River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-10-12
HISTORIC AMERICAN TRIUMPH.
Notable Visit of the Foreign Worlds Fair
Commissioners TO North Dakota to View
Harvesfinx MachInerx N xvn-L


Harvesting Machinery at Work
Forty-five Deenng Irvine Binders. FORM
ing procession bali a mile in length, and
steadily moving through a waving sea Of
wheat-such was the sight that greeted the
Foreign Commissioners 70 the Worlds Fair
during their recent famous visit to the bo-
nanza farms CT North Dakota. This ilnpos-
ing spectacle was witnessed on the great Elbx
Valley farm at LarimOre, North Dakota. n
farm comprising 1900 acres or nearly 10
square miles, 10000 acres Of which formed
one unbroken fenceiess field of wheat. To
witness this sight the distinguished spec
tators, comprising fifty foreign diplomats.
Worlds Fair Commissioners and represen-
tatlyes OF the foreign press, together with
an equal number Of Americans, eminent in
" orld's Fair, Railroad and Commercial cir
Giles, had undertaken the discomforts OF a
thousand mile journey from Chicago; and
the exclamaiions of delight and surprise.
and the cries Of ''brsx0n that rang out on
the air showed that their expectations were
vastly more than realized. Sent here TO
study all thPgs American. these gentle
men had been especially DESTROYS Of witness.
ing the methods in vogue OF the much
taIksd-0f "bonaEzan wheat farms. Four
DAYS before they had left Chicago as guests
of the Chicago, Milwaukee 4 ST. Paul Rail-
road. along whose route from Chicago TO ST.
Paul they had received one continuous ova-
ton. From st. Pau through Minnesota and
North Dakota they rayeled As guests Of the
Great Northern Railroad, snd 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 20 be the whole population OF
tie little city OF LarlmOre. headed by O. h.
Philips. the Mayor, Gov ShOrtrldge, and
\. g. Larimore. the proprietor Of the
great farm which they were TO see.
Silently and almost breathlesslv at first
they viewed the mighty phalanx Of ma
chimes; then quickly ahghting from their
conveyanees they followed the machines on
foot, eagerly neering into their mechanism
as il bent on fading the secret of their per-
feet, automatic, almost noiseless action
For an hour or more they followed tie
machines, asking nnumerabie questions OF
Mr.. Larimore ana his sons, when they werB
called TO one side Of the ne d where scieu-
tfic tests Of draft We're being made under
the supervision of Mayor o. H. Phillips and
Mr.. c. II. O.mstead. The machines tested
the Deerlng Pony binder aid the Deering
ideal mOwsr-Yeere remarkable because
embodying the bali aud roller bearings.
such as are used In bicycles and bicycle
sulkies. Twelve tests were made on each
machine with a registered Osterheld &
EickmeyCr dynamometer, each representing
the draft involved in cutting "A sIx-foot
swath. 100 feet in length, IN twenty TO
twenty-five seconds Of time Tie 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 a.
the ''rOlhng draft test. showed an average
draft OF only 205 pounds. The Deering
Ideal mower, new machine also fitted with
the bicycle bearings, in heavy grass showed
a cutting draft averaging l'96 pounds, and
the rolling draft ntneJy-two pounds. The
remarkably low oraft-about half the draft
Of ordinary machineS-shown by these fig
ures for both machines was carefully noted
by the astonisbed visitors as demonstrating
the practicabiiity % tile bicycle bearings.
Tht same Pony binder. drawn by two light
mules, cut an acre of wheat in twenty two
and half minutes.
PAPER FwINE USED.
A notable feature OF the binder test was
the use on the Pony binder of the Deeriu z
paper Irvine, made from "A wood hore-
This Irvine, patented by William Deering q
Co, bids fair TO prove = Waterloo to the
twine trust, for 1t can be made and sold at
prices considerably below those low paid
for the hemp ana sisal fbres.
At the close of these tests the commits
sioners, together with party of spectators.
were rendered good, substantial. prairie
chicken dinner BY Mrs. Larimore and her
Leighbors. Toasts followed. Gov. Short
ridge, Mayor Phillips and Rev II. Kelley
delivered eloquent addresses Of we.come,
which were responded to 0y ID, III DE Per
alta of Costa Rica; Mr. A. Grineysky, the
assistant Russian commissioner; Don Al
hertz Gomez Ruano, OF Uruguay; Mr.. Har-
ry Vincent. Of Costa fica, and Judge A.
water. of Minneapolis. Mr.. Larimore also
spoke He said that 10y using the best
methods and machinery he had reduced the
cost Of raising and marketing wheat TO be-
tween "a 80 and $500 an acre.
Mr.. APPLEBT SURPRISES THIS COMMISSIONERS
Mr.. John f. Applebv. the inventor Of
the Appleby Irvine binder, whose pres
ence was a surprise TO the commissioners,
told OF the history of his early struggles
nd "a fsraa1 nm adj ~ hfC in
ventiOu. He paid glowing tribute 10 Mr.
William Deering, to whose enterprise he
said the world was indebted Tor the intro
duction and general adoption OF the ma
chine. Said he:
IN 1873. when the Deering Company made
seveuty-fve OF these binders people smiled
knowingly and predicted failure. The next
year when Mr. Deering made 1900 of the
chimes the manufacturers OF The old reaper and
the wire binder said he was crazy II he was
crazy all the manufacturers Of harvesting ma
chinery who have been forced to follow his ex-
ample have also become violently insane
llsughterl and the millions Of farmers who
now the invention are TT candidates for
lunatic asylum" Laughter and applause.
The excursiOnists left for Alton and ths
great Dalrymp,e farms at 4 p. M, where
they Witnessed thIeshing machines at work
on a crop of wheat thar was cut from a, 900
acres by 1870 Deeriug binders-a make that
is used exclusively 10y the Dalrympies-
From Alton tLey journeYed 20 Fargo, where
they were rOvaily received and shown the
marvellous result Of western puck, which
in a season Of hard times had built solid
city Of brick and mortar on tho bed Of ashes
that had lain smoking there only ninety
DAYS before From Fargo, the guests re-
turned 10 Chicago brinrui oil enthusiasm
over the wonders Trey had seen.
Nor LOST Visitor-"Ab, Johnny, see
YOU have lost one Of your first teeth"
Johnnv-''No, sir; haven lost il. It's up
stairs on the window siil. Puck.