Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1896-10-29

The Deering 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
creased 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 $500 to $225. The
Irvine binder retails today at from 500
for cheaper machines to $145 for the
Deering roller and ball-bearing ma
chimes.
"The self-rake reaper, which is now
sold at from $50 to SO. sold for $50 to
$40 in 1873.
Mowers sold in 1873 for from 500 to
$115, according to the make and width
of the cut. Machines of vastly greater
efficiency sell today at from $50 for
cheaper machines to S45 for the Deering
roller and ball bearings.
When the wire binding attachment was
added to the old Marsh harvester from
for $500, of which 500 was for the at
| tachment and $3.50 for the harvester.
Wire binders are not sold now. having
| been superseded by the Irvine binder. In
| 1873 we introduced the Irvine binder
| the machine that now cuts the grain of
the world. Its retail price was then
$40 to 1926. A better and more capable
| machine is sold today, as above init
mated, at but little over one-third that
| price. Binder Irvine. for use on these
machines, sold in 1883 ut from Is to %
| cents per pound. 1t was, of course, un-
known in 1873. Today a much better
Irvine retails at from 6h to II cents per
This steady decrease in 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-the advance in value coincident
with the decline in price-has been made
| dds in construction, and by labor-saving
machinery, rather than by any decrease
in wages paid. The cost of producing
each machine has also been reduced by
the tremendous number of machines
turned out by q single firm.
The old mower. for which the farmer
paid In the neighborhood Of 500, had
but meager means for adjustment. and
were neither as efficient nor as durable
as machines that retail today at $40.
The old self-rake reapers which retailed
at $500 were primitive and clumsy az
compared with the SOS machines Of to-
day:
Inc DceE1u8 tWlNe OlnO0F UO00y, run
hing 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 mar and two horses can
handle more grain with the Deering roll
er-bearing Irvine binder than three men
and three horses could handle In 1876
with a Marsh harvester that cost the
farmer 500 more money"
These statements Of leading manu-.
facturers of high-grade farm machinery,
merely emphasizes what any man Of or.
binary intelligence already knew in q
general way and what every wheat-grow-
er in the country knew by practical ex-
perience, that the last twenty years have
been marked by wonderful improvements
In the efficiency Of farming tools accom-
panied by no less marked reduction ii
the retail price. When Gov. Alfgeld
and the lesser lights Of POpulism claim
that no part OF the decline Id wheat Il
the result Of improved machinery and
methods, they simply run contrary ia
facts which are patent to every observer
md put themselves in a false position By
| denying truths that are AZ we'll known
a the naturalization table.