The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1894-08-03
MANKATo FREE PRESS.
A PERFECT MACHINE.
The New Mccormick Self-Binder
The King of the Grain
Field.

There has been vast improvement
made in the matter offarm machinery
during the last half of century, and
in no one respect has it been more
marked than in the matter OF har-
vest machinery. From the sickle of
olden time, TO the wonderful mechan-
ism of the self-binder of today is a
long step. Then the acres which a
man could cultivate in grain were
few and the work Of securing the har-
vest handful by handful most labor
ious. Now the farmer mounted upon
his self-binder behind three or four
sleek horses, rides over his broad
acres at his ease gathering in the
golden grain.
When the self binder became a per-
feet machine and took its place upon
the farm as one of the few most i'm
portant pieces of machinery, it SEEM
ed as though perfection in this line
had been reached, and that the genius
of man could 60 no further. But the
Mccormick Harvesting Machine Co
did not feel that perfection had yet
been attained and would not rest con-
tent until inventive genius had made
yet another attempt toward that high
type of perfection which they had in
mind. The result has been the bring
ing forth the latest advance in self
binding harvesting machine which
they have named the "Binlow."
In this machine the elevator has
been done away with entirely and the
binder is located between the drive
wheel and the platform nearly on a
level with the latter taking the grain
direct from the platform apron. The
difficulty which at first puzzled them
was to get the bundle over the drive
wheel after it was bound. This was
overcome by the invention of a fork
with two side fingers which pass under
the bundle, raises it up and throws it
onto the bundle carrier in the rear.
This fork is fine piece of mechan-
ism and seems almost human in its
action, and yet so simple in it's con-
struction that there is very little to
get out Of order.
Mr.. w. r. B. Smyth, the enterpris-
ing and genial general agent of the
Mccormick Co. for southern Minneso-
ia and eastern South Dakota, ever
alive to the interests of the farmers
of his district to the best there is
going in the way of harvesting ma
chinery secured one of these machines
and has showed it at several places in
the grain fields during the harvest.
Yesterday it was given trial on the
farm of Mr.. Joseph Kruse, in the town
of Decoria, and through his courtesy
FREE PRESS representative was pres
ent to witness same. The piece of
wheat in which the trial was made
was well adapted to show off the
merits of the machine, as in some
places the grain was quite short and
thin, while in others it was of fair
height ano of fairly good stand on the
ground. Equally good work was done
in both the light and short or taller
and heavier grain. A good sized,
tightly bound bundle was made, with
even butts. A number of farmers
were present and all expressed them
selves as well pleased with it, and
thought it not only the coming ma
chine, but also the ideal one.
The doing away with the elevator
does away with large amount of
friction and consequently makes it a
much easier running machine and as
matter of course easier to handle by
man and horses. The McCormick's
have always maintained the lead in
the matter rof harvesting machinery
and in this improvement they have
taken another step in advance of their
competitors.