The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1869-07-01

In answering this question, We are awIr
that it will be necessary to combat the pop
ular errors that many farmers have fallen
into in relation to harvesters. The farm
ers Of the whsle north west are almost ex-
olusively engaged in the raising Of grain
with rich soil, and climate adapted to
the production Of grain Of all kinds, they
are almost sure Of On abundant harvest.
The great bulk ofthe grain that is produced
in this vast country is raised from seed
sown in the spring, and hence the wheat,
oats and barley, are ready for the sickle
about the same time. The harvest time in
tho VESTS the busy season Of tho year, and
requires the utmost exertions Of those en-
gagged is agricultural pursuits to gather it !;
even the meshanics and laborers and school
boys Of the towns and cities are called on
to assist in the great and glorious work Of
gathering the ripened grain. The demand
for labor has been 10 great for few years
past, and the price 50 high during harvest,
that it is not strange that farmers are dis
posed to invest in that kind of machine
which they are told will accomplish the most
with the least amount Of labor. The ex-
cessive demand for help during harvest Of
late years has stimulated the manufactur-
ers of Harvesting Machines to devise some
plan to save labor, and the result thus far
is the application Of self-rakes TO Reapers
and hand-binders on the Marsh Harvesters.
But all these improvements thus far have
SO complicated the machinery ~ to render
them in . great measure impracticabls.
Having seen nearly oil these improved
machines in use which are claimed to save
labor in harvesting, We have come to tho
conclusion that the mandrake machine is
far the best and most economical in secur-
ing harvest, for the following reasons:
LIST. All the self-rakers IN the markets are
very liable to get out Of repair and cause
much delay in consequence, and nothing
causes more vexation than q break down
in the harvest field, especially whom the re-
pairs are difficult, a. is generally tho case
with complicated machines. I'd. The
grain mast stand in good condition to cut
in order to do good execution with self
rakers or with the Marsh Harvester.
The self-raker that does good work one
year, when the grain all stands upright,
may utterly fail tho next il the grain be-
comes krinkled or lodged, Sd. But few Of
the self rakers cut over five feet wide, and
cannot, therefore, do now I or As as much
as hand rake machine cutting six feet,
and the draft is so much greater that a
single team cannot stand it to work them
without stopping to rest good portion of
the time. 4th. It needs a man Of superior |
skill and judgment to drive the team and
manage self-rater properly, while any
boy or girl old enough to handle the reins
can do the driving for hand raker. Now,
We claim that these objections to selfrakers
ire we'll founded and are sustained by |
practical experience. We claim that a ma !
chine simple in construction, not liable to
get out Of repair, that can always be de-
pended on for q big days work, that will !
10 good execution in every kind or condi-
ion of grain, that cuts six feet wide, that
8 handled with perfect ease with single
cam, cutting from sixteen to twenty acres
Der day, is the machine to purchase. All
hose desiring such . machine will find
hat the Beloit Reaper and Mower, manu-
actured by Parker & Stone, Of Beloit,
Wisconsin, il warranted to fill the bill.