The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-10-16
THE NEW FARMER.
Nearly Everything Now Being
Done by Machinery.


The tined city man who turns long
ingly To thoughts Of " the old farm )
of his boyish memories and is impelled
to go there or to some place as nearly
resembling it as may be that, like
Antaous, of the classic fable, he may
rccuporate his wasted energies by once
moro touching Mothor Earth, would
do we'll to forget all traditions of
pastoral life or prepare himself for the
shock of q great disappointment.
The man with the hoe, the sturdy
artist Of tho scythe and cradle, the
sowcr who went forth to SOW with q
bag Of seed around his neck, tho mus
cular ploughman, who}o strong hands
kept the implement from turning flip
flaps when it's point struck root, the
tripping milk maid caroling song
all these and many other familiar OBJ
jects which the city man inseparably
associates with the old farm bear about
tho samo relation to tho modern farm
that tho traditional sailorman of tho
days of wind-propelling craft bears to
The coal passor or the oiler in tho shaft
alley of the modern steamship.
The best education for the up-to.
date farmer ls u course in mechanical
engineering. His barn is no longer
tho barn OF the poets, with great wind
swept floor spaces under fragrant
mOws. 1t more resembles store
house for miscellaneous machinery.
It's pervading odor ID tho smell of
M ichine oil, and one makes his way
about in it with circumspection, unless
indifferent to torn clothing and abrad-
cd cuticlc.
Scythe and cradle hang rusting on
pegs in out-Cf-the way places; tho fail,
which crstwhile made merry music on
tho barn floor, has become bric-a-brac,
to be decorated with ribbons and stood
ia colnor; hoe, mattock, spade-ln a
word, everything familiar and typical
of mans contest with tho soil--which
still does, and always did, show greater
aptitude for growing weeds than for
raising useful and profitable crops-is
rcl"gatcd to disuse, and if still dis
covered, only serves to remind one
that even in farming tho fashion of
this world passeth away.
EXIT TIE OLD PLOUGH.
In breaking the soil for planting the
familiar plough, which gave oven
strong man plenty to do in managing
it and his team, has largely gwen
place to the reversible sulky plough,
on which the farmer rides as comfort
ably as on a wagon scat, and which he
controls by levers actuated by his foot,
leaving his hands free to manage his
horses, his cob pipe, or his cigarette,
if he prefers.
With this he does much better work
than with the plough of ancient times,
docs it more quickly and with much
less energetic vocifcration--uot TO
speak of profanity. He is not nearly
rs picturesque when thus engaged as
when holding down the plough handles,
and occasionally taking an aerial flight
over the heads Of his horses when the
old furrow ripper struck a snag and
turned over; but he accomplishes more
and puts his immortal soul in less i'm
minent peril.
But it docs not realize the ideals.
Imagine Burns writing his code to a
Daisy" while sitting cross-logged on
the seat of a aulky plough Even this,
however, is monaced by the power
gang plough, and perhaps within
another year or two the farmer will sit
on his veranda and control tho move
ments of his ploughs by means of a
switchboard. His ploughing finished,
the farmcr proceeds to pulverlze and
smooth his land. Time was when he
dragged it with harrow of scrap iron,
his team straining every muscle to
move the ponderous and ungainly con-
Of RHO uhi oh hol
habit of coming to pieces in mid-field.
If it narrowed up" the land, it did
the samo TO the soul Of tho operator.
10 say that it "went everyhow"
was to describe it's motions, when it
went al all, in words perfectly intelli-
glble to the farm laborer.
The farmer now mounts the seat of
the sullSy harrow, ficks fly off the
flank of his off horse and away he goes.
The machine pulvorzes and smooths
tho soil much better than it was for
merly done. Hero, too, the horse is
menaced with displacement as primo
motor. AS mechanical proposition
oats and hay are even less economical
10 fuel than anthracite in strike time.
In fortilizing his land the modern
farmer has tho advantage Of the work
of the Chemist who provides just what
it needs in tho form most convenient
for application by machinery. The
unspeakablo operations connected with
the hand distribution Of barn yard
compost are no longer necessary.
THE NEW MANURE.
IL this material is used the labor of
spreading it ls performed automatically
by a machine which effects o desicca-
ton aud distribution unattalnable by
hand implements. Tho. quarter acre
of rocking. quagmlre, once known ae
tho barn yard, through which one
must wade ankle deep in crossing it,
has disappeared from the modern farm
for which every one having occasion
to visit it, and who brings with him
some respect for his shoes,. may de.
voutly give thanks. Composing and
ensilage conserve the heterogeneous
components Of barn yard ooze much
better than was done when they were
left to L" weather." a>.
For planting there is machine sfol
every kind of seed, cunningly design
cd, we'll built and perfectly adapted tx