The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-10-08
THE NEW FARMER.
Nearly Everything Now Being Done Bv
Machinery.

The tlTeQ Guy m6u WnV tuFnb lOng-
;,alv TO thoughts Of "tbs old farm
of his boyish memories and 10 impell-
ID to 90 there or tosome place as near
~ resembling it as may be that, like
Antaeus, Of the clsbsic fables he may
,ecuuerate his wasted energies by
once more touching Mother Earth,
would do well to forget all traditions
of pastoral life or prepare himself for
the shock Of great disappointment.
The man with the hoe, the sturdy
artist of the scythe and cradle, the
soyer who went forth to SOW with e
hag Of seed around his neck, the mus.
cular ploughman whose strong hands
kept the implement from turning Hip-
aaps when its point struck root, the
tripping milk maid caroling song
all these and many other familiar OBJ.
iects which the city man inseparably
associates with the old farm bear about
the same relation to the modern farm
,iat the traditional sailorman Of the
DAYS of wind-p.opelling craft bears
TO the coal passer OF the oiler in. the
shaft alley of the modern steamship.
The best education for the up.to-
date farmer is course in mechanical
engineering. His barn is no longer
the barn Of the poets, with great
wind-swept floor spaces under fragrant
mows. It more resembles o stbre
house for miscellaneous machinery.
Its pervading odor is the smell Of ma
chine oil, and one makes his way about
in it with circumspection, unless in
different to torn clothing and abraded
cuticle. <3a
Scythe and cradle hang rusting on
pegs in out-of-the-way places; the fail,
which erstwhile made merry music on
the barn floor, has become brio. -brac.
to be decorated with ribbons and stood
in corner: hoe, mattock, spade-in a
word, everything familiar and typical
Of mans contest with the soil-which
still does, and always did, show great
er aptitude for growing weeds than for
raising useful and profitable crops-is
relegated to disuse, and if still discov-
cred, only serves to remind one that
even in farming the fashion Of this
world passeth away.
In breaking the soil for planting the
familiar plough, which gave even
strong man plenty to do in managing
it ard his team, has largely given
place to the reversible sulky plough,
on which the farmer rides as comfort
ably as on wagon seat, and which he
controls by levers actuated by his
foot, leaving his hands free TO man
sge his horses, his cob pipe, or his
cigarette, if he prefers. I
With this he does much better
work than with the plough &c ancient
times, does it more quickly and with
much less energetic voeifere.;cn-ac.
to speak Of profanity. He 10 not
nearly as picturesque when thus en-
gagged as when holding down the
plough handler. and occasionally TAX
ing an aerial flight over the heads Of
his horses when the old furrow ripper
struck q snag and turned over; Dut he
accomplishes moreiend puts his i'm
mortal sou. in lesa imminent peril.
But it does not realize tie ideals.
Imagine Burns writing his "Ode to o
Daisy while sitting cross-legged on
the seat Of q sulky ploughl Even
this, however, is. menanced by the
power gang plough. and perhaps with
IN another year or two the farmer will
sit on his veranda and control the
movements Of his ploughs by means Of
aswitchboard. His ploughing finish-
cd, the farmer proceeds to pulverize
and smooth his land. Time was when
be dragged it with q harrow of scrap
Iron, his team straining every muscle
tOmove the ponderous aud ungainly
construction, which had an inconyen-
lent habit Of coming to pieces in mid
held. IL it narrowed up" the land,
1t did the same to the soul Of the
operator. TO say that it "went every
how was to describe its motions,
when it went at all, in words perfectly
Ineligible to the farm laborer.
The farmer now mounts the seat Of
the sulky harrow, ficks fly off the
aank Of his of horse and away he
goes. The machine pulyerizes and
smooths the soil much better than it
was formerly done. Here, toe. the
horse is menaced with displacement as
prime motor. AS mechanical pro-
POSITION cats and hay are even less
economical as fuel thar anthracite in