Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-12-05
Agricultural Help
Flowing BY Power.


IN its worls at Highmoor Farm the
Maine Agricultural Experiment sta
ton needed more. power for traction
than could be readily furnished hs
horses. The work IT the farm calls
for a good dead OF traction power
curing the growing season and prae-
ticaily none in the winter The app
pie trees are loN headed ana it H.
difficult without njurmg the trees =.
work as closely TO them with horses
as is desirable for clean cultivation
There are many acres To- frequently
euitivdt, In tie carly season il IS
desirable 10 harrow the orchard; az
ter each rain. To do All Of this work
when il should be done was found to,
be impossible with the seven TO nine
horses that the farm carried during
1.-THE season Of 1910 ana 1911. In look
ing about for a friction power The
claims made by tn HaekneS Manu-
featuring Company of st. Paul for
their aato- pillow sounded we'll one OF
these machines was purchased in the
winter Of 1911 and has been used on
the farm the present season. The
machine sent oft has serious defects.
Some of them have been overcome.
1t is hoped that Others may be rem
edied. The machine has not been ia
working order all Of the season be-
cause of these defects. 1t is not the
purpose of the present letter to dis
cuss the COED and bad points of this
particular machine. Tut rather 10 in
dieate some Of the WAYS in Which Il
traction power has been found YER
helpful III the work at Highmoor
Farm.
The auto-plow is designed 10 carry
three nlows attached to the draw bar
under the machine and between the
wheels. In soil free from stone and
With nearly true surface, such an
arrangement will probably work sat
isfactorily. IN the fields and or
chards at Highmoor Farm these de-
sirable conditions do not exist and
blowing the way the makers intended
is out Ct the question. Furthermore
the machine. because of its weight,
cannot be used until after the frost is
all out and the ground settled. Hence
these plows are early removed from
the machine in order TO make the
tractor adaptable To the conditions at
the farm. Flowing was done by at
taching walking plows 10 the rear.
With one pillow thus attached the ma
chine will pillow a quarter more than
is possible with a pair of horses.
With three ploWs seven TO eight acres
day can be Flowed.
During the latter part of September
the tractor drawing one pillow was salts
faetoriy used in turn under a green
| crop of buckwheat grown for the pur-
pose of adding humus to the soil. This
buekwheat stood on an average of two
| feet in height. Before blowing a roller
was drawn over the field to break down
| the plants. Then one end Of log chain
was attached to the draw bar on the
| tractor, the other end was fastened 10
| the plow beam, allowing a loop Of chain
| to draw just in front of the mould board
of the nIow and ahead Of the turning
furrow. This loop of chaip dragged the
| bucilWheat plants into the furrow and
ensured their being wholly covered.
| As early as possible in The spring
! the orchards at 11ighmoor are plogeel.
| Then tie land is kept in clean caltiyatioa
! by means Of harows until the middle OF
July. Prior to the past season horses
| have been the only source of power in
narrowing. Generally from five to six
days are required for two teams TO har-
row the orchard lands with spring tooth
harrows With the gasoline tractor
the same area is narrowed in two end
one-half days aud the work IS done far
| better. Our method of using The tractor
| to harrow between the frlit trees is as
! follows: Two sets of spring harrows,
| each set being of the size ordinarily
drawn by two horses. are attached TO n
spreadcr which can be offset on either
| side of the tractor thereby ensuring I
| stirring Of the soil close to the base Of
/ the apple trees. The tractor itself trav-
| els midway between the rows of trees,
| The harrows are dragged close TO the
trees. Very little hand work is required
to keep the ground Immediately surround
| ing the tree free from grass and weeds.
| In the hands of careful operator this
machine can be handled in the orchard
| without injury TO the trees. With horses
| some branches are bound to be brohen
| if one eHdeavors to harrow close TO the
| trees. The spring tooth harrows when
drawn by a tractor can be set rs deep
| as it is possible for the teeth to dig. y
| pair Of horses could not pull one set of
| these harrows digging the fun capacity
! over much ground in a day. of course
/ the harrows are not always set to dig
| fun depth of teeth. The rows of apple
| trees are925 feet apart, To fully harrow
| this space it is necessary to draw the
| harrow twice between the rows of trees.
| Following this plan it is possible to har-
/ row Il To IS acres in 10 hours.
| \ 20-inch disc harrow seven feet wide
was heavily weighted and drawn by
gasoline tractor oyer sod land. This
harrow cut up heavy sod in excellent
| shape \ few trips of the harrow soon
reduced the sod land to line condition,
| In hauling stone from the orchard and
| also from an eight-acre field which was
plowed this summer for the first time
since the Maine Agricultural EXperi-
mcnt Station assumed the management
Of llishmoor Farm the gasoline tractor
has been valuable. This machine will
drag on a stone boat rocks which four
horses can only start. The tractor may
be Kept at work constantly; no stops are
necessary except to load and unload the
Stone boat
1T is not possible to figure the cost
our experience with any accuracy. The
expense of adjustments of the machine
IL,