The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1908-06-05
THE FARMERS TASKS.
Machinery Has Made Them Lighter
Than They Were For His Father.

Machinery Has Made Them Lighter
Than They Were For His Father.
The modern farmer wears a white
collar and s~uspenders and store
clothes. But the most remarkable de-
velopment in agricultural evolution is
his marvellous ingenuity displayed in
the application of mechanical power
to those tasks that were formerly
performed by hand. Farm handicraft
now consists Of the ability, coupled
with the inclination, which is seldom
absent, to apply direct pressure to a
button and allow the machine to do
the rest. A visit to a we'll appointed
western farm will convince the most
skeptical that the vogue Of Drawn has
passed, except in the field of mere
football OF perhaps wrestling contests.
On a recent visit to such a farm the
caller was informed that the proprietor
was in the barn cutting seed potatoes.
He found that the seed potatoes were
being cut all right, but the farmer
was not STOPPING in the old time posi-
ton, indicative Of great bodily pain in
the middle region, while decorating the
juicy spud with a jackknife.
A machine Of formidable appearance
was planted under a hopper full of po-
tatoes. There vas a great crashing
Of teeth, and the sliced potatoes fell
from the jaws in q continuous stream.
The farmer dipped a handful of the
cut potatoes from the bag and counted
the damaged eyes to determine the
percentage of loss and thus arrive at
an estimate Of the quantity Of seed
required to plant a given area. He
said the computing machine was at the
Office and he hadn't time to go after
1t. But he seemed to have more time
than anything in sight.
That part of the barn devoted to the
live stock was occupied by several
sleek COWS. but the caller looked in
vain for his boyhood enemy, long since
f~orgiven-the familiar milking stool.
The farmer called his attention to a
machine that had just appeared as If
by magic at an aperture in the wall.
a carrier mounted on a cable stretch
ed from the barn to the house had
conveyed the machine to the cattle
stalls. 1t had been to the sterilizing
room to be scalded.
The farmer set the machine at the
back Of the first stall. attached the
rubber hose to the profit producing
part of the milk COW, depressed q
plunger on top Of the machine, and the
siphon did the work automatically by
forced feed. This process was repeat
ed on every COW that seemed to give
promise of yielding an unearned incre-
ment, and then the farmer looked satis-
fed. But the animals displayed no in
terest in the machine. The product of
this machine had the peculiar creamy
tint characteristic of farm grown milk,
but when tested In a machine called a
separator it assayed 65 per cent city
milk, the remainder of the output be-
ing butter fat. The separator was
planted in the sterilizing room, where
every conceivable convenience for
handling dairy products was installed.
All Of these appliances were operated
by q machine planted in an adjoining
room and connected by betting with a
line shaft The people referred to this
latter machine as the power" but it
was really a gasoline engine. 1t smell
ed powerfully.
The place was stocked with machin.
cry specially designed for the perform
ance of every function that the farm
er formerly accomplished with his
hands, except voting. The political
machine is not much in favor In the
rural precincts.