Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1909-12-28
Farm Implement Notes.

Fdfm IfupiCnuCut I>OtCos
A matter which deserves more atten-
ton on the farm is that of implements
for various agricultural operations.
How often we see a farmer working
with tools or machines that are entirely
untitled for his purpose! Many farmer
is using three-foot cut, one horse now
ing machine for his hay where six-foot
cut, two-horse machine would save him
time and money, even if he had to CO.
operate with a neighbor to get the use
of another horse. Again, he is cul-
tivating with a wide-shovel cultivator
where fine-tooth machine should be
used, or he is spreading manure by hand
where bis acreage warrants the use OF
manure spreader. On the other hand,
he would not attempt to chop down
two-foot tree with q hatchet, or spade
up a five-acre lot instead of plowing;
these things he would never think Of
doing. Oftentimes, however, he is, as
suggested above, doing things just as
bad as these in every way.
Farm implements are often wrongly
used in several ways. They may be
utterly unsuited to the work for which
they are employed, or less we'll suited
than an improved implement of the
same kind. The employees may not un-
derstand how to handle them. Hand
implements may be used when horse or
mechanical power would be more eco
nomical, or they may be unnecessarily
hard on the draft animals, or they may
be cheaply made, flimsy or antiquated,
requiring constant repair or renewal.
rlaad
loss of time, fertility, crop yield, etc,
to avoid which the farmer should con-
stantly be on the alert. When he hears
of some nearby farmer who has new
machine of some sort, he would do well
to take day off and see it and the kind
of work it does. Let him receive regu-
larly the catalogues of one or two relid-
bic implement houses and keep posted
on the latest farm machinery. he
should be certain that his tools meet all
the requirements of his soil and crop
conditions. He should buy carefully,
but not be afraid to spend money when
it is necessary. Some men can never
bring themselves to a large first cost
which (although they cannot see iD
will mean profits to them in the end.
One great evil has been that imple-
ment manufacturers would sell tools or
machines whether they were suited for
the purpose sold for or not. The result
of this is very noticeable in Mexico,
where almost every ranch has Junk.
heap composed of hundreds OF dollars
worth of machinery that has scarcely
been used at all. 1t would be OF advan-
tage both to the farmer and the dealer, II
the implement makers would occasional
ly give public demonstrations OF their
tools under different conditions, allow
ing the farmers to handle and try them;
such trials should be we'll advertised
and the expenses of representatives OF
the agricultural press paid in order that
they might report on the efficiency of
the machines. As things are, a farmer
should have some legal redress If sold a
machine which does it's work poorly or
not at all.
1t is true, however, that farm machin-
cry has thus far developed slowly and is
vet in it's infancy. Scarcity of compe-
tent farm labor and the high cost of
what labor there is forces the use ot
more labor and time-saving machinery.
Tillage is far behind harvesting machiu-
cry, for in the wheat harvester that
reaps, threshes and sacks the grain we
have the highest development of ag-
ricultural machinery to-day. Among
the machines that inventors are trying
hard to create, are: A successful cot
ton picker, practicable sugar-cane cut
ter, a light gasoline traction plow, and
an economical ditching machine. The
subject Of agricultural mechanics offers
an interesting and lucrative field to
young men who will properly prepare
themselves for it.-Stanley f. Morse IN
Country Gentleman.