Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1919-11-28
Protecting Plows May Be
Beginning of Prosperity
Machinery
For-Some Simple for Preventing
On

Probably you do not believe that
1.-The sins of the fathers are visited
upon the sons, even to the third and
fourth generations.
You wouldn't believe, perhaps,
that leaving your plows and harrows
lin fence corners this winter without
even greasing them may be sign
that spells poverty instead of pros
perity for oyur grandson. 1t may
not, but-well, listen to story.
Two young men, brothers-in-law,
took their wives, cows, horses. and
plows into a new land in 1910. AS
pioneer farmers, they began with
equal opportunities. Sixty-seven
years later the writer had occasion
to 60 over the two farms. The
grandsons of the pioneers were oper-
ating them. One farm was a good
one and the men who operated it,
while not rich. were comfortable and
contented. The other was a run
down, poor farm and its owners were
constantly hard put to make ends
meet.
The original owner of the run
down farm had been dead a great
many years. but the man who pio-
neered on the prosperous farm was
alive, mentally sharp as briar. The
writer. unable to see why there
should be so much difference between
two farms that were equally fertile
Ito begin with, asked the old man how
lit came about.
II don't know--well, I reckon I
do, too" he began. Jimmie was a
good man, but he was mighty care
less. When he finished laying by his
corn, he left his pillow in the furrow
and hung his gear on the beam or
leaned them against stump. When
he started plotting the next spring.
he had to dig his collar and names
out of the dirt. all muddy and rotten.
and his pillow was rusty and wouldn't
scour."
Now, of course, this old gentleman
was wrong in thinking that lack of
shelter for his implements was the
cause of his brothers failure, but he
had pointed out an effect that was
indicative of the cause, just as his
own well-kept implement sheds were
indicative of the cause Of his own
success. The brothers rust-pitted
mold board merely went to show that
he was a poor farmer all around.
The United States Department Of
Agriculture corroborates the testi-
mony of the old gentleman in its gen
eral application. Good farmers. says
the department. take care of their
implements. They may not always
find it convenient or profitable to
build expensive sheds for their tools,
but they will manage to protect them
from moisture in one way or another.
| In this day of complicated ma
chinery most farmers probably give
little thought to the care of so simple
an implement as pillow. But, says the
department. more effort has been ex-
pended in the slow process of devel-
oping this seemingly simple tool than
in that of any other implement on
the farm 1t is the basic tillage tool,
the fundamental farm implement.
and it is richly entitled to be proper
ly cared for when not in use.
When laid by. say the implement
experts, the pillow should if possible,
be stored in a dry place, away from
contact with the ground. In any case
the bright parts should always be
coated with grease to prevent rust.
Once the mold board and share have
become pitted with rust. an efficient
Job of blowing can not be done until