Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1910-08-19
PREPARING FOR GRAIN CROP
Small Farmers Should Club Together
and Buy All Necessary Machines
for Harvesting.

A beautiful fall season, the high
price of food stuffs, and the live at
home" campaign which has been
waged with our farmers have all con-
spired TO cause more people to SOW
grain this season than l have ever
known to do in any year heretofore. It
is true that a number Of people have
made the mistake Of not sowing, for
which they will be duly sorry next
summer, but the great increase in
acreage of small grains makes 1t I'm
portant that the people begin now to
make arrangements for harvesting and
threshing it. Do not make the mis-
take Of waiting until the crop is ready
to harvest, nor the mistake of suppos-
ing that you can hire somebody when
the time comes" It is not safe to
count on any one but yourself. Har-
vest time Is a busy time in the cot
ton and corn fields, and labor will be
scarce and difficult to procure.
The old way of saving wheat and
oats with cradles, and hay with
scythes is better than no way at all.
but they are too slow and too extrav.
agant for our day. A binder will save
enough wheat which the very best
cradle would lose to pay more than
the cost of harvest A mower is an
absolute farm necessity.
Begin now to arrange for a binder
or mower, or both, If you have none.
There are thousands of small farmers
who have not and who possibly will
not SOW enough wheat to justify the
expense Of binder for their individ-
ual crops. In such case two or three
or more neighbors should club to-
gether to purchase a binder. Also to
buy a mower and hay rake If they
have none. Care should be taken
that too many do not go in together
on these tools, as each is more than
apt to want to use the machines about
the same time. Three men would be
better than great number, but It
were better to have six or eight buy
a binder Jointly than attempt to save
their crops with cradles.
After your grain is harvested are
you sure that you can get 1t threshed
promptly? It costs too much to have
your grain stand in shocks or poorly
constructed stacks for months wait
ing for thresher. It would be much
better to have whole neighborhood
form a joint stock company to buy
one Of the little combination thresh-
ing outfits run by a gasoline engine.
They are simple, easily handled and
easily hauled about over the country,
and do the work as we'll as the very
largest outfits. In buying the thresh-
ing outfit larger number of parties
can cooperate than in the purchase
of a binder. A dozen men who will
put in $50 each will own the
threshing outfit complete, and the
tolls saved will in a short time repay
the money. BY all means, unless
there is thresher in your immediate
vicinity, get busy at once organizing
a company to purchase one.
1 The ideal place to begin this move
ment is in your local union. Nearly
all the men in the local union be-
come stockholders in the threshing
outfit. Among the members several
smaller companies for the purchase
Of binders or mowers could be organ
lied. BY placing the orders together
better terms will be secured from the
manufacturers. Raise the money If
possible, and approach the manufac-
turer with the proposition to buy a
thresher or two, three or more bind.
ers, paying spot cash for same, and see
how they will work for your order.
In buying binders for the southern
country it is best not to get too large
a machine. The seven and eight foot
cuts are all right for the prairie lands,
but six foot or under is better suited
for our lands and our stock.
Better do it now than be sorry next
summer that Won did not