Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1890-09-10
YE ANCIENT SCYTHE,

1t IL Still Quite Extensively Used in All
Parts Of the Country.
/. eyes," said a dealer in agricul tural
implements, ''there has been Q wonder
full improvement in the farmers tools
within the last decade or two, but there
are three implements that were used by
our grandfathers which hold their own
to-day. They are the old revolving,
wooden hay-rake, the grass scythe and
the grain cradle" .-.;E
Several years ago every body wanted
the sulky-rake, and our sales Of wooden
rakes never amounted to more than $50
q summer, but of late years the demand
for them has gradually increased, until
we now sell from 400 to 500 OF them
during single season. They do
much better work than the sulky
rake, and do not tear up the roots Of
the grass, nor take up tho old, dried and
dead gleanings left on the field at the
previous harvest. It is true the opera
tor must walk. but, with the small tor
ritory given to hay In our locality, that
is not such great ITEM. And then the
price is SO much lower. While the bes'
wooden rake costs but 81 or S.. q good
sulky rake is valued at from SEQ to $25,
and with the great amount Of other ma.
chinery o farmer needs the difference of
$50 is an item.
IT he grass scythe, on the other hand,
has been driven out of the fields and
has become q sort Of scavenger, being
used to clean out fenco corners, about
trees and in small yards and among
shrubbery whore q mowing-machine
could not be taken. No matter. how
much the mowing.machine may be i'm.
proved, every farmer will still have Use
for scythe. Isuppose there are from
$50 to 1000 dozen Of grass scythes sold
about Cincinnati in . single summer.
The American scythe blade is not as
good as the English, as it will not
hold an edge as long as the latter.
Still, as it is sold for just half the
price, it holds its own easily. While
we admit the superiority of the English
make, there is so much competition in
the business that were the better quail
ties made here the increased price
necessarily asked for them would pre-
vent their coming into general use. We
can make any thing in America, but we
can not compete with the old factories
of England in edge tools American
blades are now retailed at from 80 cents
to 70 cents each. while the English
blades can not be secured for less than
S1.25.
''Then there is the grain cradle.
which has been increasing in popu-
larity right along. The best market
for these is in the South, while Indiana
and Kentucky use quite q number
throughout their hilly districts. The
South is slow to introduce farming ma
chinery, and they still rely in great
measure upon the old methods.
1.-THE scythe and cradle blades are
made mostly at Winstedt, Conn.,, and
Auburn and Ballston Spa, N. Y."-Cin-
cinnati Times-Star.
Getting = Peaceful smoke.
There is married man living up
town who dearly loves to smoke Before
he married he promised, of course. as
most men do. that the minute he was
married he would quit smoking, and, Of
course, as most mon do, within month
after the wedding he was indulging him.
self on the way downtown. OF course,
he had the odor of tobacco smoke about
his clothes continually, and he tried to
make his wife believe that 1t came from
hoinr whare other man were smokinr