, 1879-07-18
WHEAT ON THE PLAINS.
Tho 1yarvess.senson in hnAna.
Mr. York Sun.

llkl6 &HC AiE Uil luc NHtsAS 1A"ba~o At !"
the midst oi the harvest Of her wheat crot'. All
mascs oyer II years old arc to-day engarrd In
the saving of the wheat, and wheat Is never
saved until It Is IN tl,e bins.
The harvest Of u crop Of 100 acres Of wheat in
New York Is not common thing. Bat on tho
Western YIslns. whers the eruwin. Of wheat In !
n reeuIhr business, and In some scrfio,s. mia. |
bis In tic so-called Golden Belt Of kauEas. It. Ia
almost the only industry followed, many met, |
hare fields Of COO acrca. Fields oi Wheat OF !
600, 1900, and 1000 acres nre noi unconlinon.
The hantltng ri thrke cnormols cropa Is 20
radically different FROM the tnctho'l iractieed sy
tue Eastern farmers OF New fork, PcnDsylva-
MA, and Ecw England. who IN ulany cnsrs still
use the crudlc To cut efalH, and thresh It With
fail, tllut they will read with interest nf tisc
saving Of crop, where the industry aud capiint
nf the land are entirely devoted tn tho raisn.
tit.
The wheat having successfully run the Eannt
let or locukts, bail, rust, mud chin"tl-l,'gs, Is
ready fur the sickle. The straw Is still gscenfs
hut the terry Is Ia the "ht!fl dough- a, ma
chimes known as "sclf-blndcrs nntl l'urvrstr
crs" are set up, u,.1 soon nru ut work IN ti't
folds. In some fields istc nr slx belf-blm'crs
r,t, be eecn at work. These machines ore drawn
by three horres, driven by man who rides On j
high spring seat. The r0ltsunt claug. rlanE,
cIanr oil the steel springs Of thes- niael1iiIcs ~
they deliver tho tightl'-bound bundles. u"
Quick Ierkiug of The bunues through ihc air.
the invrssaui revolving risf.a ami tnlfLnE Of
the irou binding arms, tlIe Straight rows oi
bound bundles living n's the ErouiH': HE few
men seen In tllr tfclds {only one snsu being al
lowed ID each Indchne 10 sh,Tk i'.c Eratn).
strike the ui,acrrst1,nci observer lorcioly. III
other fields " hutvcslc7s arr At work. Thrse
n,achiues are drawn By three horses. The 'nrn
who bind ride on tie macl!nc anl hind the
grait, as II IA delivered 10 them bv M elevator.
Symr of these machines have cotton rlath
strrtehcd over theshndrre. 80 TINT they arc !,ro'
tectesi. from TIE direct heat 81 s'c sun. ING
aeli.rakc. reanrrs are o,lt ri date lii the West.
The cradle !. almost unknown. The roung men
OF l,c plains are unnhlc to usc this tonl.
AZ thu harvest progresses the straw eets drtrr
II thr wea.icr looks favorable, .ure laid inside
aul tAc "hcadeFs" are sullel OIL 10 sayb the
crop. Thts mAchlur has thu sicklras directly
In front. The tongue atlcas out ochln.l. At
ought To be-. is a wheel Thai runs ou sl- Erutnt.
| This wheel serves rlid'lrf. small piut.
| form Is buiit above tho wheel on the tongue,
aud tic helm Of the rudjer sta1st's uon1v eight.
tic driver TO etradule IL nna tot II n good grip
on Il with Ills lBgs. Four horses mr. hliched 70
this n,acbuc. The whitiletrees bcIn. hl,rlsd to
the cnd Of the tongue. he team is Mhupcd
front OF them, cutting swatl' froH, ten TO SIX
tren faet wide, tile grain rs cut talit,tG ~, m
| euIicss CANVAS apron tllat moves rhtiuly i7oln
right to left. This apron delivers the grain to
! vida elevator, 1orned By two endless canvas
bcsts that reyolvc rapidly !he canvas
las oak stats nailrd arross 4 every fcss Inches,
so uk TO prevent ea9gin.. 'l'lie straw Oh cHt IL
carried to the point where. It ran b. firmly
graspcti between the two belts Of it,v cleyatov.
fhesn elevate II. alht It Is dtst'harge III sttaa1
stream III tic header boxes tllat arc PLACED. on
the common sfarm Wagons. Tllcss boSes ART
sixteen feet 1ouC, eight feet n1Ir, Anl three
feet dcep. Az one Is !Iilet! The machine stops
tor an instant, the wagon with thr full ln,x In
drawn away, anotlirr n''e with All eH,pty box ID
driven under tie elevator snnt, crack u n
whip, the voices Of tho drivers. NIT! The header
moves on. Three wagons aru required to tend
header, mud seven tnen arc necdcd,--four
drivers, Il louder, mud twU stackeFk It IS 'hc
cheapest way kuo~n Of cutting wheat. When
lcld IL cut the grain Is oil stacked. md tlt
etiyring-p -pluws can start At once to prtpara thu
land for fall sowing. The only drawback to ssr
uso Of the header is In the great difficulty q
Turn rain during tic hcrco, dttytns thunder.
