Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-07-23
LABOR SAVING sy FARM MACHINERY

A
LABOR SAVING BY FARM MACHINERY
The United States Department of Ag
riculture has published bulletin on
"The course of prices of farm imple
ments and machinery for series OF
years" From it we take the following
paragraphs, showing the enormous re-
duction of human labor in the produc-
ton of some of the ordinary farm crops
A very interesting and striking con-
trast was given in an article which ap-
peared in ''The Year book" for 1899. 1t
is reproduced with slight revision in the
following paragraphs. The actual
methods, implements and results of the
earlier dates are cOntrasted with the
most approved methods and machines
of the later dates, and the results
achieved herewith, under favorable cir
Icumstances. In other words, the con-
trast is between the actual agriculture OF
the middle of the century and the pos
sible agriculture of the end of the CEN
tury.
| Between 1855 and 1894 the following
changes took place in the cultivation OF
corn: The time of human labor required
to produce one bushel of corn on an
average declined from four hours and
thirty-four minutes to forty-one minutes,
and the cost of the human labor to pro-
duce this bushel declined from 30 3-4
\ cents to 10 1-2 cents.
In the earlier years the plough and
| harrow of that period were used; the
| check rows were marked with the
shovel plough; the seed was dropped by
hand from bucket or pouch carried by
| the farmer and covered with hoe; the
cultivation was done with shovel
plough; knives were used for cutting
the stalks from the ground by hand:
husking pegs were worn on the hand in
husking: the stalks, huSks and blades
were cut into fodder with IN old-time ma
chine turned by hand, and the corn was
shelled by hand either on frying pan
handle or on a shovel or by rubbing Il
cob against the unshelled ears.
A radical change had taken place in
1894. The earth was loosened with
gang plough, and disk harrow very
| thoroughly pulverized it. a corn planter
drawn by horse planted the corn, and
the top soil was pulverized afterward
with four section harrow.
When it came to harvesting the corn
self f-bindcr drawn by horses cut the
stalks and bound them, and the shocks
of stalks were then hauled to machine
which removed the husks from the ears
and i'm the same process cut the husks
and the stalks and the blades into fod-
der. the power of the machine being
supplied by n steam engine.
Then came the shelling of the corn,
which is one of the most striking IN
stances of the changes that have been
wrought by machines. In this case the
machine, operated by steam, shelled one
bushel of corn minute, while in the
old way the labor of one man was re-
quired for one hundred minutes to do
the same work.
The use of steam as a substitute for
horse power in ploughing, in harvesting
and in thrashing wheat has not material
ly contributed to economy, except from
a saving due 70 the elimination of animal
power, so the more common power sup
Piled by horses is here selected Tor the
comparison. The years in contrast are
1880 and 1896.
1t is one of the marvels of the age that
the amount of human labor now required
To produce a bushel of wheat from be-
ginning to end is, on an average, only
ten minutes, whereas in 1880 the time
was three hours and three minutes.
During the interval between these
years the cost of the human labor re-
quired to produce this bushel of wheat
declined from II 81 cents to ) Is cents.
Hay is the next selection for compar-
ison, the years being 1850 and 1871.
When men moved the grass with
scythes, spread it, and turned it over for
driving with pitchforks, when they raked
it into windrows with 4 hand rake,
cooked it with pitchfork, and baled it
with hand press, the time of human
labor required a ton was thirty-tive and
one-half hours: but when for this method
was substituted mower, hay tedder
and hay rake and hay gatherer and
stacker drawn by horses, and press
operated by horse, the time of human
labor was reduced to eleven hours and
thirty-four minutes, while the cost of
human labor from the earlier to the
later year was reduced from S3.06 to
Sl.29.
The potential saving in the cost OF
human LABOR on dCCOuuJ vi iinpioNcu
implements, machines and processes, at
the rate per bushel or ton, as the case
may be, has been computed for seven OF
the principal crops of 1899; the com
parison is between the oldtime methods
of production, in which hand labor was
assisted only by the comparatively rude
and inefficient implements of the day,
and the present time, when hand labor
has not only the assistance of highly
efficient and perfected implements and
machinery but has been considerably
displaced by them. In the case OF the
crop Nof corn, the money measure OF
the saving of human labor required to
produce it in 1899 in the most available
economic manner, us compared with its
production in the oldtime manner, was
S523, ,276. .6i2; wheat SO, ,194 ,S6T; oats,
So. .S66, 200; rye, Sl,40S,950 barley,
s. ,323, ,lSO; white potatoes, 1886, $50;
hay, Sl0,034, ,S6S.
The total potential saving in the cost
of human labor for these seven crops of
1899, owing to the possible utilization of
the implements, machinery and methods
of the present time, in place of the old
time manner of production, reaches the
stupendous amount of $6Sl, ,41l,S2I for
Il this one wear,