Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-06-12

u
"a the production Of food aud cloth
Ing demands the attention ~ civilized
communities, Ne will compare the pres
ent facilities Ia accomplish that object,
With the rude and tollsome system of
/ farming one~half century ago.
The modern invented plo~s and culti-
ystors prepare the soil more perfectly
for the r.ceptiou of scei, and do the
work With such raplilty that Il greatly
relieves the farmer of the present day
from the slow. dull methods practiced
by the husbandman of former years.
/ Among the multitude of lsbor-saying
implements the reaper aud binder hold a
VERY important place. Lsss than seventy
i've year. ago our fathers toiled In the
hsryes, field "from early morn to dewy
eve" wearily cutting the grain With a
sickle, an instrument used by the ancient
Oriental nations, the form Of which bad
remained unchanged for thousands Of
years.
Expsriments made In >cotland In i>ii
hy the Highland Agricultural society
proved that Ave lsborers with sickles
aud two Ia bind the grain could, on an
average, harvest an acrc In seven to
eight hours. An American Grader With
two assistants could possibly accom-
plish the same work In a tribe less time I.
while Que single driver with two horses
aud a seli-blnding reaper can easily cut
and bind the same AREA ~ wheat in the
brief space ot one hour only.
One-half century ago there wss more
fatigue, rcstlessness and backAChe In SOW
Ing aud harvesting a half-ioten acres of
wheat and other grain than there l. to-
dAy In fifty. The forehandcd farmer
provide. cushioned seat Zoe his sulky
plow, cultiyAtor, moving machine aud
horse rake. and rides leisur.ly along
chariot. Thus the farmers life Il re-
lissed % drudgery and become. easier
than that of almost any other person
Who works for living. These recent
iny,ntiOns IL farming implements have
made Il possible for a thin population to
deal With an enomous acreage of wheat
and other crops raised on the western
prAIries. Agricultural and mAnafactur.
iug Industries, stimulated by m.chsni-
cal aud scientific Inventions, have in-
creased national wealth and promoted
individual prosperity more than all other
cause. comblned.
In the early age. of the world the
prOc,s. of spinning was by twisting the
fibre into yarn by the fingers, az done by
the lApp women % the present day.
subsequently, an improvement was made
by the use ~ distAf and spindle.
Ihen the spinning wheel MAS introduced,
which enabled spinsters Ia do the work
tfty time. NOR. expcditiously than by
the primitive method. The spinning
mule OF recent invention. With Que
operator, decreases the poser of produc-
ton cl0 times over all Former appli-
anccs. The hand cards, the old spinning
wheel and kitchen loom we're laid aside
long ago. aud arr nov chiefly exhibited
a. curious relics Of a past generation.
Al an exhibition In one oi the southern
.tats. la ls>l, meu aud women from the
mountain. Of Georgia worked With hand
card., spinning wheel and hand loom.
In ten hours i've operatives made eight
ward. Of coarse fabric. At the present
dAy five hands employed In our New
England mill. With modern appliances
can easily manufacture >1 yard. OF
equal texture In the same period of
time. Ia inner fabrics the advantage of
modern invention over hand labor Il
much greater.
Ia the beginning oi the last century
ali kinds of paper we're made by hand,
requiring thrvc months Ia nc u for use.
New the result l. accomplished by
machinery and powerful chemicals Ia
les. than one dsy. Increasing the rate ~
produgtion probably five hundred times.
OPERATED by hand very slowly, could
flni.h but tea copies an hour, bat mod
ern machines are capable of printing
aud folding l0,uO copies 10 clghi-psgr
newspapers Ia the same length of iime
The application of steam aud clectricl-
~ as transportation agencies has
wrought wonderful change In our
relations With distant nations as veil a.
remote sections of our own country.
These are Only few among the thou
sands Of inventions introduced into all
the manufacturing. commercial and AZ
riyultural industries of the United Stste-
during the last half Century.
Notwithstanding aspiring party lead
er- ~ the prc.eut day would make The
people believe our unparalleled pro.peri
ty resulted from q c.rtain policy OF gov
erumsnt thus Is explained the reason Why
the prvssui generation live In compar-
alive ease, amply supplied with the
uscrs.afiss and even the luxuficso of life;
while our ancestors endured life of
toll. priyatlon aud want. The easy con-
dillon ~ cur people, aud the progress Of
medical science have prolonged human
life far beyond the average limit my
years ago.
TARNER FRoM ON OXFORD.
IL. NaW l-pI