The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1896-10-31

The Dcorlng Harvester company OF
Chicago, quoting from their retail prices
of their various classes of machinery in
1873 and 1896. make the following state
ment, showing the decreased cost and in
crea sed efficiency of farm machinery:
1.-THE Irvine binder was unknown in
1873 but the Marsh harvester, a much
more primitive machine. in which the
binding was done by men riding on the
machine, retailed at 5000 to 1925. The
Irvine binder retails today at from 500
for cheaper machines to $145 for the
Deering roller and ball-bearing ma
chimes.
THE sclf-rnke reaper, which is now
sold at from $50 to SO, sold for $50 to
500 in 1873.
Mowers sold in 1878 for from 500 to
$115. according to the make and width
of the cut. Machines of vastly greater
efficiency sell today at from $35 for
cheaper machines to $40 for the Deering
roller and ball bearings.
When the wire binding attachment was
added to the old Marsh harvester from
1876 to 1879 the combined machine sold
for $500. of which S120 was for the at
tachment and $50 for the harvester.
Wire binders are not sold now, having
been superseded by the Irvine binder. In
1878 we introduced the Irvine binder
the machine that now cuts the grain of
the world Its retail price was then
$40 to 1925. a better and more capable
machine is sold today. as above inti-
mated, at hut little over one-third that
price. Binder Irvine, for use on these
machines, sold in 1888 ut from 10 to %
cents per pound. 1t was, of course. I'M
known in 1873. Today much better
Irvine retals ut from 6la to II cents per
pound, according to quality.
This steady decrease i'll price does not
mean a decrease in quality and efficiency.
On the contrary an upward tendency in
the mechanical construction and quality
of material has been as marked as the
downward movement in prices. This
fact-thc advance i'll value coincidcnt
with the decline in price-has been made
uossible by TIE Use of economical meth.
DDS in construction. and by labor-saving
machinery. rather than by any decrease
in wages paid. The cost of producing
cnch machine has also been reduced by
the tremendous number of machines
turned out by a single firm.
The old mower. for which the farmer
Maid in the ncighborhood of 500, had
but mcager means for adjustment, and
were neither as efficient nor as durable
as machines that retail today at $40.
The old self-rake rcapcrs which retailed
Mt 5000 were primitive and clumsy as
compared with the $50 machines of to-
day.
The Dcering Irvine binder today, run
ming on roller and ball bearings, cost
800 less than the old Marsh harvester
and requires two less men and two less
horses than did that machine. In other
words. one man and two horses can
handle more grain with the Deering roll
er-benring Irvine binder than three men
and three horses could handle in 1875
with Marsh harvester that cost the
| farmer 500 more money"
These statements of leading manu-
| facturers of hgh-grade farm machinery,
merely emphasizes what any man of Or
binary intelligence already knew in a
general way and what every wheat-grow-
or in the country knew by practical ex-
| pcrience. that the last twenty years have
been marked by wonderful improvements
| in the efficiency Of farming tools accom-
panied by no less marked reduction in
| The retail price When Gov. Altgeld
and The lesser lights of Populism claim
that no part of the decline in wheat IL
tbe result of improved machinery and
methods, they simply run contrary to
facts which are patent to every observer
and nut themselves in false position by
| DENYING truths that are ms well known
rs the multiplication table.