it into bales fit for Shipping
Seventeen and u hall miles Of board fence enclos
u little more than half of this farm, which hl,
as part Of its furniture, comfortable sheds 10
ten thousand sheep, a corn CRIB, rat-prooi, hold
ing hleeeu thousand bushels Of corn, and exten
siye stabling iOr horses.
What machinery has thus done Tor the Yves
1t will do Tor the South, now that free labor
substituted for that Of slaves. There IS no rea
son why lhe cotton aud sugar fields OF a grca
part OF the South should not bo titled by mi
chinery. These fields are, IN louisiana, MISsisslT
pi, and indeed in almost the whole Of the Col
ton and sugar region, level and devoid OF rock
and these are the only conditions necessary t
the successful use OF the most valuable larl
machinery. The slaves, ignorant, and carelt.
because they had no interest in the work, ust
only the rudest and clumsiest tools but 10 Il
hands of ~telligent ireemen the rotary spade
or the steam pillow, or cultiyator, can be us
as well On the immense level bottom lands
Louisiana, where sugar Is grown, as on Il
pralrles Tor corn and wheat.
YANKEE ingenuity, too, will presently set
sell to work to devise new implements Tor q
more economical and rapid prosecution OF su,
labor as contemplating and cane.cutting. II
next ten wears will witness an immense reyol
ton in the methods OF cu%ltiyaung the gre
staples OF the South and The fruits OF tn
change will be a greatly increased ploiueuon
cotton and sugar by the help OF free labor, a
what the use Of machinery always briu
with it-sueh increased rewards Tor in,ellige
labor as prove even to the most ignorant OF t
southern population the Importance Of soaoC
and the pecuulary value Of education.-. N
EutHtng Post.