The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1901-12-10
FARMING BYMACHINERY
WONDERFUL DEVICES FOR PLANT.
ING, REAPlNc AND SOWING.
Agriculture i To-Day Nearly an Exact
Seisnce-PlswinE by steam - Devices
For Scattering Seed - A Potato Dig
ger il Almost Human

while inventive genius and modern
methods have revolutionized tho lead.
ing industries oi the country, the hum
be farmer che greatest producer OF
them III. has not been overlooked.
says the New York Mail ana Express.
Farming today is nearly an exact
science, and the man who runs the
farm is thoroughly trained In one OF
the many agricultural colleges main.
t0ined by the different States. He is
generally specialist II IT. be dniry-
ing. grass or grain GROWN. that he
Follows he is fully posted on every lit
Tie detail OF his particular line.
Ii 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 spacious house. con
tanning every Improvement known 10
sanitary science. Ii is often lighted
by electricity. and be uses one part OF
1t as an office, from which point, with
the aid OF local telephones, he directs
all the operations OF the farm
The modern farmer knows what he
wants to do before he begins opera
lions, and adaptS himself to the stu
alton. whatever it may be. He stu
dies the climate he is in. and he knows
what line OF farming It is better to
follow under given climatic conditions.
Then he analyses the soil. which "a
4 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 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. Al 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
If the farmer is situated in the
great grain growing districts in the
West he uses q porta BILE engine instead
OF horses for blowing and narrowing.
On the level land there the farmer
puts anywhere from six 10 twelve
plows in gang ana gives the signal
to the engineer. 1t is poor day when
they cannot pillow anywhere from
fifteen 10 thirty acres.
BY the old method man and team
would pillow from one to two acres a
day. The steam engine Is used not
only because OF the great amount OF
work done with it in a given time. hur
because 1t does away with the EXPENSE
OF keeping many men and hare.s on
the place during the slack per.of
If the farmer makes .r. .... 40
corn he has a corn plaut.
low machine, with hauH
side. Seed corn u dump
and fertilizer In anothe
team to it, settles back a
bic seat and is driven over Il- faIf.
This planter drops the corn either In
continuous rows or at auy distance
desired by the operator. All be has 10
DO Is to set the gauge Two rows are
planted at the same time. or beans can
be planted Out OF the same machine
1t will drop the beans whercye;. tbcv
are wanted, ana feTtllize both properly
at the same time. Also, if ii is desired
to grow pumpkins among the corn.
which is common practice. this
Obliging machine will droO the Euplp.
Kin seed at regular distances apart
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 raDid
way.
Should the farmer SOW Grain me
does 1t with what is known as a grain
drill which sows the seed In eight
rows at time. The grain can be soyvn
either in straight lines or zigzag. and
the machine fertilizeS the ground nj
the same time. In order that there
may be no mistake as TO the number
OF acres Sown in a day there Is
clocklike device on the drill. which
tells how many acres have been coy
cred and also the quantity Of seed that
has been gown to the acre.
When the farmer wishes 10 sow his
seed broadcast there is simple ina.
chime that he attaches 10 the rear mart
of an ordinary farm wagon. This ms,
chine sows from atty to 100 acres by
throwing the seed out broadcast. and
the power TO run So is derived from the
hub Of one of tho rear wheels on the
wagon. The machine is very simple
and looks like a big funnel with sever
al cogwhccls under a..
When his specially is po.aiors fine
farmer handles them but little. for the
way in which potatoes are plan ed
nowadays does away with the old
fashioned method OF cutting them fo..
seed. They are cuJ sull but the cut
ting is done by machine. which sep
arates them into quarters. halves. or
any number OF parts. as desired. All
the operator has 90 do is to throw tho
potatoes into the machine and swing
over q lever aud several cuts prc
made at one stroke
When che potatoes have been on.
they are dumped into u potato planter
which Us operated by One man. who
drives the horses because the ina.
chime leaves nothing else for him d,
do. This machine mark. tho rows
where the potatoes are to o.. .5wcl
Then 10 opens thr row. drops tho seed
and covers it with m0... earth from
beneath the surface This isl aIi done
in One operation o. will plant tho
seed anywhere from ,naer 5 nine