The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1890-09-18
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
Interesting Review Of Recent Improve
q ments Which Tighten Farm Labor.

i
g ments Which Tighten Farm Labor.
LABOR Saving Machinery that Has Revolu-
tionized the Farmers Toll and It Should
Serve to Make Farming More Attractive to
Our Bost Boys.
Within ten years the character of
farm work has been altogether chang
cd, particularly in the great prairie
regions where the surface of the land
permits OF the easy use Of complicated
machinery. Let us note briefly the
character OF the revolution in farm
work, Its effect upon farming as an
occupation, and the changes it has
made IN the requirements of farm
labor.
IL IS about ten years since it was
aemonstrated by general practical
test. IN the harvest field that the Irvine
sel1-olnder was IL success That
destroyed at once three-fourths of the
labor OF small grain harvest. and the
most severe labor. What had made
us dread small grain harvest was the
bending over the sheaves living in the
stubble, that reflected fiercelv the
burning rays of the sun, and the severe
labor OF binding those sheayes Tho
self binder took from us all this hard
worh ana now even gathers together
the bundles to be shocked.
len years ago one half the labor of
threshlng was in handling the straw.
IN the west nearly all of it was, and
IS yet, stacked out OF doors and on the
stack was required a row of men to
pitch the straw, one to another, and
thus remove it from the straw carrier
10 those parts of the stack where il
was needed. This was the hardest
work of threshing ana frequently it
was very hard to get sufficient men
that would consent to do this work.
For three or four years we have had
''straW stacl1ers'' attached TO the
tnreshlng machines that, by means of
an endless carrier, deposits the straw
at any part of semi-circular stack
dolng away with all the hard work of
Pi p, the straw along the stack.
Inns year there is being used a stack
er mat by means Of atmospheric pres
sure lakes all the straw, chaff aud
DUST from the threshing machine and
drives 1t through a long sheet-steel
pipe to any part of the stack. This
not only saves the hard labor of NOV
Ing the straw on the stack, but saves
the laborers about the threshing ma
chine from the annoyance and iniurv
arising from the dust. Nearly one
half the labor and nearly all the
specially disagreeable feature Of
tu lTe mas been taken away.
len years ago more than one-half
the labor of hay harvest and the
hardest half was pitching the hay
from the windrow onto the wagon and
from the wagon to the stack or nov.
Now we have gatherer, operated by
boy, that gathers from the swath or
w1ndrows, half ton of hav, and
brings it to the Kicker, also operated
by boy, that picks it up and puts it
on the rick. All the hard work of
pitching is done away with and two
men men and two boys will put in the rick
hay as fast as it is cut with the
mower. %.2
This sufficiently indicates the nature
OF the revolution. Much labor that
formerly had to be accomplished with
human force is now done by horse or
steam power. This has materially
reduced the cost of producing bushel |
OF wheat or OF corn. or a pound of hay
or OF butter. While the expenditure
for farm machinery has been largely
increased and it costs something to |
operate these machines, yet to pur-
chase and operate them permits of :; |
crop being produced at less cost than |
by the old methods. The prices for
farm products that prevailed ten or
twenty years ago, compared with the
prices that now prevail do not furnish
Il correct statement of the relative
profit in farming then and now. Farm
ing now is more profitable than this
comparison indicates. .
Farming has already become one of
the ''lightest'' occupations. 1t re-
qulres less severe bodily exertion now
than work in the foundry, machine
shop. blacksmith shop, or at The
bench; or than teaminc or
working on the streets. Those that
thought farming was not popular and
"genteel'' because it required so much
heavy work, must be pleased at the
revolution that has taken place in
farm work.
That which is required of the farm
laborer now is less muscle and more
skill. Intelligence is now more i'm
portant qality than brute streng TIL
Ihe farm laborer as we'll as the farm
manager must now think and develop
and skill. The character of
farm work has been elevated. 1t has
become more brain work just as it
requires less muscle Is not this
change sure to keep more OF our best
young men on the farm? We have
been complaining that other callings,
requiring more skill and intelligence,
have taken q majority Of our most in
telligent farmer boys; and because
they required more skill and intelli-
gence they offered better compensa-
lion. But farming is fast coming to
that condition that it requires full as
much skill as they. Will it not. then.
hold our best young mon? The in
vention of labor saving farm appli-
ances will soon largely help to keep
our boys on the farm.