The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1896-10-31

The Decring 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:
THE Irvine binder was unknown in
1878, but the Marsh harvester. a much
more primitive machine. in which the
binding was done by men riding on the
machine, retaied 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 $40, sold for $50 to
500 in 1878.
Mowers sold in 1873 for from 500 to
S115, 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 S12O 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been superseded by the Irvine binder In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
1910 to $325. y better and more capahIs
machine is sold today, as above init
mated, at hut little over onc-third that
price. Binder Irvine, for use on these
machines, sold in 1888 at from 10 to -
cents per pound. 1t was, of course. I'M
known in 1873. Today a much better
Irvine retails ut from 6l2 to u cents per
pound, according to quality.
This steady decrease in price does not
mean n 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 coincidont
with the decline in priCe-has been made
possible by the use of economical meth
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 ont by a single firm
The old mower, for which the farmer
paid in the npighhorhOod of S1O0 had
but meagor means for adjustment, and
were neither rs efficient nor as dura bic
as machines that retail today at $40.
The old sef-rake reapcrs which retaileC
Mt 5000 were primitive and clumsy as
compared with the 500 machines of to-
day.
The Deering Irvine binder today. run
ming on roller and bah bearings. cost
500 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 Deerlng roll
cr-bearing Irvine binder than three men
and three horses could handle in 1915
with a Marsh harvester that cost the
farmer 500 more money
These statements of leading manu-
facturers of high-erade farm machinery,
merely emphasizes what any man of or
binary intelligence already knew in
General way and what every wheat-grOw-
or In the country knew by practical ex-
npriencc that the last twenty years have
lapn marked by wonderful improvements
in the efficiency of farming tools accom-
oanied by no less marked reduction in
he retail price When GOV. Altgeld
md The lesser lights of Populism claim
+b9t no mart Of the decline in wheat is
the result Of improved machinery and
methods. they simply run contrary 10
facts which are patent 70 every observer
and put themselves in false position by
DENYING truths that are rs well known
rs the multiplication table.
\ little over a year ago Candidate
BRYAN applied for the press agency Of
= theatrical company, and failed 10 get
il. But his present advertisement IS
such that he could have a score OF such
agencies by asking. He has the talking
-1aliries Of a tir<t-clasS agent for theat-
ricaIs.
Col. Iuccrson says 10 one Of his ardent
.fIvar critics: Yes. many things are
| beaner since the crime of 1873, especial
IL talk" Bryan ought TO be able 70