Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-08-05

From "Farmer.''
WINCHESTER, Scott Co., July %. 1880.
Ed. Register
1 was ashamed of my last when 1t
appeared in print; there were 80 many
omissions and mistakes. 1t was my
own fault and not the printers, how
ever. A man Is to blame il he tries to
write and keep up running converse
ton at the same time, and then does
not read over and correct his manu-
script.
I have some bad news for the farm
ers down your way; after all the vicissi-
tudes of winter and spring this whole
fall wheat country ripened a heavy
crop of grain, and such flood of this
cereal is now pouring into market as
was never known before. The quality
and yield per acre are not equal to last
year, but the acreage 30 very much lar
ger that the crop, in the aggregate, is
far ahead of last year. A new feature
in this years harvest was the general
introduction of self-binding reapers,
both twine and wire. More machines
were sold than could be deli vered, and
farmers were running to railroad depots
night and day, while their wheat was
getting dead ripe in the field; many
were disappointed at last, and were
compelled to resort to their old reapers
and hire binders at So day. With a
fair promise of wheat next spring, SO
many of these machines will be brought
in, that harvest hands will be at dis
count. Not only will the reaper bind
the wheat next year, but bunch it ready
for shocking; so that even less help will
be needed in the field than had to follow
them this year. Their machinery is
more complicated than that of the Or
binary reaper, but is mostly cast, and
easily replaced when broken or worn.
They greatly expedite harvest work,
not only because they can bind and
bunch, but because they are tireless. and
can be run night and day. and Sunday,
too, as they were here this year. Here,
wages than any other, though they
work harder, and for more hours, than
any other labOrers. Harvest has been
the only time that they could get really
wages; but the harvest is
now shortened, the wages cut down,
and while these machines operate to
drive labor from others fields, they put
the price of the field still further out of
labor's reach. One can not help won-
dering when capital will lay upon labor
the feather that broke the camel's back. |
Now the wrong is not in the invention
and introduction of machinery, but in
allo owing capital to drive and divorce Ia
Dor from the land upon which such ma
chinery is used. Under proper social
such inventions would save
labor; under our present social condi-
tions they starve labor, and bring the
poor more and more under the control
of the rich.
had expected, when the Presiden-
tial and local tickets we're made up, to
have some stirring political news for
your columns; but never, within the
recollection Of your correspondent, has
here been so little ado about such mat
ers; the masses seem to have conclud-
I'd that all these platforms are tweedle-
lum and tweedledee, and there is no
whatever. The county tick
It's here-three of them-are more or
ess displeasing to a majority of the
'oters, and if any had the courage to
un independent, who are at all ac-
'eptable, they would win.
Looking over the prospect from this
,oint there seems to be hard chance
or Garfield, and the Republican party
not because their opponents
re either very active or enthusiastic.
'ut because the party that was born as
he champion of freedom has come out
With such a dish-wate platform that ,,
he election is likely to go by defanlt as t
were. There is always calm before q
storm, and we may look for hubbub !
fter the election, if this quiet lasts ev- !,
a so long.
The census returns of our county have q
cen partially published and show e
ain of SO, or less than one per cent. for .
.e last decade. Winchester, the CO un- a
, seat, shows loss of over 300. Scott t
ill, however, show very fairly along y
de almost any county in the States 4
II fl.<,
ssippi and north of the Ohio. The inn a
igration into these States has been al q
ost nothing; the emigration from them n
rs been large, because land is here, as g
the Old World, fast becoming the rich n
ans luxury. The less wealthy are 81
'iven from The State to seek homes =, :,
carer the sand-hills and the Rockies. b.