Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1910-08-11
Geo. Fem Buys One Of Moscow
Machines
The ''|DAHO'' A WONDER
Little Combine Saves Dollars
in Wheat Field

This week George Fem. one of the
prosperous farmers of the rich Fair
view section, started a seven-foot
"ldahQ combine harvester and while
he has never had any experience with
combine and is operating under most
adverse conditions is making a record
that he can we'll feel proud of and is
ample proof of the wisdom of the pur
chasing Of these machines the Prairie
over.
The Idaho which is built at Mos
COW and which has occassioned con-
siderable talk and comment among
the ranchers of the Northwest in gen
eral, is built with the idea of supply
ing the want of the small wheat ranch
er and is not intended to compete
with the larger machines. The idea
of the builders is to supply machine
which would harvest the crop for the
small rancher in better manner than
the old way, obviates the necessity of
so much labor, the thresher bills and
the dependence of the rancher upon
the steam thresher and at the same
time reduce the expenses and Judging
from the results being obtained by
Mr.. Fem the objects have been ac
complished. While the combine was
set up Monday and Mr.. Fem Lad no
previous experience whatever with
harvester of this type and the horses
were not accustomed to the machine,
even under these adverse conditions
things were going along in the smooth
est kind of a manner Tuesday when
the writer visited the ranch.
The machine is made to cut seven
foot swath, is handled by man and
boy and requires but eight horses to
pull it.
From ten to twelve acres day can
be harvested and the grain comes out
i'll fine shape, all down grain is saved
and the threshing is superior to that
done by a steam thresher. Eight
horses will handle the machine with
out a great deal of eXertion and dur
ing the first days run but six were
put on 1t is estimated by the com
pany that the price Of machine,
which is S1l00, can be saved by the
new method over the old where
rancher has over two-hundred and
fifty acres Of grain.
When it comes to side-hills the
Idaho handles the grain with ease.
in fact that is one of the strong fea-
lures Of the machine. All sumed up
with little combine the cost of har-
vesting is reduced from about six dol
tars an acre to less than one.
Mr.. Fenn's experience will be
watched closely by the ranchers of
Camas Prairie and no doubt next
year will see number of the Moscow
harvesters on the Prairie for it is GER
tainly the machine for this country.
An example Of the results to be at
tanned by the use of the "Idaho" we
give the experience of a Genesee farm
er who speaks as follows:
'Not taking into consideration the
saving Of at last five bushels more
wheat to the acre, we have saved on
nine acre piece about $50 in the cost
OF putting the grain into the sack
from the field. Last season we paid
20 cents per sack to the thresher to
handle the crop from the field This
year we are getting 25 and half
sacks to the acre. This would make
our threshing bill, were we using the
old methods, S5.10 per acre. We
have always bound, and it has cost us
not counting the board of the men,
fifty cents per acre for shocking. The
binding twine was at least forty cents
per acre more, as it would take at
least four pounds to the acre. This
makes a total Of Sc per acre. | bal
ance the cutting, as in either case this
expense is equal. We are operating
this season 7-foot Idaho combine,
and although it is built for eight
horses you can see that we are using
only six. We are hiring one man who
is sowing the sacks. Allowing my
son SO per day for operating the com
bine, and the usual price of fifty cents
per day for each of our own horses,
which is S3 more. and figuring only
ten acre: per day, while we are cutting
as high as twelve and fifteen acres