The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-10-16
even the impossible Jonas of tho Rollo
book could not have displayed.

book could not have displayed.
For grain and grass the broadcas
seeder" is used. This is attached t,
an ordinary wagon, and the only hu
man cooperation 1t requires is keep
ing it's hopper full. 1t will dlstribut,
all kinds of dry commercial fcrtilizer
and will put them just whore they VII
do most good.
A mechanical grain drill is provided
for such grains as need to be planted
systematically in rows or hills. It'll
infallible in it's operation and woult
plant corn, for example, in the middle
of macadam road if this was rcquirot
Of it. Among other attachments i
has q land measure, something like 6
cyclometor, which records the acreage
planted and would calculate tho yielG
if it were not for tho element of uncer
tainty introduced by weather vlcissi
tudes, and the variable industry of cror
destroying birds and insects. TO cover
tho seed 1t has planted it is provided
with systom of hoes which arc ad-
justed to work straight or zigzag.
TIE NEW wEEDER.
A variant of this apparatus weeds as
we'll as sows. Still another is tho bean
planter, which is quite remarkable in
It's intelligence, so to speak. 1t drills
tho hole in the ground, plants the
beans, covers them, and marks the
position Of the next row at one opera
ton. It will oven alternate cocn and
beans, turn and turn about or plant
corn or beans, distribute fertilizer and
cover everything nnpartially. In fact,
it will do anything for which tho farm
er has the intelligence to adjust it.
The potato planter would make q
farmer of generation ago sit up and
rub his eyes. 1t requires that tho
potatoes be supplied, but will do all
the rest of it's own initiative. 1t picks
the potato up and looks it over-or
seems to-cuts il into halves, quarters,
or any desired number Of parts, sepa-
rates the eyes and removes the seed
ends. 1t plants whole potatoes or
parts thereof as desired, as near togeth-
er or as far apart as the judgment of
tho farmer on the driving scat sug-
gests.
Having dropped the seed it covers
it, fertllizes it, tucks it in like child
put to bed, and PAGES off the next row
with mathematical accuracy. With a
photograph attachment 1t might even
repeat the familiar invocation, "Now
l lay mo-" etc., if any advantage was
discoverablc therefrom in the case of a
tubor.
Certain vegetablef, notably tomatoes,
cabbages, cauliflower, celery, lettuce
and some others, need to be started in
cold frames, and transplanted for the
practical business of growing. For
this purpose there is a plant-scttlng
machine, which will handle a sprout
as if it loved it, establish il in its new
environment, gather the earth tcnderly
about it's roots, give it copious drink
of Water from q tank it carries, and
cover from four to six acres in day.
The transl,lanting is done 80 quickly
that the plant is said to be established
in its new position before it realizes
time to become homeeick.
MORE MACHINERY.
The various operations generically
known as " cultivating" were once
tho bane of the farmers existence. For
them he needed a hickory back with sole
leather hinges and frequent stlrnula.
tion from the switched jug. The hoe
was his implement of greatest general
utility. With it he destroyed tho
weeds, loosened the soil, shaped up the
hills, and did many other laborious
and extremely monotonous tasks.
1t was, moreover, discouraging work.
He could only do it by daylight, where
as the weeds kept growing night and
day, and by the time he had finished
the last row of his field, behold, the
woods were foot high at the point
where he had begun and he must do
it oil over again.
Now he has machine for each and
every operation Of crop tending, with
a drivers seat as comfortable as that
of a blackboard. These machines seem
to know weed from crop plant in
tuitively, and while they will snake
the former out by tho roots without
compunction, they pass the plant un-
harmed-prOvided, of course, it is
growing in it's proper place. Some of
these machines will do almost anything
ouGol CAlu bllO lbl lIucl WullO hI
work with agreeable and instructive
conversation; but they have been
highly specialized, and for every opera
ton connected with the tending Of
every kind of crop there 10 some one
machine which performs it little bot
tor than any other.
GATHERING THE CROPS.
When the crop is ready for gathering
mechanism is seen at it's best. The
perfection Of tho modern reaper and
bindor is illustrated by an incident
which occurred this year in Illinois.
A farmer had driven his reaper into
the edge of field ready for cutting
and dismounted from his seat to get q
drink of cider.
While thus occupied the horses took
fright at something and ran away.
They tore round and round tho field,
cutting o full swath with every jump,
gathering up tho grain, binding it. with
twiEe and tossing the bundles to one
side. Before the team was caught II
had covered six and q half acres, loav
ing only patches here and there to be
gone over. This was accomplished lr
something loss than twenty-foul
minutes. , =: .' '~'
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