The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1893-12-02
HISTORIC AMERICAN raluMpn.

CoinmissIonsts to North Dakota TO View
Harvesting machinery II Wotk.
Forty-five Deering Irvine Binders, form.
ing procession half q mile in length, and
steadily moving through waving sea Of
wheat-such was the sight that greeted the
Foreign Commissioners to the Worlds Fair
during their recent famous visit to the bo-
nanza farms of North Dakota This impos-
ing spectacle was Witnessed on the great Elk
VALLEY farm at Lafimore North Dakota,
farm comprising $4,000 sores or nearly 10
square miles, 10000 acres Of which formed
one unbroken fenceless field Of wheat. To
witness this sight the distinguished spec
tators, comprising fifty foreign diplomats,
Worlds Fair Commissioners and represen-
tatiyes Of the foreign press, together with
an equal number OF Americans, eminent In
Worlds Fair, Railroad and Commercial cir
clles, had undertaken the discomforts Of
Thousand mills Journey from Chicago, and
the ordinations Of delight and surprise,
and the cries of bravo that rang out on
The air showed that 1heir expectations were
vastly Laore than realized. Sent here to
study all things American, these gentle
r-en had been especially DESTROYS Of witness
ing the methods in vogue on the much
tall1ed-of s'bonanza'' wheat farms. Four
days before they had left Chicago as guests
OF the Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul Rail-
road, along whose route from Chicago to st.
dui tucy uaQ received one con tluOOuS OVH-
tion. From st. Paul through Minnesota and
North Dakota they travelled as guests of the
Great Northern Railroad; and the farther
north they Travelled the warmer and more
cordial was their reception. Here at Lari-
more they found the climax Of interest and
the height Of hospitality. They were met
at their train and escorted to Carriages by
what seemed to pc the whole population Of
the little city Of Larimore, headed by O. H.
Phillips, the Mayor, Gov. Shortridge, and
N. q. Larimore, the proprietor Of the
great farm which they were to see.
they viewed the mighty phalanx Of ma
chimes; then quickly alighting from their
conveyances they followed the machines on
foot, eagerly peering into their mechanism
as II bent on finding the secret Of their per-
feet, automatic, almost noiseless action.
For an hour or more they followed tho
machines, asking innumerable questions OF
Mr.. Larimore and his sons, when they were
called TO one side Of the field where scien-
tifc tests Of draft were being made under
the supervision of Mayor o. II. Phillips and
Mr.: c; u, 0.mstead. Tho machines tested
the Deering Pony binder and the Deering
Ideal mower-were remarkable because
embodying the ball and roller bearings,
such as are used in bicycle and bicycle
sulkies. Twelve tests we're made on each
machine with q registered Osterheld q
Eickmeyer dynamometer, each representing
-
swath, 100 feet in length, in twenty to
twenty-five seconds of time. The six cut
ting tests of the binder showed an average
Of only 29S pounds of draft The six tests
IN which the machine was run in gear over
the tops Of the stubble- jnst cut, known as
tho ''rolling draft test, showed an average
draft of only POI pounds The Deering
Ideal mower, new machine also fitted with
the bicycle bearings, in heavy grass showed
a cutting draft averaging 126 pounds, and
the rolling draft ninety.two pounds. The
remarkably low draft-about half the draft
of ordinary machines-shown by these fig
ures for both machines was carefully noted
by the astonished visitors as demonstrating
the practicabiIity of the bicycle bearings.
The same Pony binder, drawn by two light
mules, cut an acre Of wheat in twenty-five
and half minutes.
PAPER TwINB USED.
A notable feature of the binder test was
;he use on the Pony binder OF the Deering
i'papern- Irvine, made from . wood fibre
This Irvine, patented by William Deering e.
Co., bids fair to prove Waterloo to the
twine trust, for it can be made and sold at
prices considerably below those now paid
Tor the hemp and sisal HIRES.
At the close of these tests tho commits
sioners, together with party Of spec ators,
were teudered q good substantial prairie
chicken dinner by Mrs. Latimore and her
leighbors. Toasts followed. Gov. Short
ridge, Mayor Phillips and Rev. ]. H. Kelley
delivered eloquent addresses OF we.come,
which were responded to by d. II. De Per-
alta, of Costa Rica; Mr.. A. Grineysky, the
assistant Russian commissioner; Don Al
belt, Comes Ruano. Of Uruguay Mr.. Har-
~ Vincent, Of Costa RIGA, and Judge At
water. of Minneapolis. Mr.. Lariu;ore also
spoke. He said that by using the best
methods and machinery he had reduced the
| cost Of raising and marketing wheat to be-
| tween "A. so and $500 an acre.
Mr. APPLEBY SURPRISES rHR COMMISSIONERS.
Mr. John F. Appleby, the inventor OF
the Appleby, Irvine binder, whose pres
enco was surprise to tho commissioners,
and the final universal adoption Of his in
| vention. He paid glowing tribute to Mr..
| William Deering, to whose enterprise he
| said the world was indebted for the intro
| duction and general adoption Of the ma
| chine. Said he; W f
| seyenty-nvc of these BINDERS people smiled
| knowingly and predicted failure. The mex,
| year when Mr. Deering made 5000 OF the ma,
| Chimes the manufacturers OF the old reaper ano
| the wire binder said he was crazy. II he was
| crazy all the manufacturers OF harvesting mo
| chinery who have boon forced 70 follow his ex
Iiaushterl and the millions Of farmers -whs
| now use tho invention are nj candidates for .
! lunatic asylum" Laughter and applausel
The oxcursionists left for Alton and thu
/ great Dalrymp.e farms at p m, where
they witnessed threshing machines at wor.
| on a crop of wheat that was cut from n, Cox
acres by 100 Deering binders make tha
Is used exclusively by the Dalrymp'es
From Alton they journeyed to Fargo, where
they were rovally received and shown thu
marvellous result of western p,lck, which
in season of hard times had built sole
| city of brick and mortar on the bed OF ashes
that had lain smoking there only n'net,
| days before From Fargo, the guests re
turned TO Chicago brimful Of enthusiasm
over the wonders they had seen.
MAMNA--"Little Robbie Jones always ask