The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1917-04-12
General Sales Manager F. g.
McGowan, of Moscow,
Makes Visit
HARVEST MENSCARCE
Shortage of Labor Will Pre-
vent Big Outfits Co
ing in Fields.

II. G. MCGOWAN, general sales man
ager OF the idaho National Harvester
company of Moscow, was a business
visitor In Grangeville this week in con-
sultation with Mr. Earl s. Barton the
local representative of the company.
Mr.. McGowan Is optimistic of the
big business that the manufacturers
Of the Idaho will do this year. He as
signs as among the reasons for this
the fact that In many localities where
he has visited in the interest of his
company he learns that many thresh-
rigs will not attempt to go into the
harvest fields this year owing to the
uncertain labor conditions. In the
Big Bend section OF Washington, he
found that practically all the ranchers
of that section are going to the COM
hfned method Of harvesting their grain
this year. This has been largely a
header section, but they have been adj
vised that not an outside harvest hand
Will likely be available this season.
II find, too" said Mr.. MCGOWAN con-
tinuing, that In sections where the
binding method has been favored, that
the cost OF binding twine Is going to
make 1t practically prohibitive Of that,
method This year at the prices which
are prevalent Of from twenty to TWEEN
ty-five cents per pound. twine Is go
ing TO cost In heavy yielding fields
from four to six bits per acre: !: where
as raDcher owning and operating
our machine can practically put his
grain In the sack for that price Then
too, farmers are learning that there
Is big loss of grain. unseen, 1t is
true, but there nevertheless, In the
stationary method Of threshing his
grain.
''rhe war Is going to make the com
bine method necessary In that Ii
makes it so evident that labor is
not going to be available. Sometimes
! labor is predicted as likely TO be
scarce, but Il is often thought that
this Is merely the argument OF an
over-zealous saleman. IT is so obvious
In this case, however that the farmer
Is seeing it for himself
I'm the territory surrounding
Grangeville there Is no less than fifty
of our make of combines operating
and now that either a push or pull
rig can be obtained, we look for a sale
or not less than thirty additional to
be put on the farms of Camas prairie
country the present season. | believe
that prospects for heavy yield in
the Camas prairie country are better
than any other place that / have visit
ed and / have been in most of the
states west of the Rocky mountains
since the first Of the year. The prices
are bound to be good as the government
reports show short yields in almost
every wheat producing state Of the
union, as well as In many Of the for
eign countries
"One OF our problems Of the past
have been the objections in some seq
tlons to the loss of the straw for feed
ing purposes This objection has now
been overcome by the placing of a
straw-dump ON our machines as an
extra. at cost OF fifty dollars adj
ditional that dumps the straw In piles
and thus enables those ranchers who
have cattle to feed to provide for them.
while at the same time getting their
crop harvested In the most economical
manner known to the agricultural
authorities Of the country.
While my company has not as vet
raised the price of our machines, the
cost of raw material Is steadily adj
vancing and Ii cannot be foretold lust
how soon an advance may be made
Those who contemplate protecting
themselves against a possible loss of
crop through inability to get harvest
help, and who intend to do this by
purchasing a combine ought to place
their orders early to be sure of get
ting machine at the old time price"
Mr.. MCGOWAN left Thursday morn
ing and after day spent at the Mos
cow Office he will leave for a months
trip to the grain fields of southern
Idaho.
/ -lD---~