Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-06-09

Do Not Use the Old Tools too
TnmO

Many farmers use their old farming
tools long after their places should De
filled by new and better ones. We COM
plain of competition in agriculture. when
we are often using tools for doing our
work, that are so badly worn. and so far
behind the times that they would ruin any
other business. We are living in an age
of invention. Improvements in machines
are made so rapidly that it often happens
that one can not afford to wear an imple-
ment entirely out.
A few years ago. we were strongly
tempted to keep a large portion of our
own land in grass, because 1t was SO much
work to plough, cultivate and re-seed it.
We were about forming this resolution at
a time when we were seeding down a
large field to grass, and had nothing bet
ter for doing the work than an oid-fash-
ioned nine toothed A harrow that would
cover only about four and half feet at a
time. There were some four or five acres
to seed. and after the harrow had been
dragged over the ground once. to level 1t
before sowing the seed, and twice after
wards, to work it in, tapping the old
harrow about half way every time round
one may believe that, with blistered
feet and aching bones. one might easi-
ly get into that peculiar condition
of mind which is conducive to disgust
of all farm work. And yet that old har-
row was pretty good harrow, as harrows
went; it was borrowed for doing much OF
the narrowing in the neighborhood, and
for half-acre job it was useful tool.
year or two later, the disk wheel har-
rows and the Thomas smoothing harrows
were introduced upon our New England
farms. and we procured one of each.
The result was a complete revolution
in our method of farming. Instead of
trying to keep the land nearly all in
grass, we began to increase the area
under cultivation. until at one time, the
whole farm was under the plough and
harrow the same year. and in comparison
to the old methods of working the soil,
the new was really delight. 1t makes
a vast deal of difference in ones feelings
and opinions concerning the profits, and
especially the pleasures of farming,
whether it takes week, or a single day
for doing a certain piece of work. With
the new Thomas harrow, with its seventy
two teeth, one can cover nearly ten feet in
width at sweep, and do the work better
at one operation. than by going over it
two or three times with the old. heavy,
straight. toothed narrow impliment that
was esteemed so highly but few years
ago.
There are many cultivators in use, whose
old cast iron teeth were worn to mere
stubs years ago. A member of one of
our farmers clubs used such an imple-
ment the past season, for cultivating out
corn field. and after he had done all he
could with it, he said it cost him five dol
lars to hoe his corn by hand. while in an
other case. the same time spent in using
a suitable implement. left the field in no
need of any hand work whatever, SO that
the new tool was paying for itself every
time it cultivated out a two-acre field.
Farmers certainly err seriously when they
spend valuable time using worthless tools.
but it is of little use to urge man to
plough and cultivate his land well, when
we know that he has not a tool on his
farm fit to work with. Our advice to a
man who proposes to make farming bus
iness. would be to sell off many of his
old tools occasionally at auction, or to men
who have but little use for farming tools.
and replace them with the best, well test
ed. new styles he can find. A new plough
point may cost so cents to ST., but it may
enable the ploughman and team to earn
81. where the old one would not earn one.
Poor ploughing. by the use of worn up
plough, may diminish crop very materi-
ally