The Colfax chronicle., 1900-12-29
FARMER AND PLANTER
AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.
The Time Has Come r0r . More Gen.
eral Use Of Machinery on
Southern Farms.

The southern farmer has reached
the point where he must use more
machinery. He can not compete sue
cessfully with other farmers if he
does not. Hand labor is too expensive
II he can get it. But he can not always
command enough of it. 1t is getting
scarcer and less satisfactory every
year.
AS the old-ante-bellum labor passes
from the farm, we find it more and
more difficult to get the kind and
quality of workers we wish.
The lew labor wants to work fewer
months and shorter hours, and de-
mands higher pay.
Then again, he is not reliable. You
can not count upon his carrying out
his contract. He is expensive on ac-
count of the direct pay, and more ex-
Pensive when you consider the indi-
rect-the incidentals that you did not
agree to give, but which are never
theless gone from the farm.
The time has come when we must
produce more per acre. The compe-
tition in prices grows heavier each
year. Rapid transit makes is SO easy
for distant points to send competing
articles that we must be prepared to
price against any and every COM
petitor. The only way to cheaper
production is to produce more per
acre, and decrease the cost of culti-
yation.
Good farm machinery will help to
both of these. To do good plowing
we must have good plows. One hand
can do the plowing of three hands
if we have the best plows. But at the
same time he does so much more; he
can do it SO much better. A three or
four horse plow guided by one man
can break more ground than the
same number of horses each to lit
tie single plow, and he can do much
better blowing.
Then in the use of cultivators and
harrows the same holds true. One
man can do as much as two or three,
and do it better. The weight of the
plow or harrow helps to do better
work.
Thus we see we can save the ex-
pense of several hands and have the
soil better prepared.
A good mower or reaper or harves-
ter enables us to cut and cure and
handle all hay and grain and even
corn crops very much cheaper.
Not only is there a saving in the
cost, but often the whole would be
lost if we had to wait for the old way
of handwriting and hand-binding and
horse-threshing. A good deal can be
promptly saved if we have good ma
chimes, but from storm or long-con-
tinued rain might be entirely lost or
greatly damaged if we depend upon
the old way.
Machines work cheaper than men.
Human labor costs more than ami
NAL labor, and animal labor more
than steam or electricity. We do not
advise too great haste. This some
times makes waste. But do urge the
use of ell improved farm implements
that have been tested and proven.
We can soon stop all washing and
wearing of our soils by using good
plows, and when we do this the land
not only holds its fertility, but actu-
ally grows richer from year to year
while making crops all the while. We
can even grow two crops per year on
much of our farms, and this will inn
prove the land still more rapidly.
Machinery has stopped the waste
of cotton seed, and given them per-
manent value.
Machinery will soon stop the waste
full process of fodder-pulling and
stalk-burning, but we VIII save the
fodder and the stalks. This will en-
able us to grow very many more cat
tie, and they will add to our income
and enrich our farms.
The use of machinery on the farm
will tend to increase the intelligence
of our farm labor. 1t will tighten the
drudgery and heighten the profits OF
farming. Now that we are getting
better prices for our produce and our
cattle, let US invest some of the pro-
ceeds in equipping our farms with
better labor-saving machines. The
question is no longer, Can we afford
to buy machinery for better farm
ing?r but can we afford to do with.
out? That is the question. We do not
think you can. We think you are
argeeing with us in this idea.-South-
ern Cultivator.