The bee. (Earlington, Ky.) 1889-19??, 1915-07-09

SICKLE. Iney are OOlnk Lut same
thing In the same way today in some
parts OF the world but not in America
The development Of farm machinery
has been very slow. The modern reap
err Is only about fifty years old. The
automobile binder came into use as
late as 1877. Gasoline engines on the
farm we're practically unknown ten
years ago, and the disc harrow, that
most useful Of farm implements, has
been used only since 1854.
The modern grainheader is a new
machine. Our old friend Pliny de-
scrlbes a header which was used cen
turtles ago. II was large hollow
frame armed with teeth for driving
through standing grain so that the
heads we're torn of and fell into the
frame. That is a pretty good descrip-
ton OF the modern header. In Pliny's
time a slave and an OK could harvest
as much as an acre a day II they
worked hard.
The first reaper was propelled by
horses or oxen and II was death 10
animals. Il took four horses or two
yoke OF oxen 10 drag the heavy wooden
machinery through the grain and a
man walked alongside to drag the bun
dies of with a rake.
The principles Of the first reaper
are in use today, with improvements
on the details. First was added a seat
for the man who raked on the bundles,
then followed the self-raker.
= The first harvesting machine met
with great opposition because It was
believed that the use of them would
put the farm laborer out Of business.
Il took a long time to overcome the
prejudice against these machines, Just
as II did to remove the objections to
the sewing machine, the cotton gin,
the automobile and almost every other
labor-saving invention.
The first power brought to the aid
Of man came from the wind and the
water The wind was harnessed to
sails and the windmill was born, but
Il took two hundred years to devise a
practical machine driven by gas or coal
or wood. The water.wheel has been
IN use for hundreds of years and is
still in use in many parts Of this coun-
-try, doing its work slowly, II is true,
but thoroughly well.
The horsepower sweep is only a
little more than a hundred years old.
This was considered a wonderful i'm
provement over wind power and the
water-wheel, and men thought they
had reached the limit of power and
invention.
Electricity as applied to power is
only 25 years old. Il is now used on
thousands of farms where the supply
from electric railways or other large
plants is available, but the cost of in
stallation and the high price Of cleo
tricity has so far prevented rapid de-
velopment for farm work.
The gas engine dates from 1891. but
II was not brought into economical and
practical use until 1882. During the
past thirty years hundreds Of patents
have been issued for gas engines and
they are now used on thousands of
farms in nearly every state in the
Union.
The fuel used in gas engines is gas
oline and the cost Of running these
machines has been so greatly reduced
during the past ten years and they
are made In such a large variety OF
sizes that they are available to almost
8very farmer. no matter what his re-
qulrements may be- The traction en-
CINE has been a potent factor In the
rapid development of the big farms OF
the west. Formerly a man with a
team OF horses was able to turn over
an average Of two and a half acres
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