The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1917-04-20
FARMERS son BECOMES
A SKILLED MECHANIC

all that is new in the line OF farm
machinery The most complex ma
chimes on our ranches today are
those used for hasvesting, says E. X.
Thomas. an expert along these lines.
The assistant manager of a large
implement house remarked recently
that in his younger days he had often
been called to make long ride mere
ly to thread up a binder.
When he sold the machine he was
obliged to help set it up and go |
along with the man to start it at
work in the field
As it is now, this man remarked,
they sell the farmer binder and his
son comes along, takes the Grated
machine to the ranch, sets it up and
goes to work
The gasoline is no longer the new
tangled toy for the farmer who is
always trying every new thing that
comes along, but is the servant that
must obey this new mechanic. While
driving along by field of wheat
last summer, familiar sound greet
ed my ears as passed a young fellow
binding his grain.
1t was the steady bark of a gas
olne engine The there horses were
walking along at a brisk gait as
though they were taking the binder
along the road. Mounted on a brack-
ct at the back of the machine was a
small engine that was running the
cutting and binding machinery
While | knew that this device had
been used for sometime, and that en-
gines are put out especially for this
work, it was the first time l had
seen it here in the west.
In the grain belt a period of wet
weather at harvest time sometimes
means the loss of good crop. The
drive wheel will mire down or slide
along and the machinery stops
When binder runs with difficulty
it requires extra horses and is very
hard work for them at that The
engine mounted so as to drive the
machinery leaves the horses merely
the work of pulling the weight of the
binder. This enables the farmer to
cut his grain with ease when il
would be impossible to use the bind
er in the ordinary way. In this case
the groud was dry. yet he was usne
an engine.
Here was something worth inves.
I tigating. This young Colorado far
| mer had reasoned that harvest was
| using an extra team that he did no
| need to keep for the other worl
| when properly planned. By using the
| engine he could do without this ex
| ira team of horses.
| Not only that, but his three horse,
! were cutting at least two acres {
J day more than five could do in the
| old way, and were doing it mucl
1 easier.
/ The engine is used for other worl
| around the ranch when not in u.s.
| on the binder. 1t worked so well OF
| the binder that this man fixed up hi.
| potato digger so that the engin,
| the elevator and shaker.
| Two horses can then pull the dig
ger with ease. This young farme
| interested me and l determined t,
] learn something more about hi
| methods.
/! noted that in place of the mel
i following the binder and making
| round of the field for every row @
| shocks, as they did in the field acros
| the road. that the field had been Gu
j in two parts and the men were shock
| ing in the part that had been finish
i ed.
| They were following the windrow
! of bundles, and the rows of shock
they had set up lined almost as wei
as the fence posts. When asked if tn
, iieh were not ldhiHS more care ina
was necessary. the boss laughed an
said: There is the reason for that. :
pointing to team that was comm
into the field with disk.
He went on to say that he ha
decided that his men were taking to
many unnecessary steps, for which h
was paying, when they followed tn
binder setting up the shocks of grair
They were kept at other work I'LL
/, til piece was cut. BY working alon
: the windrows instead of across
much less time and energy was use
in getting from one shock to the mex
1t took no longer to set up the shock
in straight rows than the other wa,
and it made disking much easier.
:. If he could dump the bundles i
Z straight windrows the men could Sc
= 1.-THE shocks in straight rows.
When asked about the disking TIL
q man gave two reasons for it. Tn
sooner the ground is disked the mo,