The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-09-15


carpets, shoes or wagons, hand power
and animal power cannot compete with
mechanical power. The mechanically
prepared seed bed not only costs less
in its preparation but it gives forth
more in its harvest.
The War viii Make Horses Too
Costly to Keep
Oats and oil are in the throes of
little war of their own just the same
as the human back bone combatted
with the reaper knife. This strife is
fast becoming more acute because the
already high price of horses is being
being sold out of the country for caval
ry mounts to be used abroad. The
drain upon the American horse supply
will soon be such that wherever possi-
BILE mechanical contrivances will be
used to do their work. Were we to be-
gin at once, it will require five years
to replenish the drain which the war
has already made upon the horse sup
ply of the world. The United States
Government Department of Agriculture
has estimated that it costs $75 to $50
year to keep a horse, and in study
of horse utility for period of covering
six years, 1t was found that he averag-
ed only 3.14 hours of work per day as
his contribution to lessening the high
cost of living. In contrast with this it
was found that he ate up the entire
yield of one out Of every five acres
which he helped to cultivate. 1t has
been shown too for every hour he
worked it cost about sixteen cents;
whereas, full horsepower can be de-
livered by high-grade oil engine for
only two cents per hour, in both cases,
interest, fuel, food and depreciation be-
ing included Again, in plowing, a
team of two horses can plow only
about two acres per day. In doing this,
they travel sixteen miles, which is a
good days pull for horses with load
small tractor, on the other hand
the kind which costs less than six
horses, weighs less than six and with
capacity doing the work of twelve
will plow fully that much in an hou,
or so. It will, furthermore, plow ii
deeper and keep it up twenty-four
hours each day until the work is com
pleted without feeding, resting, OIL
growing thin. While it wouldn't be wise
to dispose of brood mares and blooded
stock to satisfy the foreign buyers, il
the end, perhaps, the increased prices
which their purchases will undoubted
ly bring about will be beneficial il
forcing thousands of farmers to adop
newer and more economical form O
power s
Everyone who cultivates 160 acre.
OF more is candidate for share il
the millions of dollars which the coun
try-wide adoption of this method o
plowing will ultimately save.
Insurine the Crop in Advance
After plowing, the first duty of ;
:. man Is to guarantee the work by prop
Ell cultivation and disking. Withou
!. delving into the chemistry of plant lif
too deeply, the growth of plant is de
:. tremined by the proper preparation
n both in the soil and out of it, of all
water and certain salt compound:
Rainfall, sunlight and air in conjunC
q, tion with the soil have knack of as
al L., N
h that the plant grows; or failing to a:
q semble them In such a way that tn
g plant fails TO develop. Nature has pre-
" vided for this intermixture of element
, for limited time and plant life wi
% go on without much outside interfe
II ence, but, like so many other forms c
"a natural activity, it is possible for HI
n man intelligence to greatly increas
: the effectiveness of natures work. TIL
~. disk harrow is one of the leading n;
n ture aiders III farming. 1t is said the
4. rightly used 1t does more to increas
n, crop profits than any other farm in
!. plement and should be used on ever
NJ farm 1t is one of the simplest in
Ia plements made; one Of the easiest
~ obtain; simple to run; will stand muc
~ hard work; and lasts long time
4. Is so inexpensive that is used on fai
n sized field, 1t will so increase the pr
II duction that it soon pays for itself.
.t certain parts of the United States,
n farm without a disk or two is as Gu
,t ious sight as farm without W
p. gon, but in other parts, it is still c
6 the threshold of universal use.
T.. II. DeMaree, Acting Agronomi
e. at the Missouri Agricultural Expel
H. ment Station, says: In my opinio
,e and that of everybody connected wit
IL the crop and soil work of this instit
in ton, the disk harrow is one of Il
lie best implements which can be used c
90 any farm. In early-plowed land and