Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-10-16

hoes, scythes, forks or gardening tools
whatever, and may say in explanation
that nearly all these implements in COM
mon use here are made by the village
blacksmith and are exceedingly crude,
heavy and ungraceful, though they have
unusual weight and durability in their ia
| gor.
ASIDE from the American reapers and
mowers above named. the exhibition was
IN no wise worthy of notice. Three or
! four German manufacturers have endeavor-
ed to copy the American mowers but with
no success so far as outside appearance
goes.
THREsHING MACHINERY.
''Of the magnitude of the threshing ma.
chine exhibit can convey but little idea
There were about a dozen English
and German firms represented, with port
able engines of from 10 to so horse power,
with threshers and stackers of proportion
ate size. The manufacture of steam ma
chinery has evidently reached perfection in
both England and Germany, and | can
! say nothing except in commentator of
this exhibit. The showing of dozen
engines and threshers on a fair ground by
one manufacturer would be considered
folly in the United States, but here many
sales are made on the grounds, and hence
it is desirable to have full variety
can not speak of the practical working %
the threshing machines. They are huge,
clumsy looking affairs, not finely finished
nor deliberately decorated but, have no
doubt, they are durable Ten hours
work with one of the large machines with
good oats would be about LOO bushels
This would be considered poor estimate
with good oats in Illinois or Iowa with a
Is morse power engine. Wire tooth spring
hay rakes were shown in abundance, as
were also hay tedders, both being heavy
and roughly constructed.
CARRIAGES AND FARM WAGONS
1.-The display in both these lines was
good, but we have nothing in the United
States to compare with them. The car
riages are all heavy and always intended
to have a driver on high seat Ill front.
Nothing like an American surrey, carriage,
buggy, phaeton, or road cart is found here,
all carriages are heavy, cumbersome, and
ponderous, a load for a team of themselves.
The farm wagons are huge affairs, with
ponderous woodwork and rough black
smith work. As an object of curiosity,
one of these wagons exhibited under a
tent at circle of American fairs would
be a fortune making object. Lawn mowers
were formerly imported from Philadelphia;
but low, IL conformity with the desire to
make every thing here for home use, the
Germans have begun their manufacture.
Like all these they undertake, they h We
increased the weight of the castings and
made them heavier and clumsy looking.
PRICES OF AMERICAN VS.. GERMAN MA
CHINERY.
''It has been claimed by certa in class
of American political economists mat the
American farmer paid more for his ma
chinery than do the farmers of Europe
have not table of prices of American
machinery and tools from which | can
make comparisons; but | desire to say
this, that the agricultural machinery on
exhibition at this exposition, if a fair SAM
ple-and have every reason to believe it
is-would with the exception of the steam
engines (none of which are traction or self
propeling), meet with nothing but ex.
pressions of disgust from American far
mers. 1t is not equal in finish to the ma
chinery in common use in the United
States thirty years ago 1t is heavy, coarse,
rough and wholly unsuited to work in any
but sandy or gravelly soil. The prices
given are, therefore. with the exceptions
of the American-made machines on exhibit
ton, not to be compared with American
high finished, light and easy-working ma
ines and implements, but with what
might be called second or third class ma.
chimes made by some amateur workmen
in a backwoods country shop thirty or forty
years ago
And yet free traders absurdly argue that
the retail prices of American agricultural
machinery, already much cheaper to
American farmers than similar articles to
the farmers of any other country in the
world, would be forced down by the COM
petition of these wrecked limitations.