The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1888-06-08
The Manure spreader.

1ne manure spTeaOer can pc ma0e
one Of the most valuable machines on
the farm, but it needs careful farmer
to make it pay. The following exper-
ience related by Teary in the Country
Gentleman will explain why the spread
er is generally unpopular:
A friend in the South wishes me to
tell in your columns how I like the
manure spreader, after having used it
longer, and whether it would pay him
to buy one to spread about $50 loads Of
manure year He says there is not
one any where in his locality, so he
cannot go to see man who has used it.
find by looking at my cash account
that I have had mine seven years.
During that time we have probably
spread 1900 loads of mannre. BY this
time certainly one should be able to
judge both of the durability and prac-
ticability Of the machine. I had fears
at first that it would get out of order,
or break somewhere, easily, and on this
account be dear machine, although
doing good work. But during seven
years mot one single thing has given
out. Not single cent has been paid
for repairs, and I can now see
no part that is worn so as to be
likely to give out during my life
time. After seven years. use / would
not pay as many dollars boot money in
trade for new machine. But for all
this I know Of sprealers that have
been throw aside as useless by the own.
ers. Why was this? Well, there were
several reasons. In the first place they
were left out.of.doors too much. The
wooden parts, particularly the rolling
bottom, swelled up by being wet, and
then of course it would not run per-
fectly. Again, good heavy oil, such
as castor, was not used freely ON every
part where there was friction. The re-
suit of this was that the spreader drew
SO hard as to get the name Of 'horse-
Killer One farmer in this county said
that when he wanted to kill his horses
be would take them out and shoot
them, not hitch them to that thing.
For another reason, farmers some
time expected the machine to spread
all kinds Of manure, perfectly, without
any care ON their part-just dump it
in and drive ahead, all the same wheth.
er it was loose and strawy, or wet and
heavy.
This spring my 6fteen-year-old SON,
home from school during vacation, was
running the spreader. We were draw.
ing from the covered barnyard manure
which was quite short from having been
trampled on SO much by the stock. He
tramped the manure in the cart as SOL
idly as possible, while it was being
thrown on. Set at fifteen loads to the
acre it would spread this perfectly, al
most. and pretty large load could be
packed in. After while we came to
manure taken direcly out Of the box
stalls of the horse stable, where it had
been accumulating for some weeks.
The.aoor being absolutely water tight it
was very wet and heavy, all except q
little on top. But the straw used for
bedding was long and tough, not broken
up as in the yard. This manure was
loaded the same as the other, at first,
and the way it spread would have just
delighted any anti.machinery man.
There were great wads and bupches
and then bare strips, from one end ofthe
field to the other. What was the trouble?
The manure was SO wet and tough
that the beater could not separate it.
What the remedy? We simply did not
tramp it at all just filled level full from
the ground, and nicer job one could
hardly ask for than was done then. We
have never found any manure that
could not be spread nicely, when every
thing was just right. If it is very
heavy and We want to put on 20 loads
to the acre, te do the finest work we
sometimes have to set the machine for
10 loads and go over the ground twice
There is always = way that the work
can be done well.
Now, in regard to the drawing hard,
my machine, when properly oiled with