In Tie harvest.t!clds Of Tho West the men arg
expected 10 work. TlWru IL no whisky, 10 IL
up. They beGtu work about snnsise, ulsd WORK
steadily Until nt,on. Then they get wrctcalcc
,nrA! Of baeou, bread, atYi coGse. II iht
drought has spared The garden, they also llays
plenty Of yrge.ablcs; but Erntral!y the Eardct
il deud. TIE ha,hts get the sarac fund tle prs,
prIctor's IunY lives on. n,ll that Il bacon. coi
| fee. md bread. WHrk Is resumed D. soou Al
t,r horses have eatet, the!reorn, ad alt tl'ro.Et
ihat hot June afternoon, With brnxrn Western
SUI pouring down OIL them, The tncH stac:er on
Men set melted by s'!e hcat aud drop iron, sh
luarhincs ur IN the field. THEY aru dragged int'
the shads aud lcIt tlsere, III. Wofh nas stop.n; y,
wheat farm after the 6rst daY's woFis Inns bcr1
.. done. All the harvest hands are really to res
ticlr haIt-broled. ncht,, heaus IS suo1, 10 auppe
is over: aull The women ure utterly laSvtd W
cuoii,s Ia the smail, hot k!trlrns ilat ar
universal ia Kansas. They yet rs''ss "'"l llal
! | sick, mn! arc apt to wat. ihtIr tongiics angr
at Tia men OF ilsclr choice, "a It seems ~ r.
liuyu thr,r gnel,nrs. never blame tLeu' fur u
Wlion the grain Is cut tho Kausa. iarn's,
ahow great differences In ,he handling, Of N
| crop. Some stack lhe wheat, allowing. II J.
thoroughly sweat n tue Esuek neofs tt!est' ~
gra!a to stllld Ii the stack untii perirgely nrt
u.ti Then thrrsl, from tl'e stock. Still ulhet
!, thrcsh from tl,u heada II thc weather tr taTor'
TIe tIls's pfrs1l E5an 'Is a s w.
las got to TO through this rrorcas el!hrr ia u.
STRAW, in tho tin, III tho hour; ai'ss theS prt
:. Ter 10 have It sweat beforo tncy gF1nu It. IL
I process. Tile straw on Tho stack bccy,"s y,
). damu. aud The wheat t!lat waa "olI color" .
bieached befors stacking, has ita color teatnrta
d shrlssrd whest beco,nes pI,l!npss. ~ t,,, H."
r / fur weeks utter atacatl,E the wheat - tAroHc
3 | tlp "swrat, !" hud IL really for threshlnS' y !.
i swcats III The bin, ,lr grain feels DAMP af'
- Fuptayorable weather, heats. ...,,.
+. 4 Job Of threshnE in tl'r summer Is useaMS ~,
i BY III men; hut the w"rk as 10 bs aoas w,u! ~
chaapest way 10 do /. Is with separalns "!sg "
" tStes ssh sr si l"s eissn tro 400 to ~ lsIels
wl,eut per dur. Ihr l.orsss narr!l Itoaaa M ny ~
!. circle. Tlie lrlyus. ssan'ln or si,s ton OF "
Il nower, with = joug whlI, In his hA''ds, kecps 4
4 ] constantly yelIlii. at thu tcama, lhs sirsl
q q tbo horses ,nsreh On bseones hard and dust.
Tic dust rises III yast clouds a,a y swept
- - - ~ 'n,rhjnr aud s,arks. Tile feeders, ~
10 aS,uter 1s ,sssaua aiturasto il iecing The uthrss
+, straw iuto thr 'cparator rhe ntan =, who ia
Work o!ls the ."ashne aa Keeps IT. IL E@l'
n front ut tho cylinder, grasps buudle. and. VII
~ Isft movement, shakes Ii up and starts It III
N thu irou-tovthet cylinder. A a,eady ssrsata