The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1912-01-05
IN WINTER FIX THINGS FOR
SPRING.

war;" is the way that E. w. Hamil-
ton, agricultural engineer at Mos
COW, looks at the necessity for the
proper care of farm machinery dur
ing the winter, in order to have 1t
ready for the next seasons work
right on the dot. He thinks that
wintering farm machinery means
something more than mere protec-
tion from rust and rot, that 1t means
the repair and thorough overhauling
of every piece of machinery used on
a ranch or farm during the season.
He thinks that a farmer has enough
to do, anyway, to keep himself from
starvation, without wasting any time
during the crop-growing season on
machinery that won't work and can't
be made to work.
Time to Fix Things.
Troubles of this kind, he thinks,
ought to have been settled weeks be-
fore, when the machine was lying
around in the barn or shed, doing
nothing but deteriorating as fast as
it could. He says that the up-to-date
farmer will utilize his spare time
around the place in the winter
months by making these repairs on
every piece of machinery that he
owns which will have to be called in
to service in the coming season, In
order to persuade nature to yield
him up a livelihood from her soil.
Men on the Job.
Farmers who are really ION the
job" will, he says, spend the next few
weeks with a monkey wrench, oil
can, screw driver and such other
tools as may be necessary, going over
their farming implements and put
ting in a new bolt here and tighten
ing a loose nut there, and dropping
oil in the proper places all yer the
implement, until the whole is in such
a perfect state of repair that it can
be taken right into the field at the
opening of the season and put to
work, and kept at work until the fol-
lowing winter without the loss of a
day or an hours time.
When to Get New Parts
Parts that have to be bought and
those that have to be ordered should
be secured this winter and put in
before the beginning of next season,
the engineer thinks. He also. advo-
Gates the keeping of duplicate parts
for some of the machines that are
subject to hard usage. In short, the
farmer should look ahead. He should
be ready for any emergency that may
come up at any time, and he should
be prepared to meet it when it comes
Mr.. Hamilton urges. In this way
only, according to the expert, will he
manage to make his machinery do
it's best work with the least loss of
time for repairs, which means that
he will be able to produce more crops
on the same amount of ground than
his neighbor, who is stopped every
few days by a breakdown in some of
his farm implements.
When to Buy New Ones.
The engineer advocates the weed
ing out of %antiquated machinery on
the farm as rapidly al it car be
done, but at the same time he does
not think that the lack of repairs on
implements is any excuse to buy a
new machine.
Among other things of interest to
the progressive farmer he says.
Some plan of securing the same
dependable service from the used
farm machine, as from new machines,
is necessary, if the crop producer is
to win. Crop production is very
largely mechanical in nature, from
the blowing of the ground to the
hauling to market or storage. Man
and his motors, aided by farm ma
chinery, has to wrestle with an Of
ten not ~overgenerous and stubborn
nature for s%ustenance and wealth.
His only guarantee of winning Is in
dependable motors and machinery, in
dependable condition. Begin now to
put your machienry into trim for a
winning seasons work"
LOSS THROUGH OWED IRRIGA.