Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1896-10-29
THE FARMERS TOOLS.
Efficiency Of Agricultural implies
ments Greatly Increased
Since 1879.

The silver advocates have had SO many
If their pet theories absolutely demol-
shed 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
meeting. They have attempted to make
much capital out Of the decline in the
price of wheat during the last few years,
and when attention has been called to
the chcapening 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 4 speech at the Central Music hall
on September 10, Gov. Altgeld in at
tempting to answer the arguments pre-
scented by Carl Schurz in an address in
the same hall earlier in the campaign,
speaking of the decline in wheat, said:
esThe truth Is that there has been scarce
" n Improvement in machinery for
raising and harvesting wheat in .he last
twenty years."
Such q statement ia a severe reflection
either upon the inventive genius of
American manufacturers and the pro-
gressiye spirit of American farmers or
upon the sincerity of Gov. Altgeld him
self.
The truth is that the 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
that time, but the efficiency of the ma
chinery itself has been even more enor-
mously increased. Taking the harvester
alone 1t has been so improved during the
last twenty years that one man ran now
accomplish what required the labor Of
6ve In 1873, no that instead of there
being 'ecarcely any improvement in ma
chinery" for harvesting wheat, the i'm
pr0vements In the harvester alone are
shown fully. In other words, it today
only requires one-ffth of the labor cost
to harvest grain that it did twenty years
To entirely overthrow this last peryer-
sion Of truth, with which silver men are
trying to bolster up q losing cause, re-
tall prices Of some of the principal farm
Ing manufa cturers showing the cost to
the farmer in 1873 and the cost in 1895.
AZ the wheat crop begins with the plow,
take the following statement from the
Oliver Chilled Plow works Of South
Bend. Ind. and zee how the cost Of
plows has been reduced.
I'VE mannnfacture plows alone and in
the year 1873 chilled plows of the num-
hers 30 and 40 were the leading nat.
terms. The same numbers are very
largely used at this time and our com.
parsons are accordingly based on them:
q 1879 the retail price Of the No. 30 was
"a 1878 the retail price Of tho No. 10 was
90.
Cast shares for these plows In 1873 re-
tailed at 81 cents each: now retail ct 30
Cents each.
1ointers for these plows N 1873 retailed at
$50 each; now retail at 81 each.
Wh0eie for these pl0ws u 1873 retailcd ut
Q1.60 each; now retail at n each.
ClNvises Tor these pl0ws In 1873 retAlled ct
~ each: nov retail at % cents each.
And other items In about the same ratio.
The construction and quality OF the
goods are far better than Ii 1878"
p. N. Osborne and Company Of An.
burn. N. X. the gxeat manufactnrers Of
hasTestfng machinery quoting fran their