The Dickinson press., 1896-10-31
THE FARMERS TOOLS.
Efficiency Of Agricultural Imple
ments Greatly Increased
Since 1873.

The silver advocates have had so many
OF their pet theories absolutely demOl-
ished by collision with hard facts that
they are now resOrting to deliberate mis-.
representation in hope of breaking the
force of the various exposures they are
much capital out of the decline in the
price of wheat during the last few years,
and when attention has been called to
the ch%eapening in the cost of production
BY the use of new and improved machin.
cry and the rapid enlargement of the
commercial surplus of wheat in other
Wheat-growing countries than the United
States they have undertaken to deny
both propositions.
In q speech at the Central Music hall
on September 10, Gov. Altgeld in at
tempting to answe the arguments pre-.
scented by Carl Schurz in IN address in
the same hall earlier in the campaign,
speaking of the decline in wheat, said:
'''The truth is that there has been scarce.
" any improvement in machinery for
raising and harvesting wheat in the last
twenty years."
Such a statement is q severe reflection
either upon the inventive genius Of
American manufacturers and the pro.
gressive spirit of American farmers or
upon the sincerity of Gov. Altgeld him
self.
4ue trutu is tudI Tie greatest Improve
ments in farm implements and machinery
that have marked the latter half of the
Nineteenth century have been made
since 1873. Not only has the retail price
OF all classes of implements used on the
farm been very much reduced during
b q time, but the efficiency of the ma
chinery itself has been even more enor-
mously increased. Taking the harvester
alone it has been so improved during the
Last fWQNtv vQ0 rc thot ono man oo,, - a
accomplish what required the labor of
i've in 1873. so that instead of there
being scarcely any improvement in ma
chinery" for harvesting wheat, the inn
provements in the harvester alone are
shown fully. In other words. it Today
only requires One-fifth of the labor cost
to harvest grain that it did twenty years
400.
To entirely overthrow this last perver.
sion Of truth. with which silver men are
trying to bolster up a losing cause. re.
tail prices Of some of the principal farm
machinery. have been secured from lead,
ing manufacturers showing the cost to
As the wheat crop begins with the plow,
take the following statement from the
Oliver Chilled Plow works of South
Bend, Ind, and see how the cost of
plows has been reduced.
I'VE manufacture plows alone and in
tAS yS1E 1910 CulINu plOWS OF the mum
bers 80 and 40 were the leading nat.
terms: The same numbers are very
largely Wed at this time and our com.
parisoas are accordingly based on them.
In 1878 the retail price of the No. 30 wa.
SIS.
II 1918 the retail price Of the No. 10 wa.
$40.
TIE same plows now retail ut $3.50 each
Caec shares for these plows in 1873 re
tailed q. % cents each; now retail at 81
cents each.
Jontere for these plows n 1873 retailed a,
$3.50 each; now. retail at ~ each.
Wheek for these plows In 1873 rctailed al
$50 each; now retail at 81 each.
Clevtees for these plows In 1873 retailed Al
81 each: now retail at % cents each.
And other items In about the same ratio
The construction and quality of The
goods are far better than in 1873"
d. n. Osborne and Company of Au,
burn, N. Y, the great manufacturers Of
harvesting machinery, quoting frsx theil