Arizona republican., 1891-06-25
STEAM HARVESTING.

It May Provo Successful in Countries
 Adapted to It.
 Harvesting hay and grain with steam AS a motive power win have its first gen. e al trial on this coast the present sea son, though such machinery has been in use more or less in California the past two or three years. The experiment so far encourages the belief that it will be successful in the near future. Very few grain, or we may say wheat, grow. ing countries are adapted to steam har- vesting machinery. Such as are adapted to it are now and perhaps always will be the great wheat growing areas of tho world. These are immense areas stretching from Idaho to Arizona and including the great plains ofeastern Washington and Oregon, the great cen tral valleys of California, vast tracts in Arizona and Nevada, a goodly portion of New Mexico and Texas; the great Colorado plateau, including western Kansas and Nebraska-all with irriga- tion-with a large portion of the Dako- tas, Montana and Minnesota without ir- rigation. Then there is a large portion of Australia, immense tracts of country in India and an unknown and perhaps unlimited region in upper Asia, and a vast area on the steppes of Russia and southern Siberia. The self styled econo. mists who have been prophecying that the future will be lacking in wheat pro- duction are sadly mistaken. The world will soon begin to grow wheat and the steam blow and steam harvester, or some other motive power cheaper than the horse, mule or OK. with water for irrigation, will make it possible to grow wheat with which to feed the world at low cost.
 The use of steam power is not prac- ticable in wheat fields everywhere. It is because the weight of the present steam machinery is too great. Countries which have heavy summer rains some times produce good wheat crops, but the steam machinery now in use is too heavy to travel over moist, loose ground. This is the age of steel Steel is strong but very heavy. When the day of aluminium comes We may be free. It is stronger than steel and nearly as light as wood. Yet for the present we must figure on what we now have. Regions with dry summer climate, with irriga- tion and in some cases without, are emi- nently adapted to the complete making of the wheat crop with steam power as we now have it. Those who have had the most experience in handling wheat by steam confidently assert that it is much cheaper than horse or mule power. They place the difference in cost at about one-half in favor of the traction engine. A late editorial in The Rural New Yorker says: @The use of traction engines in grain harvesting seems to be rapidly extending in the great grain fields of the Pacific coast
 In one case we see twenty-six to thirty mules hitched to the combined header. In the other we see the modern traction engine walking away with the same load. The mules are tough, hardy ami mals but they must have hay and grain and must rest, while the engines feed or fuel is the worthless straw. An on. zine tolls on day and night, creating an electric light to point out the way in the darkness. What chance is there for even mule in such a contest?"
 None whatever, especially when the thermometer stands at 120 in the shade. Irrigated regions are adapted to wheat handling and other rural work by steam. Why? Because the moisture is under our control. We can have the soil moist, wet or dry, As we choose. We can cut our grain, then turn on the water and blow 1t at once at the rate of eighty acres a day. and at the time when il is exactly right in moisture to obtain the best results. Steam also gives us the power to "dry blow" our land if we wish to and it gives us the speed to winter fallow large areas at exactly the right time. It is possible to do all the work on an irrigated farm in dry ell mate without animals. The traction will haul grain to market much cheaper than horses or mules. Steam can be of great and economical use in all countries. Even in the moist soil and climate in Eng. land steam is largely used in farming. The English have in use spader that does much better work than the blow or hand spade. .'
 But what is the use of writing of the merits of the modern traction enginei In short time these great conglomera- tions of steel and energy will be housed in and'kept as curiosities to show the ex- treme folly of the 18th century. The motive power of the future is not in vented yet. Gas and gasoline engines are cheaper to run than steam engines and do not weigh within one-tenth to one-twentieth as much. The horse. as motive power, has had his day. For comfort and pleasure he will probably stay with us to the end. D. B. WEIR.