Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-05-31

1t has been estimated by prominent
! economist that the use of agricultural
machines in the harvesting of the annual
3,000,00O,OCO bushel crop of wheat means
a saving of $500, 00O, 900. Another authority
| asserts that if the use of machinery
were eliminated from the sowing and the
harvesting of the wheat crop in the Uni
ted States, IL would require the services
of half of the people Of the country to
f, produce our bread alone. The wheat crop
! is the most versatile of all cereals grown
by the farmer both in the matter of geo.
graphical range and Of seasons. Wheat
is harvested within a few hundred miles
of the arctic circle, and also near the
equator in southern Brazil. Every
month in the entire year is a harvest
month for this king of foodstuffs. In
January, Australia, New Zealand, Chill,
and the Argentine Republic have their
harvests. In February, March and
April, Egypt, India, Persia, Mexico, and
other countries similarly located have
their harvest season. From that time on
to September, the bulk of the worlds
crop is gathered. In November. Peru and
South Africa. and in December, Burma
and New South Wales harvest their
wheat.
Perhaps no more striking instance of
the worlds progress in agriculture Is af-
forded anywhere than In the case of a
great bonanza farmer OF California. In
the days before the civil war, he lived
on an humble farm in Virginia, and har-
vested the wheat for his father with the
sickle and the rake. Today he owns
thousands Of acres, and operates great
machine which cuts hundreds Of acres
of wheat in a single day, threshes 1t,
rrnz xxyffh a
interpostion of human hand. Where
once he sowed the grain broadcast from
a sack slung across his shoulders, he
now operates a great machine which
plows, harrows and sows many acres
every hour Thus in his single life, Is
represented more human progress than
in all the hundreds of generations gone
before. 1t was not a great step from the
DAYS when this California farmer hand
led his sickle on the hill sides Of Vir-
ginia farm.
The harvest season for thousands OF
years represented the climax in the IL
months of labor. It's ending was the oc-
casion for general rejoicing. and for I'M
usual toll While the devout might make
the harvest-home season a time of thank
fulness to the Giver OF all good for the
bounty they had received, as Is done even
to this day in many of the eastern
states. vet for the great mass OF harvest
workers II was more season or re-
joicing that the days OF strenuous work
were past. In England, harvest home
procession always was in order at the
close of the season, and the piper and
the tabor preceded the last sheaf on the
hon cart, marching along in triumph and
low that the easy days had come once
more. Even the famous Roman sat
urnalia. which has become a symbol OF
wild indulgence and debauchery, was the
Roman harvest festival. Today pract-
caIIv all the drudgery of harvestl time
has passed and with 1t the great fesd-
walls are almost forgotten.
The first recorded attempt at the elimi-
nation Of manual labor from the work
of the harvest field is recorded by Pliny
as having taken place about the dawn OF
the Christian era. 1t seems to have been
the forerunner of the modern wheat
header. 1t was a cart with a sort or
comb and knife combination at the front.
4 hull was hitched to 1t In true cart
before the horse fashion. 1t did not
prove satisfactory, as the knife was sta-
tionarv. From that time on until the
star of invention rose in the mind OF ROD
ert Mccormick there were frequent at
ternpts TO eliminate the labor involved IN
the harvesting, OUT Win HO genuine SN
cess.
The present harvest season will be
notable one because it will mark the in
PRODUCTION of the greatest labor-saver in
wheat harvesting since the self-binder
was brought out. This is an automatic
shocker and it is asserted that 1t Will
shock the wheat more satisfactorily
than can be done by hand. AS the
sheaves come from the binding attach
nent they are placed In position by me-
chanical arms and when the shock has
been completed and the caps put over
it il is set down soldly and firmly on
the ground by means of a tripping ap-
paratus On large farms where binders
are run in batteries of from Is to 30 ma
chimes this invention will work a veri-
table revolution in the harvest hand prob
lem.
Throughout the west there always has
been a great demand for harvest hands;
so great, in fact, that millions of bushels
of wheat have been lost because it was
impossible 10 secure enough shockers.
Where headers and steam harvesters are
used this problem is not serious, but 1t
- only the very largest wheat farms
that can afford a steam harvester. One
Of these outfits costs approximately $500. [!
L may have a cutter bar of from q to AZ |
feet long and is driven by an engine OF
over 1OO-horsepower. 1t requires eight |
men to operate 1t, and the cost involved |
amounts to from 80 to 50 cents per acre !