The Irish standard., 1899-03-11
THE MOTOR w AGUN.
Improved Roads May Bring It in
Use in the Country.
Automobiles Are Rapidly Displae-
ing the Horse in the Cities, but
the Animal Will Always Re-
main ON the Farms.

Some of our contemporaries are al
:cady discussing the possible applica-
ton of automo,ors TO country and farm
uses. This, of course. is upon the as
sumption that they are to be success
fully introduced into the cities and,
Il amer or later. drive equine vehicles
from our streets. or thai there cannot
be much doubt. The extraordinary tri
umph of the bicycle shows how rapidly
the public will adop, an improved We
hcle when its practical value has once
been demonstrated.
The motor wagons usci in the country
is another matter. Automotor car
riagcs and wagons cannot become very
common on the ordinary country roads
of to-day. The highways mus, first be
improved so that these motor vehicles
can be driven fairly up TO their best
speed. There would not be much en-
enlargement 10 farmers for investment
in them if they were required to drive
them over bad roads AT a slow pace and
to the detrimcnt of the machinery. On
improved roads. however, they would
soon demonstrate their superiority
over vehicles drawn by horses.
Whether they can he prolitably en-
plNAru on the farm itself is a question
hereafter TO be solved. There are some
forms of farm work NOM done Ivy horses
TO which ii would be difficult TO apply
amy other power known. Steam piuwS
are seen and used on the grra, prairie
farms of the west. but none has ever
been devised which can he successfully
applied TO he small farms of the east.
Flowing. dragging. or narrowing.
drilling. hauling hay and grain from
HE field To the barn. and other similar
agricultural work will tax the in
gcnuily of inventors who may try to
solve this problem.
But ii would he absurd To declare that
il cannot be done. When the moving
machine first appeared ii WAS thought
that no machine could be devised that
would do the farmers grain harvest,
ing. hut the harvester spec dily fol-
lowed, though nj first no one thought
of binding the grain 10y machinery as
il was cut. Two men were staff ON
the frs, machines. one to drive aud the
other to- rake oil the bundles. Then
others followed L" hiud up the shrnvcs
in the old-tashinnrd WAY. Later came
the machine binder, and NOW self
binders" as they have been called, are
i'm universal use. Farmers used 10 do
all their seed sowing E\ hand: now
every farm has its grain drill. Long
after HE ,hrashiny machine came into
lhra>hcd with the HAIL. or, in the ease
of the former, were tro,i'rl on, OF the
pods hy horses. Now beans also arc
,hrashrd and POTATOES are dug by ma
chincry.
1T would be impossible within the
limits of Il brief article to rnnmrraie
the nunhrylrSs machine. adapted TO
farm uses by he ingenuity of inventors
within The past 81 Years. And il is To he
noticed that the American farmer
gives every useful invention cordial
welcome. However slow he may have
been to see the value of good roads. he
has been quick aud generous in re-
spending to the efforts Of inventive
genius. There is every reason TO be
Icvr. therefore. lhH, motor wagons and
carriages and some motor power other
than horses would find II mnrkc, among
the farmers Of the country as soon as
they could demons rate their practical
value.
The value of good roads MS an object
lesson will he greatly increased by the
appearance OF the motor carriage and
wagon upon them. When farmers see
how much more economical as well as
more speedy and pleasant the new We
hclcs arc upon suitable roads than
horses. the more Liberia! and enterprise
ing among them will be eager to make
the substitution. Rochester (N. W
Democrat