The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1877-03-06
FARMERS INSTITUTE.
Essays Delivered at the FARM
ers' Institute, Held at Hills
dale, January goth, goth,
and 27th, 1877.

PARM roobs-rHER CARE AND UsR--BY
wM. DRAKE, OF AMBoY.
The subject assigned me, IL rightly
understand il. is, first, farm imple-
ments; second, their care; third, their
use, with careful admonition to occu-
py from five 10 fifteen minutes. That
1 should give any extened history Of
farm implements, and the improve
ments made therein, in the time allot-
ted me, is impossible.
shall notice each division briefly as
presented in the programme.
1t is an old saying, a workman is
known by his chips. 1 think wa ought
to have a new saying, workman is
known by the tools he keeps.
cannot give you any better esti-
mate of the value Of farm implements
than by contrasting those in use by
our forefathers and those of the pres
ent day. The former, when they wish
ed to plow, went TO the woods and
searched out tree with two piongs,
upon one OF which was hitched the
team, and upon the other was fastened
a rude iron, with which to mellow up
the soil, and when the blowing was
done they could hitch on the top of the
tree of which the pillow was constructed
and drag in the seed. Now contrast
this method with our best plows Of to-
day, with which we can stir the soil to
the depth of foot or more, turning
under every green thing, and complete
ly inverting the surface, making il
much more productive, aud when our
plowing is done we find in our harrows
cultivators and drills equal advantages
for preparing the soil and putting in
the seed.
In planting aud tending our crops
the hoe has given place to the planter,
the corn-plow and cultivator. In gath
ering in our crops we might look back
a few years and take view OF the man
who, with sickle in hand, has entered
his harvest and bends to his work, and
when evening has come, by excessive
toll, he has succeeded in gathering
from one-fourth to one-half acre as the
fruit Of his labor. Let us place beside
this man.another with our best harvest
er. Seated in his comfortable seat,
lines in hand, he commences his days
work, and when evening has ceme he
looks over his days work, and instead
Of one-fourth or one-half acre, there
lay before him, nicely cut and raked,
ten or twelve acres-yes, has accom-
plishcd in one day the labor OF 25 men,
with their old-time implement. Then
there is the mower, the king OF farm
implements, with which man may cut
a field of five or ten acres while his old
fashioned neighbor, with his scythe, il
cutting out the corners of the fence;
and when our field is cut we mount our
horse-rake and sweep over the field,
gathering up the new-mown hay in an
almost incredibly short time, and with
our hay-fork we quietly lift the hay in
to the NOW, and our work is done. In
threshing we might call your attention
to the man treading out grain with his
team on the threshing-foor, as in old
en- times, or quietly knocking out ker-
mel after kernel with his fail, and
cleaning up at the end Of the day five
to eight bushels as the fruit OF his ex-
cessive toll. We might contrast these
methods with the improved threshers,
which will thresh five to eight hundred
bushels per day, and get some idea OF
the amount Of labor saved and time
gained by the use OF fsrm-tools; but
perhaps you wish me to say what tools
a farmer should keep. AS rule 1
would say get all the labor saving ma.
chinery you need, il you can pay for it;
and don't fail to get the most useful
part OF set Of carpenters tools, with
which TO keep them in repair. IL farm
implements enable us to perform so
much labor, and do it so much easier,
| how should we take care of them?
would say, first, keep them in perfect
repair. / think we often loose sight
OF the fact that machinery run when
out Of order soon destroys itself. The
first moving machine bought in our
town was Chief, not considered by
many n frst-class machine, and yet by
keeping in good repair IL has done its
work well for the last sixteen years.
and is still in running order and able
to do, don't know how much more
work, while the Ball, Buckeye, Dodge
and Russell, bought soon after in the
same vicinity, have been laid aside
used up. Second, oil the iron work to
keep it bright, and keep well painted.
This, think, is second in importance.
1t keeps the wood work from checking,
keeps the water out, preserves Its
strength and gives it good appear
ance. Third, keep your tools and ma
chinery housed when not in use. The
cost OF tool-house need not be much,
with n corner cut of for workshop in
which TO make your repairs. Fourth,
their use will enable us 10 accomplish
more work in less time than we could
accomplish without them, thus giving
us leisure for study and recreation.
By the use OF farm machinery we can
do our work much easier, thus making
farm life pleasant, and not one Of ex-
cessive toll; we can do our work at the
right time, and secure our crops in the
best condition, without the necessity
OF commencing too early, before they
are fully ripe, and continuing until
they are over-ripe. and suffer loss. We
must use our most improved farm i'm
plements to enable us TO compete sue.
cessfully in the markets of the world
with those countries where labor is fan
cheaper than in our own.