Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1865-07-07
Agricultural Machinery.

The farmers Ot our eastern states, com :
PEELED to till rocky and uneven lands. and
used 10 small holdings. do not know, by ex-
pericncc. all of the chang which improv-
ed machinery has wrought in agricultural
operations on the great western prairics.-
There machines do the labor of men to
such degree that the farmers heaviest
I tolls are lightcned, aud one man is enabled
to achieve, with case, the work of half a
dozen.
We saw recently corn field of one hun
dred and sixty acres. on the Grand Prai
re, in the ploushihg, planting, and cult
walton of which no man walked a step
4 rotary spadcr, drawn by four horses and
driven by man on the box. ploughed the
field to uniform depth of eight inches,
and gave such thorough filth that 1t was
not necessary to use a harrow at all. A
corn planter, drawn by two horses, and
driven by man upon the box. next plant
ed the seed. A cultivator, drawn by two
mules, one walking on each side of the
knee high corn, and driven by a man on
the box. completed the culture OF row
at single operation; and in the tool house
Law 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 it is ex-
peeted that by next year this machine will
be so improved as to gather up the corn
also.
When ii is remembered that the farmer
who follows common plough or cultivater
during long summers day. performs a
march Of from ten to fourteen miles, it
will be seen what boon is the machinery
which relieves him from this toll. And
when we remember how scarce were men
during the last four Years in the West, we
shall see that but for such labor saving in
plements our vast crops of cereals could
neither have been planted nor gathered.
The farm Of which the cornfcld we
speak of was part, has seven hundred
acres in single field of timothy. OF
what use would this be if it had to be cut
bv hand liut half dozen harvesting
machines sutiited TO cut it all. in good
time, aud will do, without groaning. the
work of half regiment OF men; patent
horse rakcs gather it up: and two hay
presses upon the place compress it into
bales fit for shipping. Seventeen and n
halt miles of board fence enclose little
more than half of this farm. which has. as
AS part of its furniture, comfortable sheds
for ten thousand sheep, n corn crib, rat
proof holding fifteen thousand bushels Of
corn, and extensive s,ahlng for horses.
What machinery has thus done for the
/ West i; will do for the South. now that
! free labor is substituted for that of slaves.
| There is no reason why the cotton and
sugar fields of a great part nt the South
should not he titled 10y machinery. These
! fields are, in Louisiana, Mississippi, and
indeed in almost the wholc of the cotton
aud sugar region, level aud devoid Of
rocks. aud these are the only conditions
necessary to the successful use Of tn,
most valuable farm machinery. Inc
slaves, ignorant. and careless because the,
had no interest i'll the work, used only
! the rndrst and clumsiest tools but in tn,
hands Of intelligent freemen the rotar,
spader, or the steam plough, or cultivator
can he used as we'll on the immense lcvc
bottom lands of Louisiana. where suga
Is grown, as on the praries for corn an,
wheat.
Yankee ingenuity, will presently set it
self to work To devise new implements 70
: the economical and rapid prosecution .
, such labor as contemplating and cauc-eut
ting. The next ten years will witness al
immcrs revolution in the methods of cul
ti,ating the great staples Of the South; an'
the fruits of that change will be grcatl
increased production Of cotton aud suga
10y the help of free labor and-uhat tn
use o. machinery always brings with it
increased rewards for Intelligent Labor a
will prove even To the most ignorant Of til
southern population the Importance Q
schools and the rceuniary value of cduca
ton.