Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-06-03
,EMsER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
IT,,
EVOLUTION OF AGRICULTURE

A good deal has been said in this
state. regarding the International
Harvester company, or the so-called
Harvester Trust, y which certain
badly frightened politicians have
been using as campaign material,
through resolutions calling for in
vestigations and the dissolution of
the tract. It has been charged also
that the Harvester Trust has been
interested in the senatorial campaign
in this state, a statement that is en-
tirely unsubstantiated, without foun-
dation In fact, and put forth solely
for the purpose Of influencing voters.
Aside from any political consider
atoms, the formation and career of
the Harvester company is interesting,
and the means and methods Of the
company are things that should be
studied by the farmer for himself.
Like many another Industrial combi-
nation, the Harvester company was
made necessary by the trend of mod
ern business conditions and as an
Industrial combination it has an en-
tire right to exist, SO long as it con-
forms to the laws of the land and
conducts its affairs upon a fair and
honest basis. Recently Herbert N.
Casson wrote a series of papers for
Everybody's Magazine with relation
to the Harvester company and this
J series has been SO combined in a
book published by Messrs. Double
day, Page and company, which gives
an interesting insight into the BUSH
ness and affairs of the company.
From the conclusion of the book is
taken the following extract:
Harvesting by machinery has ac-
tua1ly become cheaper than the anc-
lent method of harvesting by slaves.
This surprising fact was first brought
to the notice of Europeans during
the Chicago worlds fair, when forty
seven foreign commissioners were
taken to the immense DalrympIe
farm in North Dakota. Here they
saw a wheat field very nearly hun.
bred square miles in extent, with
three hundred self binders clicking
out the music Of the harvest. There
were no serfs-no drudges-no bare
footed women. And yet they were
told that the labor cost of reaping
the wheat was less than cent a
bushel.
1T has become impossible to reap
the world s wheat by hand. As well
might we carry coal from mines to
factories in baskets. Merely to have
gathered in our own cereal and hay
of last years growing, would have
been a ten days job for every man
and women in the United States, be,
tween the ages of twenty and twenty.
six. But even if it had been possible
to return to hand labor, III the pro
duction Of the worlds wheat, thu
extra cost would have swollen, las
year, to a total if $330, 600 .000--se
am told by Wisconsin professor
who made careful study Of Thu
costs Of harvesting This amount |.
more than equal to the entire reve
nue. Of the international Harvester
company, in the FIVE years OF its ex
y istence.
Roughly speaking, the time need
4 ed to handle an acre Of wheat ha.
been reduced from sixty-one hours
to three, by the use Of machinery
Hay now requires four hours, instead
Of. twenty-one; oats seven hours, in
stead of twenty-six and potatoe
thirty-eight hours instead Of on,
& hundred and nine.
1t is machinery that has so vastl.
y increased the size Of the ayerag
American farm. In India, where ;
farmers whole outfit can be bough
for ten dollars, the average farm i
half an acre or less. In France ant
Germany 1t Is I'VE acres. In Eng
land it is nine. But in the United
States the home OF farm machiner.
1T IS one hundred an fifty acres.
VERY little has been writtel