Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1891-12-19
PROGRESS IN HARVESTING.
Old-Tinae Methods of Gathering Graf

Old-Tinae Methods of Gathering Grain
Crops.
You may still find old men who will
tell you that they can remember when
farmers in this country had nothing but
the sickle with which to harvest their
wheat and rye. A dozen men worked
in single file. and cut the grain with
one hand and gathered it on the other
arm, stopping every ''round' to drink
earnestly out of n big jug Of New Eng
land rum or Pennsylvania whisky.
Then came the crndlc-a scythc with
"ingers' on it-which made the grain
lie straight. Many farmers have Il
cradle yet for corners and odd hooks
With it one man cut down the grain
and another bound it into sheavcs
Then arose Il direct descendant of the
paleozoic genius, and invented n reaper
drawn by horses. This was in the sos,
say. A man drove. and a small boy sat
on a low seat and raltcd off the grain in
gavels. He was practically the same
small 10y who used to pull the strings
that worked the cutoff valve in the
first steam engine. He soon lost his
occupation in both instnnces-:n the
case of the reaper they invented me-
chanical rake 1t took five men to fol
low on foot and bind up what the reaper
cut down. Still the farmer wasn't sat
istied. SO they made him the harvester.
Two men besides the driver rode on
this. and bound the grain as it was
brought up on an endless apron to
where they stood. They had an avn
ing over them, and We're very comfort
ably situated This was in the '70's
Still the agriculturist frettcd. Then
he got the self binder, which he has yet
though he is beglnning to find faul:
with it and talks about electricity.
At first they tried 10 tie mp the grain
with wire, but it did not work very
we'll and the machines We're abandon.
ed. and others using MANILA or hemp
Irvine were tried with better results.
The binder invented by man named
Appleby has perhaps been the most
successful The Irvine or cord is very
strong, and is little larger than a
round shoe string. 1t seldom breaks,
aud the sheaves are tied mp trmer and
better than by hand The sclf-nindcr
is somewhat complicated, but it seems
simple when we consider what it does.
1t is the most intelligent machine used
on the farm, ii ! may so express it II
would make the paleozoic man dizzy to
watch it. All it asks is that the hired
man shall keep his fingers out of it and
furnish it plenty OF grain to bind mp 1t
does not tie n square or hard k-ct,
nor vet a bow-l<not Bring the two
ends of string together for two OF
three inches from their ends; then, con,
sidering the two strings as one, tie one
single plain school boy knot in it. and
you have the knot made by self
binder. 1t is the hardest knot in the
world to unite, and it never gives" a
particle. In the machine it is made by a
funny, crafty little thingum bob which
turns around half way. opens its mouth
and seizes the cord, turns on around
and lets go sullenly, as If it had half z
mind not to knife cuts the cord
| another thingum bob holds the ends
! two arms sweep the sheaf off on to the
ground, and the binder waits for
| enough grain to accumulate for another
| sheaf, when it starts itself and repeat:
| the operation. 1t works with the pre-
! cisiou of n fine steam engine, IL the
hired man will only let il alone, --Har
! per's Weekly.