The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1873-09-03
Letter from Oregon.
NEAR HARRISBURG. OREGON. !
An1r1nst 11th 1874

| citic coast. 1t may seem strange to
you that harvest should be so late
here, while it is so early in the adj
joining State, California. but such is
the climate on this coast that a man
may commence harvesting in Cali
fornia, and travelling up the coast, be
continuously in the harvest field for
nearly four months before reaching
Columbia river. I will try to give
your readers a description of the
mode of harvesting in these great
wheat lands. The threshers are the
latest improvements now in use in
the States, such as Pitts, Sweep
stake, ETC.. consequently need no
description. The Header is the
greatest curiosity and the easiest
way of saving grain | have ever
seen. I cannot give a very minute
description of the machinery, but it
looks like an immense reaper going
backwards. The six horses are all
abreast and directly in rear of the
sickle which cuts a swath twelve
feet wide. The driver stands over a
little wheel behind the horses by
which he guides the whole machine
ry in front he has also in reach a
lever by which he regulates the
sickle, according to the height Of the
grain, only enough being taken off
to save all the heads The grain as
fast as cut falls on drapery which
carries it to a sufficient height to
fall into a header-bed; there are
four of these driven along in rear.
and come forward to the side, alter
nately, as fast as one is filled. These
are immense, awkward looking things
about 9x18 feet; one side is about
Is inches high so as to come under
the shoot, while the opposite side is
about four feet high; the floor is
elevated above the front wheels of
the wagon by false holsters, and
boxing in the bottom for the hind
wheels to run in; the lower side of
the bed protrudes about two feet
farther out from the wheels, in order
to balance the higher side. Four of
these header wagons will generally
keep the machine going, when the
grain is convenient.
The wheat is sacked and left in
the field until hauled to market,
sometimes for six weeks or two
as harvest generally con
tinues over a month. A little straw
is thrown over the pile of sacks to
protect them from what light show
ers may fall. These combined ma
chimes are owned by companies
They charge 81 % per acre for
heading and five cents per bushel for
wheat and three cents for
oats. What wheat have seen
threshed has averaged from twenty
five to thirty bushels per acre: the
best field averaging thirty-seven and
a half. Wheat is now worth seven
ty-fve cents per bushel, delivered on
the railroad. the purchaser furnish
ing sacks. There are no large farms
here like in California, as the far
mers pay more attention to stock
raising. The average crop here is
from 5000 to 5000 bushels. Some
farmers SOW the common white wheat
which will not stand up like the stiff
straw native grain, and cannot wait
till it is sufficiently dry to head, but
have to cut it with reapers and pick
it up with barley forks. This is an
agricultural implement which I do
not love to handle. They are better
described by saying that they are
the ordinary wheat cradle in use
there, with the scythe taken off and
a handle put in like hay fork
they are hardly so large but about
as unhandy. They have mode of
taking the straw away from the ma
chine which they term "bucking
straw" This operation consists Of
a boy and a horse; he has a rail
with ropes attached at each end to
which he bitches the traces; this
rail with ropes is thrown over the
pile of straw as it accumulates from
the machine and with a rope fasten-
ed to the names, by which he holds
while standing on the rail, drives
out and scatters the straw where it
is afterwards burned. They also
have mode Of stacking straw which
is, I think, a grand success and
could be used advantageously in
Tennessee, where so much straw is
stacked. This also consists of
rail with a rope at each end, about
10 feet in length, both ends of the
ropes fastened together forming
triangle where these ropes are fas-
tened another is attached about so
yards in length, at the opposite end
Of which is boy with the front
wheels of wagon and span of
horses. There is a boy at the rail
who has his rope attached at the
of the others instead of the