Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1884-03-12
Improvements In o Operations.

Within the last few years several oper.
atoms of the farm have been radically
changed by the introduction of new and
improved machinery and methods. But
ter and cheese making have been almost
revolutionized by the cheese factory.
the creamery, and the use of the sub.
merged can. Cattle-raising has been
changed in some measure by the invest
nent of large capital ranches and by
the free use of bulls of the best breeds,
thus greatly altering the character OF
the beeves, which were not q dozen
years ago thin, deer-like animals, and
now bulky brutes scarcely inferior to
the product of the corn growing states.
Well bred stations are changing the
horses of the West from light, nervous.
and quick-moving animals of no we'll
fixed type into stately, powerful and
steadfast draft-horses of great value.
Large amounts of capital are taking.hold
of the work which individual farmers
and others have not been able to carry
forward to successful and profitable
result, and there is now q prospect that
sorghum sugar making will become
one of the established and important in
dustries of the country.
What the next great step will be in
the march of progress in farm work it
may not be easy to predict, but the con-
dltion OF the grain markets, the rivalry
of India increasing in importance with
wonderful rapidity-the almost certain
appearance of Central Africa as COM
petitor within the next quarter of GEN.
tury, seems to warrant the belief that
great improvements will be made in the
modes of preparing the ground for and
harvesting crops of grain. Compar.
ative]y little advance has been made in
blowing within the last quarter of acen-
fury, although the work of preparing
the soil for seeding is the most tedious
and costly of all the operations con-
nected with grain. growing.
Wind Power on the Farm.
Probably there was no subject before
the Wisconsin Agricultural Convention
that attracted more attention from the
practical farmers present than did that
of wind power for farm use as presented
by Mr.. Fox, of Winnebago County, Ill
inois.
Mr.. Fox descanted at length upon the
benefits conferred by the proper appli-
cation of this power, and then in detail
described the manner in which he util-
lZed it and the results therefrom. On
these points We are sure our notes,
taken on the occasion, will be of great
benefit to many farmers in tho windy
land of the West.
The tower in this case stands between
the house and barn. He connects to
the well-house adjoining the kitchen
FUSED also for churning) with counter
shaft, % IT,, operating main lever, ex-
tending into and across the we'll. house by
means of face-plateeI and pitmsn, to the
churn by counter Lever worked by main
lever, and to the washing machine by an
elbow and pitman worked by the same.
He connects to circular saw IS it,.
through the shop to the woodward by
means of 3-ft. shrieve and cable from
oounter-shaft in the mill, and back
again from saw-shaft into shop to oper-
ate grindstone, turning lathe, etc. He
connects with the barn 200 it., by Shift.
shrieve on counter-s1aft in upper story
of tower, and cable to another 3-ft., ,
shrieve over main door on a short shaft.
which by means of friction gear in
turn operates main shaft across the
scaffold over same door and parallel to
the thrashing floor, which draws by
means of belts and pulleys, or shrieves
and cables, the thrasher, shelter, feed
cutter. fanning-mill, and whatever else
he finds it desirable to attach. Although
he enters the barn at the awkward angle
of about 20 deg, yet by means of the
said friction gear the machinery is run
at slight loss of power. The ma
chinery is ranged nearly abreast across
the floor.
One left. geared mill so to go It. tower