The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-09-02
Farm Miscellany.
eArLiNe,s AUTOMOBILE PIOws.
Gasoline Motors to Drive Blades at Any
Depth Between l and 10 InChes-OTigina'
tor Of Rapid Fire Gun to Form a st. Louis
Company to Manufacture Machines.

tor OF ia DID FIRE 6u0 70 FORM a W 49@43
Company to Manufacture Machines.
From blowing to automobiling seems
a far cary, yet those two extremes are
combined in the latest invention of
DR.. R. J. Calling, originator of the
famous rapid firing gun which bears
his name.
At the age of seventy DR.. Calling
has conceived the idea of replacing
farm horses with gasoline and chang
ing the ado1nment of farmers hands
from c~allouses to chauffeur's gloves.
In other words, ploughing is to be rev
oIutionized as wa modern warfare.
Many years ago tie cradle took the
place of the sickle and that was later
driven out of the field by the reaper,
which, after a short but useful career
was replaced by the self-binding har-
vester, each in its newer and better
methods cheapening the cost of pro-
ducing wheat. During all this time
while the methods of harvesting the
crops were being so much bettered by
introducing l~abor-saving machinery,
very little progress has been made to-
ward cheapening the cost of preparing
the land for the seed.
It has remained for DR.. Calling to
invent a motor plough, driven by a
gasoline engine of sufficient power to
propel the plows at any desired depth
between one and twelve inches. The
truck is built similar to those trucks
used with traction engines, except that
the steam boiler is replaced by a
strong platform, on which is placed
the gasoline engine. 1t is connected
to'the traction gearing by a series of
wheels; to this truck is attached a set
of disk ploughs.
With this machine it is estimated
that one man can plough from thirty
to thirty-fve acres in a day. To
plough this number of acres in one
day with the ordinary plough would
require fifteen men and thirty horses.
All that is required to operate the
Calling plough is for the farmer to sit
upon the cushioned seat of the truck
and work the controller, which is not
unlike, those attached to automobiles.
If he happens to be ~indisposed his wife
can take his place.
It is generally estimated that the
cost of ploughing under ordinary con-
ditions is $3.50 per acre, and hen the
further preparation of the ground by
narrowing and rolling it costs another
fifty cents per acre. By the process
of ploughing with the Calling ma
chine the ground becomes thoroughly
~pulverized and the rolling is not re-
quired.
DR.. Calling is having his plough
made in st. Louis and is going to form
a st. Louis company to carry on its
manufacture and distribution when it
is ready for the market. As yet his
plans in this latter respect have not
assumed definite shape. The sample
plough is now nearing completion and
will oon be ready for inspection.
When seen recently at his residence,
No. 1850 Linden Boulevard, he re-
quested that nothing be published
about his invention until after the
model had been completed. He de-
clined to talk about the wonderful
mechanism of the plough, fearing that
the publication of his statements
would bring numerous: inquiries, which
he said he would have no time to an
swer just now.-St. Louis Dispatch.