Huntsville gazette., 1893-10-14
HIsToRIc AMERICAN TRIUMPH.
Notable visit Of tho Foreign Worlds Fais
Commissioners to North Dakota to View
- Work.


Notable Visit of tho Foreign Worlds FaiI
Commissioners to North Dakota to viev
Harvesting Machinery ut Work.
Forty-fve Deering Twine Binders, form.
ing procession half 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 Larimore, North Dakota, a
farm comprising $4,000 acres or nearly 19
square miles, 10, 900 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
cIes, had undertaken the discomforts OF z
thousand mile journey from Chicago; and
the exclamations Of delight and surprise,
and the cries of ''bravo" that rang out on
the air showed that their expectations were
vastly more than realized. Sent here to
study all things American, these gentle
men had been especially desirous OF witness.
ing the methods in vogue on the much
talked-of "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.
Paul they had received one continuous ova-
ton 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
81 81 ,l<1l1 lat ,.>f
the little city OF Larimore, headed by O. ii.
Phillips, the Mayor, Gov. Shortridge, and
N. G. Larimore, the proprietor Of the
great farm which they were to see.
Silently and almost breathlessly at first
they viewed the mighty phalanx Of ma
chimes then quickly alighting from their
conveyances they folio wed the machines on
foot, eagerly peering into their mechanism
AS il bent on finding the secret Of their per-
feet, automatic, almost noiseless action.
For an hour or more they followed the
machines, asking innumerable questions OF
Mr.. Larimore and his sons, when they were
called TO one side Of the field where scien-
tific tests Of draft were being made under
the supervision Of Mayor 0. II. Phillips and
Mr.. c. H. O.mstead. The machines tested
tho Deering Pony binder and the Deering
Ideal mower-Were remarkable because
embodying the ball and roller bearings,
such as are used in bicycles and bicycle
sulkies. Twelve tests were made on each
machine with a registered Osterheld G
Eickmeyer dynamomcter, each representing
the draft involved in cutting a slx-foot
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 just cut, known as
tho "rolling draft test, showed an average
draft of only POT pounds. The Deerng
Ideal mower, a new machine also fitted with
the bicycle bearings, in heavy grass showed
a cutting draft averaging 1913 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 tue astonished visitors as demonstrating
tie practicability of the bicycle bearings.
The same Pony binder, drawn by two light
mules, cut an acre of wheat in twenty-tw
and half minutes.
PAPER TwINE USED.
A notable feature of the binder test was
the use on the Pony binder of the Deering
paper twine, made from wood fibre.
This twine, patented by William Deering q
Co., bids fair to prove Waterloo to the
twine trust, for it can be made and sold at
prices considerably below those Low paid
for the hemp and sisal fibres.
At the close OF these tests the commits
sioners, together with party Of spect ators,
were rendered a good, substantial. prairie
chicken dinner by Mrs. Larimore and her
Leighbors. Toasts followed. Gov. Short
ridge, Mayor Phillips and Rev. ]. II. Keeley
delivered eloquent addresses Of welcome,
which were responded to by D. M. De Per-
alta, OF Costa Rica; Mr.. A. Grineysky, thS
assistant Russian commissioner; Don Al
bertl Gomez Ruano of Urug1ay; Mr. Har-
ry Vincent, Of Costa Rica, and judge At
water, of Minneapolis. Mr. LariMore 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 300 an acre.
Mr.. APPLEBY SURPRISES THE COMMISSIONERS.
Mr.. John F.. Appleby, the inventor of
the Appleby twine binder, whose pres
ence was a surprise to the commissioners,
told OF the history of his early struggles
and the final universal adoption Of his in
vention. He paid a glowing tribute to Mr..
William Deering, to whose enterprise he
said the world was indebted fer the intIo-
duction and general adoption Of tho ma-
chine. Said he:
In 1879, when the Deering Company made
seventy-tive Of these binders people smiled
knowingly and predicted failure. The next
year when Mr.. Dceriny made 5000 OF the ma
chimes, the manufacturers OF the old reaper and
tbs wire binder said he WAS crazy II he was
crazy all the manufacturers OF harvesting ma
chinery who have been forced to follow his OK
ample havo also become violently insane
llaughter and the millions Of farmers who
now use tho invention are fit candidates for
lunatic asylum" Laughter and applause
The excursionists left for Alton and the
great Dalrympie farms at p M, where
they Witnessed threshing machines at work
on a crop Of wheat that was cut from n, 600
acres by 100 Deering binders-a make that
is used exclusively by the Dalrymples.
From Alton they iourneyed to Fargo, where
they were royalty received and shown the
marvellous result of western pluck, which
In season of hard times had built solid
city Of brick and mortar on the ped of ashes
that had lain smoking there only ninety
days before. From Fargo, the guests re-
turned to Chicago brimful OF enthusiasm
over the wonders they had seen.