The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1907-12-20
MERITS OF THE COMBINE.
Comparison Made With Old Method
of Harvesting.


of Harvesting.
A Spokane man wrote to the Wash
ineto State Experiment station staff,
Pullman, recently, inquiring relative to
the growing and cutting of wheat, the
and -four making content of the berry
as affected by soil, climate and methods
OF cutting. Professor R. W. Thatcher,
director OF the station, answered the
inquiries as follows:
l. Does the wheat lose any Of the
essential elements for good -four by
standing until ripe enough to cut and
thresh at one operation.
"Wheat does not lose any of its con-
stituents by standing until it is thor
oughly ripe. 1t does, however, manu-.
facture and store up somewhat larger
proportion Of starch than il cut when
In the dough, resulting in Q slightly
softer wheat with q larger proportion
Of starch and smaller proportion ol
gluten. The difference in this respect
IL rather small, however"
2. Are the berries as plump wher
cut by combined machine as when
the grain is harvested by binder OIL
header, and threshed after standing in
the shock, or having been stackedi
We are informed that the wheat buyers
and millers make difference between
grain harvested with the combined ma.
chine and that cht with the binder ol
header.
"The berries are plumper than when
cut by the binder and left standing in
the shock, for the same reason; that is
greater production of starch flls the
berries plumper."
8. Do the berries lost their colol
when left growing until ripe enough Il
cut with q combined machine?
1.-THE color of the berry is not chang
cd materially until after the grain II
dead ripe, after which it may be bleach
ed out, to varying extent, depending
upon the length of time and the eli
matic conditions.
4. Is all the wheat In one sack Of ar
even grade when harvested with the
combined machine?
"The wheat in single sack Of grain
harvested by acombined machine Is moi
necessarily of an even grade. Since the
machine is run up or down hill, it may
cut and run into the sack wheat growing
under quite different conditions. This
however, Is equally true OF any othel
method Of harvesting. It is wei
known that grain from the top Of clay
point is different from that of nortf
hill slope, and both OF these are differ
snt from that Of south hill slope, o.
upon fat. I do not think any meth
! cd OF harvesting will secure absolutel.
the uniformity you suggest"
8. Is there more wheat lost durini
the operation of the combined machine
than through harvesting and threshin
by the old method2 II so, how much
1--WE have no information which
would make 1t possible for us to stat
definitely whether there Is more or les
wheat lost during the operation Of
combined machine, than by harvestin
and threshing by the old method. w
are aware of the objection that has bee
raised in California to the use Of COM
bined machine, but do not think 1t is
great objection, as has been stated.
"There is no question but that th
grain cut with combined machine
slightly lower in proportion Of glute
which it will show. The yield per acr
Is certainly little later, If the grain
allowed to become ripe. am person
ally Of the opinion that the most ser
GUS objection to the combined machir
| Is in the distribution over the field {
, the threshed out weed seeds"