The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1922-12-19

machinery. For 1t is by the use OF ma
chinery that the American farmer is
able to harvest the huge crops with
which he feeds the world.
| Suppose that all the wheat grown in
| this country had to be cut with the
J sickle. Suppose that the water driven
mill of colonial times still had to grind
! the -four for the nation. Suppose that
the team OF oxen of grandfather's time
still performed the blowing operations
on the farm Where would America
be with agricultural production?
Todays Harvest Romantic.
But enough of history" We stud
led enough history i'll school days.
Americas harvest today is a roman
| tic one.
Suppose it we're possible to gather a
few notables from the colonial days,
put them on a pullman and take them
for a trip to see Americas harvest.
The wheat fields of the Dakotas,
the golden corn of Iowa, the wondrous
| fruit of the west-indeed, around the
nation-are just one continued har-
vest picture.
If Americans were to give thanks
| in the growth OF American agriculture
such thanks would be due to Cyrus
Hail Mccormick and his first reaper.
| In 1881, the year of Andrew Jack
sons presidency, the Black Hawk In
dian war and the beginning of the abo-
| lition movement, a demonstration CIV
en- in a Virginia oats field changed the
agricultural history of the United
States and the world.
OF course that first reaper was a
crude and clumsy machine in compar-
| ison with modern farm machinery. Its
operating mechanism was wrought by
hand in a backwoods blacksmith shop
at Steeles Tavern, Va. 1t did not
work with the smooth precision and
efficiency of present day machines. 1t
was crude, but in potential power 1t
was wonderful.
Starts Labor Reduction.
McCormicks reaper was the first
concrete expression of a practical idea
for reducing the labor of the farmer
and increasing the capacity of agricul-
tural production. The reaper perform
| ed as much work as six workers. 10
| dav we have machines that replace ~
men. The reaper opened the door to
an era of machine labor, fast working,
time saving, that changed the whole
trend of progress in America. Agr1-
cultural production now is dependent
upon such machines as the grain bind
err. mower, r-threshertractor,
pillow. disc and countless others.
Without machine labor today the
worlds harvest would remain unhar-
vested and the world would starve.
The nations OF the earth come to
America to buy its harvest.
And what is Americas harvest'
Extent of Harvest.
Farmers in the United States were
paid in 1921 $6,539, 438,OOO for the
crops raised that year, basing the sum
upon prices paid farmers in December,
! 1921. Over six and one-half billion
dollars for the harvest OF America. 1t
is probable that the harvest Of Capt.
! Tohn Smiths time would not have
| brought over that many hundred dol
| lars.
Sixteen principal field crops today
constitute 80 per cent Of the agricul-
tural production in this country. OF
these 10 crops five are outstanding in
importance, both as to their necessity
and their value. These five main crops
are corn, wheat, oats, potatoes and
/ hav The value of these five. crops IN
1921 was estimated at $3,S37, 246, 600,
or over Of per cent of the total crop
value of the United States.
How many acres OF crops are grown
in America today?
In Capt. John Smiths time there
probably were not over 1000 acres I'M
der cultivation in America.
Today America grows lO3,85O,OO0
acres Of corn 192D, which produced
s 08O, $4,000 bushels, valued at 81
| 3O2 90 600. Some maize crop! capt
John Smith would say.
And in 1921 America planted o.
40S 600 acres to wheat from which she
harvested 7o48o3 600 bushels of grain,
val,ed at S737 068, 900. Which crop
would make several loaves OF bread
for Ben Franklin to deliver. Or in 9th
err words. America today grows more
acres of wheat and corn than were
contained in the entire colonial domain
OF Capt. John Smiths time.
Big Tobacco Yield.
And tobacco.
From the first few leaves careiuIiy
gathered by Sir Walter Raleigh IN
Colonial times that he might amuse the
queen of England with clouds OF
smoke pouring out OF his mouth, the
tobacco industry in America has
crown to such proportions that 1t
would take the entire English navy
Of colonial times to transport the crop
across seas.
In 1921 the United States grew l.
117.682. 900 pounds OF tobacco, which;
as some wag has said, if smoked all
At once would make enough smoke
to cover the sun for 10 days. Nearly
million and half acres were plant
ed TO tobacco in 1921. The crop was
valued at $223,755,000.
Hav in colonial times was practical
" unknown. The few animals that
we're brought to this country found an
abundance of pasture on city com
mons, Boston still retains the. outlines
Of those first commons, or the COM
munitv pasture grounds. Bitter win
tcrs forced the pioneers to provide
feed for their animals.
HaV making became an American