The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1900-06-14


ton at any desired depth.
For the planting of tubers like the
potato there is primarily machine
that divides the root into halves,
quarters or any number of parts,
separates the eyes and removes the
seed ends. 1t does the work of ten
men. When it comes to the planting
there is employed an automatic ma
chine drawn by two horses; the driver
occupying seat at its front. 1t
plants whole or cut potatoes at any
distance apart desired. 1t drops the
seed, covers it with moist under
earth, and marks for the next row all
at one operation. II also scws fertil-
izer, placing it just below the seed,
after sufficient earth has been mixed
with the former. tits provided with
steel runners or discs to cover the
seed and these yield to all irregulari-
ties Of the soil. For the transplant
ing of plants, such as tomatoes, cauli-
flower, cabbages, celery, in fact all
plants that do not require to be SGT
nearer than one foot apart, the auto
matte plant setting machine will cover
from four to six acres a day. An
automatic check valve fitted to tank
attached to the machine lets water
flow through hose extending IN be-
hind the shoe or turnover. just before
setting the plant. The flow can be
regulated from one to six barrels ar
acre.
cULr1vAro2s FOR EVERY PLANT.
Formerly when the crops were
planted and had begun to grow farm
ers and vegetable gardeners had to
ply the hoe vigorously in order to
loosen or cultivate the soil, and to
keep down weeds. This was hard
work and moreover where growth was
rapid and rank it involved hiring ex-
ira labor. The talent OF inventors has
reduced the fatigue Of this agricultural
function to minimum. Most of these
machines are light and operated by
man power. There are others i'll
which horses are used. Those who
employ call them the greatest labor
savers of the age. There are some
provided with a number OF spring
steel teeth which while they do not
injure the plants loosen and uproot
the weeds. These are more on the
principle of the barrow There is
machine for cultivating and killing
celery. 1t is through the use of these
devices that celery is marketed IN such
perfect condition, with every stalk
bleached to its very top. Potatoes
are cultivated and hilled up by
special machine that does the work OF
many men far more thoroughly and ez-
peditiously than human hands can &C
complish it. There are many ma
chimes combining hoe, cultivator, rake
and pillow. The latest machine
plows, burrows, covers and hills;
there are rakes for shallow cultivation,
fning, dwelling and pulverizing the
soil; there are cultivator teeth for deep
stirring of the soil, and fat hoes Of
different widths for loosening crust
and cutting off weeds.
Every growing plant except cotton
is now provided with cultiVator that
does away with an immense expendi-
ture of human toll As yet no ma
chine has been perfected that picks
cotton with the discrimination of man.
The difficulty to be overcome is to
avoid injury to mature cotton balls
that are growing on the same plant
with those that are immature. No
doubt some method will be found that
will overcome this defect. Then the
Southern darkey will find his services
no longer so eagerly soughtfo as they
are at present.
LADoE-sAvING HAEvEsTE2s.
Machines to harvest crops come in
every variety to perform special
function. Everyone is familiar with
the moving machine. 1t has driven
the scythe out of use. Formerl. there
were men whose trade was confined
exclusively to the use of this imple-
ment. None is following it to-day.
The same is true OF the reapers and
binders of grain; single machine
will do the work of twenty or more
men. The old-fashioned fail to thresh
grain is now a curiosity. The rattle
of the power. thresher is q familiar
sound in autumn to every resident of
a farming country. The sulky hay
tedder will thoroughly turn and spread
four acres of cut grass in an hour.
This can be repeated so often that in
a single day the crop of hay from
that amount of land can be cured and
stored In loading the crop, human
hands are no longer necessary, except
to guide the team that draws the
wagon. The machine hay-loader will
put on a load in five minutes. 1t
takes the hay direct from the swath,
though it will rake and load from
light windows.
There is a labor saving machine for
every agricultural process, most OF
them automatic. Farming IN the
future will not be synonymous with
toll What heretofore the farmer
has expended in the hire of labor he
will devote to the purchase of ma
chinery. This does not consume food,
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