The Greeley tribune., 1907-06-27
LARGE LOSS
THIS COMES TO FARMERS
BY CARELESSNESS
Lack of Proper Care of Farm Ma
chinery One of Main Sources
of Leakage in the
Profits

The Tribune has more than once
called attention to the loss in farm
machinery by carelessness on the part
OF the farmers. Now the State Ag-
ricultural college has taken up this
matter and In a bulletin issued by
that institution 81. M. Bainer, pro-
fessor of farm mechanics, has the
following to say:
There Is perhaps no other source
of loss SO great to the average farmer
as. that produced by lack of the
proper care of farm machinery. As
general rule the prosperity of a
farmer may be estimated by the
way he cares for his machinery.
Poor care indicates shiftlessness,
waste, lack of energy, and that the
owner must necessarily buy more
tools and implements In a short
time. Good care, on the other hand,
indicates prosperity, development,
bank deposits and the buying of less
machinery.
''The American farmer buys an
nually slOO, 900, 900 worth of farm
machinery. According to statements
made by different manufacturing
companies, the farmer would not
have to buy over one-half this
amount Of machinery, providing it
received the proper care. A season
without shelter detracts more from
the value Of farm machinery than
q tbs wear caused BY its use during the
same season.
Every owner Of farm machinery
should be able to understand and
properly adjust it. Every imple-
ment should be looked over carefully
before it is used, to see that all bolts
are frightened, and all moving parts
work freely.
Moving parts on new machinery
frequently run hard on account Of
paint in the bearings. This paint
can be easily removed by the use of
kerosene, or one-half kerosene and
one half machine oil mixed. New
machinery should be carefully ex-
amined every day, as bolts often
work loose, or boxes may tit too
tightly, causing them to heat.
When the work with certain ma
chine has been finished it should be
thoroughly cleaned and..al parts that
a1e likely to rust should be carefully
wiped with an oiled rag or waste.
They should then be stored in shed
of some kind, rather than left in the
corner of field or under a tree
where the chickens roost on them.
with good care and housing, an
ordinary grain binder on the average
100 acre grain farm will last from
twelve to sixteen years. In COM
parison with this binder doing no
more work, without extra care or
housing, will last but from five to
eight years. Records show that
many farmers have kept their tools
in constant use by good care for more
than twice the average life OF the
machine.
"We will assume that farmer
starts in farming with 81. 900 invested
in new machinery, and that II
sheltered and we'll cared for it will
last ten years, and IL not sheltered,
only five years. II the implements
stand out inthe weather It will cost
another s., 200 to replace them at the
end Of five years. The compound In
terest on this amount for five years
at S per cent amounts to S276.2S, or
the total amount of money paid out
for machinery with its interest
amounts to 81, 276.2S.
"a good tool shed large enough
for this machinery can be built for
5000. The compound interest on
this amount for ten years at 5 per
cent equals sl25, or the shed may be
considered to have cost 1926. go at the
end of the ten years. After paying
for the shed, it leaves US, at the end
of the ten years, balance of S95O.6S
in favor of housing the machinery,
and the shed is perhaps good for ten
wears more use, "