The daily sentinel., 1907-12-17
WHAT INVENTION HAS
DONE FOR THE FARMER

The story of the development OF
the msnufactufe of agricultural ma
chinery and Implements during the
last fifty years and its effect upon
Agricultural conditions is one which
might properly require volsmes fol
its falling. In "a brief paper only ths
merest outlines of it can be indicated
Increasing uss of and acquaintance
with these implements and machines
has brought to the farmer knowledge
by means of which he has anchor
ated his condition in almost every
way and Increased not only his own
prosperity. but tho general CONNER
eial prosperity of the nation and ef
the world Through the developing
and marketing of modern farm ma
chtnsry and implements the ocsupa-
ton of agriculture has been lifted
from a round of drudgery. to ole full
OF rich possibilities that cali into con-
slant requisition both intelligence
and reason. A century ago agricul-
tural machinery was almost as prim-
tive az 1t was one Thousand years
ago. Now we have steam plows,
combined harvesters aud threshers.
auto-mowers, etc. And although
they have come into comparatively
recent use, they are changing all our
life, commercial and indus
trial, Ia addition to their direct eff
feet upon the farmer.
All of the great crops are now
planted, and all except cotton are
now gathered, by machinery. The
old-time plowman has given place
to one who rides on a comfortable
spring seat. and who has plows
adapted to his various needs; or the
modern plowman may even be one
who plows by steam or motor and
guides a many horse power engine
across his lands. Fertilizers. instead
of being spread by hand, may now
be machine spread, and with greater
eveLess and economy. Seeds are
planted by machinery, from grain
and grass to corn and beans. Toma-
toes, cabbage, lettuce, celery. ETC..
when ready for transplanting from
the cold frames, may be set out by
the plant-setting machinery, handling
each sprout tsnderly, gathering earth
around its roots and watering 1t well.
The potato planter picks up pota-
toes, cuts them into the desired num-
ber of parts, separates the eyes, re-
moves the seed ends, and plants the
potatoes at desired distances apart,
then covering and fertilizing them
and marking off the next row.
For harvesting there are still other
products OF mechanical invention to
aid the farmer In his work. For hay
there is the mower, the
horse rake. the bay-gatherer and
stacker and the hay press. For
wheat and corn harvesting there is
the self-binder and the header. And
we even see combined
harvester and thresher which cuts
the grain on the one side and on the
other drops sacks of grain. For corn
we have the corn-binder, cutting
corn and binding it in bun lies. II
may even be shocked, husked and
threshed by machinery and the
stalks made available for fodder
And then the steam shelter will carry
on the work by shelling one bushel
of corn per minute, taking only one
of the time needed for the
work by hand.
In doing the lesser work OF the
farm. improved implements and ma
ch hinery play no smaller part. Skim
ming pans have given way to the
cream separator, and the incubator
is outdoing the hen. Potato and 9TH
er bugs are now taken care of by
spraying machines. and shearing ma
chimes take their product from the
sheep. Even the COW cannot escape
from the path of progress in farm
machinery. for she is now being
milked by machinery.
BY means of water power many
farmers now generate electricity fol
their use, and not only light theil
houses and barns, but saw wood
churn butter, cut up feed for cattle
or drive threshing machine by cleo
tric power. They may II they will
even use it to plow their lands. Or
IL the farmer prefers to use steam
p~wer, he may do with it almost
equally marvellous things.
For practically every agricultural
purpose there is now labor-saving
machine. Farming OF tho future Is
destined to be very different thins
from that of the past. Much of what
the farmer has hitherto spent in hire
of labor he viii give to the purchase
of machinery He will farm with
his head more than by mere phys
ical strength. He will make ma
chinery do his work and give him
comfort and leisure as well as profit
But in order to do this success