Milford chronicle., 1929-07-19
THIS MAN PLEASED WITH
COMBINE HARVESTER

Benjamin Davis, prominent farm
er and landowner who resides at
Millwood, just north of Milford, has
sent in an article dealing with his
experiences harvesting wheat fifty
years ago as against the modern
method now employed by him. The
story is interesting in that it draws
a sharp contrast as between the Ia
Dor required in the old method as
against the combine harvester now
in use. His story follows:
Fifty years ago was one of four
persons who bound wheat after a
self rake reaper, which raked the cut
wheat off onto the ground in small
piles. We were compelled to tie
these small bundles by hand, after
which we put it in shocks to cure
for several days. After it was cured
it required six double teams, with
one man to each team and three men
to pitch the wheat on each wagon.
One man was required to cut the
bands, one man to feed the wheat in
to the thresher, two men to bag the
grain, and three men and double
team to haul the grain away from
the machine. Two men and double
team were required to haul the wa
ter, and man and horse to rail straw,
four men to fork the straw, two men
to stack the straw and one man to
trim the stacks. The above picture
is not dream, but was the usual
method pursued at the time above
mentioned
81 have known of just such gang
of men to be on Andrew ]. Maloney's
threshing yard for one week, thresh-
ing one crop of wheat. This re-
quired an immense amount of food
and labor on the part of the women
folks. The first crop of wheat
which Mr.. Maloney threshed with
his new self-rake reaper required
long time. Trouble developed with
the machine and it was necessary to
work on Sunday in order to save the
crop. This procedure was made nee
essary because of the fact that far |
mers at that time believed that |
wheat would not stand long and |
that it must be cut and properly |
shocked to save the crop.
"The above picture is contrasted
with my experiences of the past
three years during which time have
used combined harvester. Wheat
will stand for weeks if no heavy
storms come to do it damage. The
past three years work with the COM
bine have been a pleasure. This
machine does away with the horses
with the reaper method
of saving the crop. 1t is pulled by a
motor tractor, which gives steady de-
pendable power and does away with
the necessity of allowing the horses
to rest every few minutes. To Oper-
ate a combine harvester it requires
five men and one double team of
horses. This provides for the COM
plete operation of cutting, threshing
and hauling the wheat to the barn
ready for delivery ut market. These
modern machines cut the straw and
evenly distribute it over the field
ready to be plowed down or left as
mulch on the land One man oper-
ates the tractor, one man the reel,
.wo men and one double team de!iv-
ers the grain to the barn. This is
compared to twenty-SiX men and
fifteen horses required to operate
machine fifty years ago.
"In the July issue of the ChroD-
Gle 1 notice that the writer says
hat the disadvantage to the COM
1ine is the fact chat no straw is
saved when these machines are US
I'd. 1 consider it depends On the man
whether it is saved or nor. He can
lave a spread attachment or he can
lave a windrow, piler, or bailer
as he sees fit. Dry wheat
straw is considered by agricultural
writer's to be worth $500 per ton
spread on the land. This is equal to
100 pounds of acid phosphate IN mon
" value. Four hundred pounds is
,nough per acre for wheat. If the
wheat straw is equal to yhe fertilizer
ill l would not consider it a loss
" any means.
81 cite the following as an in
rop of straw. Four years ago 1
old the straw from thirteen acres
# land as it stood in the rick to a
nan in Milford. The man paid me
1900 for the straw He hired an
ther man to haul the straw to Mil
ord, and the charge for the work .
vas $4,000. 1t seems to me that the
aving of the straw with high haul
ng costs is a liability instead of a ;
ain. 1t would be far better to have !
on the land.
81 am often asked how many I
cres can be threshed in day with )
combine harvester. In one farm we ]
ad 80 acres in one body and we
ut, threshed and bagged the grain,
tored it in the barn ready for mar i
ct, and had the straw evenly dis
'ibuted over the land ready for !.
lowing, in three days. With the
lose of the third day the entire pro- :.
ass of cutting and threshing had
zen completed"