The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-08-04
Power for the Farm,

The changes made during recent
years in the methods followed by pro-
gressive and successful farmers to en-
able them to keep abreast of the times,
and make available the various means
of assistance within their reach, call for
more frequent and extended use of
some form of power upon the farm. In
fact the same law applicable to the cul-
tivation of the soil and the harvesting
of crops, by which power and machin-
Dor, also applies to such work as pump
ing water, saving wood, separating
cream, churning and cutting stock
feed, and the kind of power most Geo.
nomically applied to these and other
similar practices .is An important and
diffiult question to determine. A farm
er needs a power that is both cheap
and ready for use and one that can be
depended upon. He also wants it to be
safe from fire and explosion and easily
moved to different parts of the farm
buildings. There is one power that
meets all these requirements quite we'll
and one that the farmer might use to
greater advantage than he does, and
that is the tread power. 1t was used
exclusively on farms forty years ago for
such limited use as any power was ap-
piled to, but for some reason or other
was quite generally abandoned. But
the tread power is coming back into
use again for such work as a cheap and
inexpensive power is needed. This
power can be obtained in almost any
size required, from power intended
for goat or dog up to power for four
horses. The smallest are often used to
run baby separators, churns and such
things as these and the largest to run
feed cutters and heavy thrashing ma
chimes. A two-horse tread power will
run circular saw for saving wood and
two or three-horse power will run a
medium sized cutter for cutting ensi-
iage. When farmer has the horses
it is the cheapest kind of power that
can be obtained upon most farms, and
the cost is within the reach of most
farmers.
use to considerable extent, especially
for pumping water for stock and family
use. With proper attention it does
good work and is, of course, inexpen-
sive in operation after once established.
Another kind of power that has come
into use in recent years is the gasoline
engine. This is power always ready
for use, makes no danger from fire and
furnishes one horse power at only one
or two cents an hour. The first cost,
however, of the best gas engines will
make person hesitate before buying
one, as they probably cost more than
steam engines of the same capacity,
but the chespness with which they may
be run and the ease with which they
are handled, requiring very little atten-
ton after being started, make them
very desirable engines. These engines
are sale to be very serviceable, lasting
many years if properly handled.
This matter of power seems to be set
tied among the three forms: The tread
power, windmill power and gasoline
power. The first is comparatively in
expensive in the first cost but costs
something to run it if extra horses are
kept for this purpose, but this will sell
dom be necessary. Farm horses gen.
orally stand in the stable good many
days during the year and their use in
the power would be scarcely felt.
While the other two powers named are
expensive at the start, it costs scarcely
nothing to operate them, and the gaso-
line engine can be used for any work
upon the farm to which stationary
power is ever applied. 1t is one of the
steadiest, easiest working machines
ever attached to piece of work. Not
withstanding all these excellent quail
ties we believe the average farmer who
needs power of some kind for various
kinds of work will find the old reliable
tread power, in which the farm horses
can be worked on rainy days and other
days when farm work is not rushing,
about as satisfactory and economical as
any other power. But for pumping
water alone nothing will take the place
of good wind power.-Mirror and
Farmer.