Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-07-23

ness 10 the care OF farm machinery
and implements could be even approx
imately arrived at, il would probably
present one ofthe most astonishing ex
|amples Of waste the country has yet
seen. Fully as great as the perquis-
|ites--to say stealings might be con-
sidsred libelous-of those who have
to do with the erection of our public
buildings. aud The various jobs Of some
OF curl makers. both national and
state. Itwould goa good way il
paying the interest on our national
debt. Now, considering that the work
ling people of the United States pay
nearly all the interest of this debt, a:
we'll as the principal so far as pad, and
simply for the reason that they vote
tor such men for lawmakers as the
pot.house pandererers who run the po'
|ii.ical caucuses aud conventions choose
to select, and as the farmers Of the
United States compose much more than
one half of this population, 1t behooves
them to economic 10 this important
mat Ter Of saving in the wear and tear
of farm machinery and Implements
Many OF them are costly, and when
worn, either from carelessness or long
use, are not only inefficient, but ex-
pensive TO keep even in working orr
der. We have time and again written
upon th. subject, especially upon the
saving in keping them properly hous-
ID. and their bright surfaces protect
ed from rust, and their wooden
and rough iron parts well painted
and will here only add that
the makers Of machines and lmple-
ments often buy, particularly OLD ma
chimes, if we'll preserved, at enor-
nous prices, simply as an advertise
ment, Just as a pIano-maker does an
ancient barpsichord, to show their GUS
toners how long piano will last.
Experiments m .de in France some
wears ago, showed that the friction CT
wooden surface running on WOOD
amounted 10 from one quarter TO one
halt the force employed. The fric'
ton of metal on wood was scme'hlng
less. while with metal on metal sur
faces the friction was from ope~hitb
TO one seventh of the power required
TO move them With lard applied to
wood on wood, the friction Was only
one tenth TO one twentieth OF the power
required to move the surface fetal
on metal had the friction reduced to
,pe-half of what it was before. OF the
various lubricstors used in these ex-
periments, pure lard and black lead
gave the least friction, when cast iron
moved upon cast iron.
The chief reason why machines last o
much longer with some farmers than
With others, is f'om care IN wiplrg and
iliup, for whenever get worn, the
play soon causes the machine to be-
come racked from the constat shaking
and Earring of these loose surfaces.
This is especially true of all fast'run,
Ming gears, as those of reap"rs and
mowers, threshers, corn-shellers, fans
ming mills, and the various ieedsgriud-
ing power mills in use on the farm
The chief cause Of wear in all jour'
mails and bearings is either from the
cumming Of the surfaces, from the lu>
oricators used, or from dirt containing
grit working iu. A bearing, there
tore, should be frequently wiped clean,
before oiling, and every possible means
nsed to protect them from outside eau
SEES Of wear. A good wagner always
wipes the axles before Oiling them
Very few also wipe the BIKES, aud yet
one should be ss necessary as the 9TH
err. 1t will keep the bearings true tor
a long time, and save vast amount
of wear and tear for the team. How
much more necessary, then, for such
costly machines as reapers, mowers,
threshers, and grinding mills, whose
usual life, as now managed, is only
about three years.
Bearings, from the long-contlnued
use of gummy lubricators, sometimes
come 10 consume more in friction than
dry surfaces. There is nothing better
for cleaning such surfaces than kero-
sene. After cleaning, use only the
lubricators. For swift-runniug bear
ings, fatty mattur ia the best. (lt is
poor economy to buy cheap oil. } For
slow bearings and journals, petroleum
lubricltors are the best. The matter
Iof friction in farm machinery is really
a serious one to the owners, and yet
we suppose the makers Of farm ma
shineiy will 70 on reaping rich re-
wards year by year, from the useless
wear and tear ofmacainery, and which
they really do not covet, simply be-
cause the majority Of our farmers de
pend upon borrowing an agricultural
paper, rather than to buy one, and
thus often lose more in one day than
would pay for good paper for five
years. If horses had the speech given
to Baalam ass, they would often put
their masters 10 MUD of the loss accru
ing from the lack of oil. but since the
only means OF communication ia
through CALLED shoulders, curb, sprain,
vindgalls. e:c., we suppose ignorant
and nou-reading farmers will SO on
year after year 10 the oil slack way,
warned ouly by complaining and creak'
ing aYles, rickety machines and dlsa
bled teams, which indeed only come
after so much injury is done that the
value of the machine or animal is
thereafter not worth much.