The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1884-07-03
Storing Away Farm Machinery.


Isuppose il i. hardly necessary to tell
your readers that they should store
away the farming implements They
knowt this well enough. however poorly
they may put their knowledge to prac-
tice. A person travelling over the coun-
try would wonder at the carelessness of
farmers in this respect had not familiari-
ty with it worn off the edge Of surprise.
In the Eastern States be viii ind farm
machinery best taken care OF. Assfe
goes westward he Will find the careless
ness increasing, ard by the time he
reaches Kansas and Nebraska he will
wonder when he sees implements shell
tered instead Of being left unprotected
1t is popularly supposed that the OBJ
jecl of farming is to make money. The
farmer is accredited with no better mo-
tive for working than the love Of gain.
He tolls early aud late for dollars and
dimes. But when we consider the way
he treats his farm machinery we are
constrained to think that he has no re-
gard or care for monev. and that he La
bors to obtain money to purchase farm
machinery only to let the wind, rain
and sun destroy it. For the action OF
these elements is more destructive to
machinery than the wear and tear OF
use; yet the farmer neglects, year after
year, to store away his implements Sc
cure from sun and weather.
At this time the busy operations of
the farm are drawing to close. The
season OF cultivation is almost ended.
The ground for grain has been pre-
pared, the seed has been sown, the
plants cultivated, and. with the cxcep-
ton Of corn, the crop has been harvest
ed. Flows, harrows, rollers, stalk-cut-
tiers, corn-planters, wlieat-drills, culti-
vators, mowers, rakes, reapcrs, etc,
will not be needed for six months.
Spend a day in storing them. Y.
But before YOU cook yonr hare, saws
Mrs. Glass, first catch II. 50 before You
can store away your farm machinery
under n shelter you must have shelter.
This Is the great bugbears A shelter
costs so much, farmers say. Not
necessarily So A good shelter an
swering every purpose, can be con-
structed at small cost. 1t must exclude
sun and rain; that is all. A she'd, sided
with boards nailed horizontally To posts
set in the ground, and rooted with
boards laid on pole rafters, will do this,
and do it well. 1t may not be a beau
tiful thing. but it will be very good
shelter, all you want unless you have
money TO spend for beauty. II may not
be so durable rs one painted and rooted
with shingles, but it will save you
enough money to erect painted, shin
gle-roofed shelter in few years. a
straw shed, ii dry, makes very good
shelter.
After you have built the shelter ii is
not enough To draw the farm machin-
cry under il. IL must fist be cieansed
81 al dirt! Drawing piow through a
composition of aluminium aud aqua
pura may put pretty fresco on the
mold board, but YOU must wash oil that
fresco before you put the plow away.
Brighten up the steel parts and paint
the woodwork. Give the steel parts a
coating OF tallow or coal-oil, to prevent
their rusting. If the floor Of the she'd IS
OF earth, blocks couple OF inches thick
should be placed under the implements
to keep them off the ground.
Sheltered implements not only last
longer than those not sheltered but
with them better work can be done. 1t
is impossible to do good Job OF plow-
ing with u rusty pillow, q good job OF now
ing with rusty moves, or u good job
OF drilling with rusty drill. his APP
les as we'll to t @ minor implements
II farming. Bright spades, shoycls,
hoes. and forks will do better work and
with less labor expended in their use
than rusty ones. AS soon as any OF
these implements are no longer needed
they should be cleaned and put in their
places.
Sheltered tools are less liable to break
than those not sheltered, Freaks are
always vexatious because they invaria-
bly, occur when the implement is in
use, and then delays are expensive and
annoying. Cor. Hroarie farmer,