Arizona state miner., 1925-10-31
Iowa Student Invents Appa-
ratus That Traverses
Field Unguided.

Washington. - New days, new
methods. Gradual improvements all
along the line have made the old farm
yield more with less and less human
labor. 1t has been a long time,
though, since any really revolutionary
changes-such, for instance, as the in
PRODUCTION OF the reaper and the self
binder-have made their appearance in
the fields. Probably the small light
gas tractor can lay claim to being the
nearest competitor to the self-binder
in this matter of effecting really i'm
portant changes in farm practice, but
this is merely shift from horsepower
Ito mechanical power.
Two recent inventions seem to hold
extraordinary promise of greater farm
efficiency, at least in the great corn
belt. Anything that materially affects
farming in the corn belt quickly makes
its influence felt in the rest of the
farming territory.
One of these devices-described in
a recent issue of Farm and Fire
stde-is "manless" plow Once start
ed in fairly level field, this rather
mple-appearing motor-driven plow
will go back and forth across the field
until the job is finished or the gaso-
line runs out. Each time the side of
the field is reached a long arm ex-
tending out ahead of the pillow strikes
the fence and furnishes the control"
which reverSes the engine and starts
the DlOw backwards across the field,
turning a new 12-inch furrow as it
goes. The plows-one right-hand and
the other left-hand-set see-saw wise
across pair of wheels which also
support the motor, is about all there
is to. the mechanism excepting, of
course, the long control arms already
referred to.
This device was worked out at the
Iowa Agricultural college under the
supervision of Prof. J. B. Davidson of
the agricultural engineering depart
ment. 1t is the invention of Darrell
B. Lucas, farm boy taking the course
at Ames. The idea was given him as
school problem to work out and it
was at first regarded as rather fanci-
full. Even his instructor hardly ex-
pected anything practical. SO well did
young Lucas solve the problem on pa
per, however, that his instructors aid
ed him in building a full-sze model.
Must Be Watched.
OF course the device must have some
small amount of attention while at
work. The gas tank must be fixed
periodically and once in a while the
plow point will get thrown out of the
desired line. But even this first model
works remarkably we'll and it requires
but little stretch of the Imagination to
foresee the day when the owner of
fields fairly level and not too stony
can start his manless plow in opera
ton and go on about his other farm
work. An occasional glance or in
spection would serve to keep the plow
going. Even if it stops an hour or so
before being noticed, the time is easily
made up since the Operator never
has to stop for meals or rest
The other invention which is at
trdctIhS dtleHtlon might De called
new system of farming, rather than
merely new mechanical Device The
inventor, Arthur J. Mason, a mechan-
ical engineer, proposes to largely do
away with corn growing for grain and
substitute alfalfa. He says, and cites
feed analysis to prove, that farmers
lose twO-thirds of the feed value of
their crops by allowing them to ma
ture and then cutting and curing" by
natural processes. This estimate prob
q