River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-07-27
A CENTENNIAL LITTER.


The managers of the "'omen's Pavilion
have made several mistakes that detract il
no small degree from the attractions OF theil
exhibition. In several instances ladies who
have offered articles OF the greatest valu,
have been neglected or fatty refused exhib.
I ition until now that the merits of their offer,
ings are seen as the crowds flock 10 them IN
other departments the directors OF the Wo.
mems building would take them In. Nota.
bly, is this the case with Mrs. Maxwell the
huntress OF Colorado, who wrote them, more
| than year ago, asking permission to exhibit
| in their department, her collection Of 20O
animals, including all the native fauna Of
/ Colorado, except the stone marten aud per-
! haps one or two others-and 800 stuffed birds
IN Eases, birds nests, &c,, all prepared, and
most OF them gathered hy her own hand
! But they never answered her application un-
I'll about month before the time for starting,
and till after she had arranged with the Col
| Orado Commission 60 exhibit in the Colorado
| department. And then they wrote her that
her letter had been overlooked, and they
| would like TO hear from her again. They
! did not offer her place in their Department.
! II is no disparagement to other exhibitors 10
say, that there is nothing exhibited in the
| Women'S department that eXcites halt the
| interest or attention that Mrs. Maxwell'S eX-
hibit do $.
A TRIAL OF REAPERs AND BINDERS
was held the past week, at Schenck's station,
some twenty miles north Of here, on the line
OF the road to New York, and a large number
of machines on exhibition here, participated
| in the trial. Director General Goshorn, by a
! published hand bill. had announced that the
competitive trial, ordered some time ago,
would not he held, for reason not given, Tut
! that voluntary trial by exhibitors might be
made. And Supciintendcnt Landrtth gave
notice that such trial would be held on
! Thursday, Friday and Saturday of last week.
was there to see on my own responsibility
| and at my own expense, and followed tie
machines for some five hours, under a plaz-
ing hot sun, and at another time shall give
the result OF my observations. Az present
wish 70 speak of reapers and reaper trials in
| general. A. to competitive trials, my ma.
tured conviction, after long observation, is
that usually they are great sham. Almost
always, majority OF the Judges are composed
oil men incompetent to determine the real
merits OF the r jed citing machines. They are
not experts, 1. re not half so well qualified
to Judge justly, as majority OF farmers who
use these machines ID Is rare that even one
expert can b" found upon any committee, or
that the award made at such trials command
general confidence. Apropos of this subject,
good story is told, which, if not true, at
least represents truly the popular belief II
is said that Mr.. Landreth, the Superintendent
VI ~ ibhAAutdi Nlhtt u MT. iNfNuOiuS,
Of Chicago, Secretary Of the Great Industrial
Exposition there, asking him what he
/ thought would be the effect OF holding COM
petitive trials OF Agricultural machinery, and
bestOwing awards. Mr. Reynolds, it is said,
replied that il would work great injury but
for one reason, and that was, that nobody
now was TOOL enough to care anything for
such awards.
BUYING MEDALS.
In I'D %, ~.
judges, there is the liability to be Influenced
to render partial Judgment to avorites.
Wealthy machine makers having had long
experience in this business, with medals and
stars emblazoned all over their banners, as tro-
phies OF former contests, enter the field deter
mined TO win new laurels, and are not al
ways prescriptions as TO the means Of OBJ
tanning The victory. Indeed, the renowned
commanders of ell-disciplined armies might
take lessons in strategetic tactics, and in the
art OF mining and saping, OF these veteran
knights OF the harvest field. And the Judges,
sometimes IN the innocence of their souls
and sometimes with SIMS er motives, scarce
" concealed, walk right into the trap set for
them, and often render verdict that has no
more relation TO the facts of the trial, than a
proposition in Euclid has TO the fables OF
Esop These judges are often appointed by
the influence OF prominent manufacturers,
and there l. often as much craftsmanship man
\
liested at these trials, as in political caucus
| speak oil what | have seen and what know.
The field selected for the trial was very
large one, and the grain on the south side
stood upright, hut that on the north and
west part was quite crimpled with heads in
terlocked, and some OF It was badly lodged.
And the grain was too ripe and the straw
very brittle. Any lair reaper can cut and lay
decently upright grain; but the test is, will
y do work well IN grain IN bad condition
Few OF those on the ground could cut and de-
liver lodged grain Most of them cut up
right grain well enough, but only a small
number laid the bundles smoothly and even
ly. Indeed, all OF the revolving arm-rake
reapers lay the bottom of the bundle cross
wise, as any one can see by examining it.
THE EsTERLY REAPER, or WHITEWATER, WIS.,,
with reel and one arm-rilke working in a
quarter circle, is the only machine here that
lays the bundle perfectly even Equal to any
IN all other respects, it excels all others in
this.
But reapers have had their dav, and hence
forth haryesters and binders are to take the
lead. A good harvester saves the labor of
two men, Tor two men can bind as fast as a
harvester can cut, but it takes four men to
b nd alter a reaper. The imperiections of all
harvesters here, except one, are, that they do
not separate tue bundles, and hence in bind
ing there is always some scattering and waste;
t4At llltg all use CANVAS Win ntllS ana roll
ers TO carry the grain, and as the canvas
stretches in dry, and shrinks in damp wealth.
er, and the straw winds around the rollers,
and the leaves and line straw clogs the gud-
geons, they are continually getting out Of or
der and cause much delay IN adjusting aud
cleaning.
EsTERLY AND soN's HARvEsTEks
dispense with all this machinery, ard a re.
voving and vibrating rake strikes the butts
OF the cut grain aud carries il up and on to
transverse table whore it is pushed by a re-
yersible rake TO the binders. II the grain is
light two bundles need make but one. Both
rakcs are driven by small spur wheel on the
main axle OF the driving wheel, working in a
spur gear, in connection with a cam rack
and pinion. The whole machine is simple,
operates perfectly and coinmends itself TO all
visitors.
Ny conviction is, that we have not reached
perfection in harvesting machinery We
must have in the future, what we have not
now, a harvester and binder that will cut
and bind grain in all stages, unless badly
lodged, and deliver il in good condition with
out w;.tse. such machine is demanded
Such a machine we must and doubtless shall
have at no distant day. The best machines
we now have are merely induces OF shat arc
10 be. s. NJ B.
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NaTtnN.r pANUuf-uTrv