Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1890-09-25
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
Interesting Review of Recent Improve
ments Which Tighten Farm Labor.

Labor Saving Machinery that Has Rsvolu-
tonized the Farmers, Toll and 1t should
Servo to Make Farming More Attractive to
Our Best Boys,
Within ten years the character OF
farm work has been altogether chang
cd. particularly In the great prairie
regions whore the surface OF the land
permits OF tho easy use OF complicated
machinery. Lot us motto briefly the
character OF tho revolution In farm
work, its effect upon farming rs an
occupation. and the changes IL has
made In the requirements OF farm
labor,
II Is about ten years since 10 was
demonstrated by general practical
test In the harvest field that the twine
self-blnder was n success. That
destroyed at once three-iourths OF the
labor OF small grain harvest, and the
most severe labor. What had made
us dread small grain harvest was tho
bending over tho sheaves lying In tho
stubble, that reflected hercoly tho
burning rays OF the sun, and tho severe
labor OF binding those sheavcs, The
solf-bindcr took from us all this hard
work and now even gathers together
the bundles TO DO shocked.
Ten years ago ono.half the labor OF
threshing was In handling tho straw.
In the west nearly all OF II was. and
Is yet, stacked out OF doors and on the
stack was required row OF men TO
pitch the straw, one To another. and
thus remove IL from the straw carrier
To those parts OF the stack whore IL
was needed. This was tho hardest
work OF threshing ana frequently IL
was very hard to got sufficient men
that would consent 10 do this work.
For three or four years we have had
''straw stacSers" attached TO the
threshing machines that, by means OF
an endless carrier, deposits tho straw
ut any part OF n semi-circular stack.
doing away with NIL the hard work. OF
pitching tho straw along the stack.
This year there Is being used stack
or that by means OF atmospheric pres
sure takes all tho straw. chnif aud
dust from tho threshing machine aud
drives IL through long sheet-steel
pipe TO any part OF the stack. This
not only saves the hard labor OF NOV
Ing the straw on tho stack, but saves
the laborers about the throshlng ma
chino from tho annoyance and Injury
arising from the dust Nearly one
hnf tho labor and no Irly all tho
specially disagroeable texture OF
threshing has beon taken away.
Ten years ago more than one-half
the labor OF hay harvest and tho
hardest half was pitching the hay
from the wlndrow onto tho wagon and
from the wagon 10 the stack or nov.
Now we have a gatherer, operated by
boy, that gathers from the swath or
windrows, half ton OF hay. and
brings 1t to the Kicker also operated
Ivy boy, that picks IL up aud puts 1t
on the rick. All tho hard work OF
pitching 10 done away with and two
men and two boys will put In the rick
hay as fast as II Is cut with the
mower.
This sufficiently indicates tho nature
of the revolution. Much labor that
formerly had TO DO 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 II pound Of hay
or OF butter. While tho expenditure
for farm machinery has beon largely
increased and II costs something TO
operate these machines, yet TO pur-
chase and operate them permits " u
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
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 ono OF
the "lightest" occupations. IL re-
quires less severe bodily exertion now
than work In the foundry, machine
shop. blacksmith shop, or at the
carpenters bench; or than teaming or
working on the streets. Those that
thought farming was not popular and
"genteel" because II 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 moro
skill. Intelligence Is now more i'm
portant qality than brute strengt Tn.
The farm laborer as we'll as tho farm
manager must now think and develop
ingenuity and skill. The character u
farm work has been elevated. II hSs
become more n brain work just as IL
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 majority OF our most in
telligent farmer boys; and because
they required more skill and intelli-
gence they offered better compensa-
ton. But farming is fast coming to
that condition that 1t requires full as
much skill as they. Win 1t not. then,
hold our best young men? The In
ycntion OF labor saving farm appli.
ances will soon largely help to keep
our boys ON the farm.
Pure Breeds for Pigs.
The best way In MIG breedinp Ia 10