The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1869-06-24
WHAT KIND o. A REAPER 10 TIM
BEST FOR THE FARMER TO
PURCHASE AZ A NATTER OF
ECONOMY IN THE SAVING OF LA
BORT -, ! .

Al answering tnAs question: We are SWST
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 tho whole north west are almost ex-
clusivcly engaged in the raising Of grain
with a rich soil, and a climate adapted to
the production Of grain Of all kinds, they
are almost sure Of an abundant harvest.
Tho great bulk ofthe grain that 10 produced
in this vast country il 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
the west is the busy season Of tho year, and
requires the utmost excrtions Of those en-
gagged is agricultural pursuits to gather it
even the mechanics 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 80 great for q few years
past, and the price SO 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 duriu9 harvest Of
late years has stimulated the mauufactm::
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 band~binders on the Marsh Harvesters.
But all these improvements thus fer have
so complicated the machinery as to render
them in . great measure impracticabls.
Having seen nearly all 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 when the re-
pairs are difficult, as is generally the case
with complicated machines. I'd. The
grain must 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 the next if the grain be-
comes krinkled or lodged, Sd. But few of
the self.rakers cut over Eve feet wide, and
cannot, therefore, do now 4 or As a. much
as hand rake machine cutting six feet,
and tho draft is SO much greater that
single team cannot stand it to work them
without stopping to rest good portion Of
the time. 4th. It needs man Of superior
skill and judgment to drive the team and
manage self-raker properly, while any
boy or girl old enough to handle tho reins
can do the driving for hand raker. Now,
We claim that these objections to self.rakers
are we'll founded and are sustained by
practical experience. We claim that ma
chine simple in construction, not liable to
get out Of repair, that can always be de-
pended on for big days work, that will
do good execution in every kind or condi-
ton Of grain, that cuts six feet wide, that
is handled with perfect ease with q single
team, cutting from sixteen to twenty acres
per day, is the machine to purchase. All
those desiring such machine will find
that the Beloit Reaper and Mower, manu.
by Parker & Stone, Of Beloit,
Wisconsin, is warranted to fill the bill,