The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-10-14
Modern Farming Requires Wide
knowledge Of Machinery

cut on the farm. and room will be made
Tor machinery of other types.
IHere is a point In the life Of every farm
implement when it is finally worn out.
very often, however, it can still be taken
INTO the field and made to do some work.
ana everybody who lives In a country
nelghborhood knows how some armers
VIII hang on to such old machines with
PRIDE, as though there We're some occult
merit in them.
Inc implement manufacturer is anxious
70 see all these old relics thrown on to the
scrap pile for two excellent reasons:
FIRST, on the farmers account-he is los
ing money in the work of such an obso-
iete machine when the improved types OF
today will do so much more work. and do
~ better. Second, on his own account
the manufacturer wants to be relieved of
Tue burden OF carrying repair parts for
the lew old relics scattered over the coun-
try.
Standardization of Parts Begun.
questions of this sort enter into the eff
clent equipping of the farm, and it makes
niue dlfference whether the farm is large
or small. If 1t is large then the room for
standardization and interchangeability is
great. II it Is small so much more reason
TOT wise choice of equipment, in order that
the dealer may give good service in re-
pair parts.
manufacturer have started in to stand
arolze wagons, and are gradually work.
ing toward uniformity in dimensions.
Lack OF uniformity is due partly to the
! whim of the farmer and partly to com
petition In selling among manufacturers
ana dealers. The farmer sees a style Of
wagon that he likes when he is visiting
another locality. It may be a mountain
type, not suited to his prairie neighbour
mood, but he buys one, and %neighbors
want that kind, too. This brings conn
tplexity into the stocks of two or three
dealers.
Fancy Makes Increase Costs.
or the manufacturer, to make his prod
uct more attractive. introduces something
new in wagons, and the problem of stock
is complicated in the same way. 1t is
necessary to carry more finished wagons
and also more repair parts.
Standardization is difficult, because
sales of every sort of farm implement
depend upon Improvements and novel;
ties. Therefore manufacturers must keep
on inventing and improving. But they
are adopting standards In such funda-
! mental parts as wheels, tires, axles and
so forth.
Until recently there were 40 different
wheel heights. These have been brought
down to five and more recently to two.
A few years ago each wagon manufac-
luleI lIdd IllS WoVQSl PAL L . Sul ~ AZ
own rough patterns at the lumber mill.
No manufactured could use lumber cut
for another, and the mills could not
bid comparatively for the business, or cut
stocks in dull seasons to be put away
until wanted Now standard sizes ara
used by all manufacturers, at great saw
ing in cost.
Hard Service Given Farm Tools.
So simple a tool as the plow has been
/ made in 60 different styles by a single
manufacturer, who admitted hat about
20 shapes and sizes would cover all de-
mands. Plow and tillage implement man
ufacturers are working together to elm
mate obsolete and unnecessary styles,
/. while preserving all the inventiVeness
that makes for improvements. The same
broad work of elimination is going or
all through the implement industry.
The ideal is to make the smallest va
riety of machines in the greatest possible
quantities. so the economies of our Amer
lean standard factory system will save
money for both farmer and manufac-
turer. 1t is a big job. For the variety
Of machines necessary TO deal with all
the different crops and soils In this coun.
try is tremendous. To bring that idea
about the farmers help Is needed.
This great work Of Standardization will
have an effect upon the problem Of re-
pair parts. Farm machinery must stant
up under worse abuse than any other
class Of mechanism. Most Of it is in actua
use only a few weeks each year, and the
rest Of the time stands idle. Idleness
means rust, rot and deterioration. Farm
machinery is also operated by employees
with little mechanical skill. Wear ant
breakage follow as natural ~nseQuen