The suburban citizen., 1901-10-26
FARMING BYMACHINERY
WONDERFUL DEVICES FOR PLANT.
ING. REAPlNG AND SOWING.


ing industries OF the country, the hum
bile farmer, the greatest producer OF
them all, has not been overlooked,
says the New York Mall and Express.
Farming to-day Is nearly an exact
science, and the man who runs the
farm is thoroughly trained in one of
the many agricultural colleges main
tained by the different States. He is
generally q specialist. If it be dairy
ing, grass or grain growing that he
follows he is fully posted on every lit
tie detail Of his particular line.
1t must be borne in mind that the
farmer of to-day is not a horny-hand-
ed son of toll. He uses steam, electric
ity or horses to do the work that was
formerly done by hand. More than
that, he lives in a spacious house, con-
tanning every improvement known to
sanitary science. 1t is often lighted
by electricity, and he uses one part of
It as an Office, from which point, with
the aid of local telephones, he directs
all the operations Of the farm.
J The modern farmer knows what he
wants to do before he begins opera
tions, and adapts himself to the situ-
alton, whatever it may be. He stu
dies the climate he is in, and he knows
what line OF farming 1t is better to
follow under given climatic conditions.
Then he analyses the soil, which is
q simple thing FOR him to do, and thus
ascertains just what fertilizers are
needed for certain crops in that soil.
AS for the fertilizers it may be said in
cidentally that the modern farmer
grows a crop OF clover, beans or some
thing similar to supply nitrogen to the
soil. Nitrogen is the most costly con-
stituent OF fertilizers, and clover or
beans will draw nitrogen from the
air. These, when plowed in the soil,
furnish that costly element. At the
same time a crop such as clover rests
and refreshes the SOIL which is a nee
essary proceeding when the land is
closely cropped.
II the farmer is situated in the
great grain-growing districts in the
West he uses a portable engine instead
of horses for blowing and narrowing.
On the level land there the farmer
puts anywhere from six to twelve
DlOws in gang and gives the signal
Ito the engineer. 1t is a poor day when
they cannot ploW anywhere from
fifteen to thirty acres.
BY the old method a man and team
would plow from one to two acres
day. The steam engine is used not
only because of the great amount of
work done with 1t in a given time, but
because it does away with the expense
OF keeping many men and horses on
the place during the slack period.
If the farmer makes a speciality Of
corn he has a corn planter. This is a
low machine, with hoppers on each
side. Seed corn Is dumped In one set
and fertilizer in another He hooks a
team to it, settles back in comforta-
BILE seat and is driven over the fields.
This planter drops the corn either in
continuous rows or at any distance
desired by the operator. All he has to
do is to set the gauge. Two rows are
planted at the same time, or beans can
be planted out of the same machine.
Tt will drop the beans wherever they
are wanted, and fertllize both properly
at the same time. Also, If 1t is desired
to grow pumpkins among the corn,
which is a common practice, this
Obliging machine will drop the pump
kin seed at regular distances apart. A
simple corn planter Will plant from
eight to twenty acres a day. When
the corn is ready to be cut machine
also does that work in the same rapid
way.
Should the farmer SOW grain, he
does 1t with what is known as a grain
drill, which sows the seed in eight
rows at time. The grain can be sown
either in straight lines or zigzag, and
the machine fertillzes the ground at
the same time. In order that there
may be no mistake as to the number
of acres sown in a day there Is a
clocklike device on the drill, which
tells how many acres have been Gov
cred and also the quantity OF seed that
has been sown to the acre.
When the farmer wishes to SOW his
seed broadcast there Is a simple ma.
chine that he attaches to the rear part
of an ordinary farm wagon. This ma
chine sows from fifty to 100 acres by
throwing the seed out broadcast and
the power to run 1t is derived from the
hub Of one OF the rear wheels on the
wagon. The machine is very simple
and looks like a big funnel with sever.
al cogwheels under 1t.
When his speciality is potatoes the
farmer handles them but little, for the
way in which potatoes are planted
nowadays does away with the old
fashioned method of cutting them for
seed. They are cut still, but the cut
ting Is done by a machine, which sep
arates them into quarters halves, or
any number Of parts, as desired All
the operator has to do is to throw the
potatoes into the machine and swing
over a lever, and several cuts are
made at one stroke.