Show tabor labor Costs Reduced and Farm Efficiency Greatly Increased With b Improved Mechanical Developments I farm Equipment Has Now Mechanized Farm Work Now flow No Brother to an Ox By George Georgc L. L Gillette Editors Editor's Note George kote George L. L Gillette is u oj the Farm Equipment Institute f end f has haJ long been active pine in the tTe manu manufacture facture and anil distribution of farm machin- machin f facture wre and equipment Agriculture has come a long way R since the days when the forked stick the scythe and the flail were the rule rather than the exception but it was t not until the advent of farm machinery ma ma- machinery machinery chinery a little more than a cen cen- century cenI century tury tory ago that agricultural practices I made any real progress Even in the early century the methods used by the fellaheen of ancient Egypt were cre still followed even in many of the more advanced countries And then in the space of 50 years year's agri agri- agriculture agriculture agriculture culture made greater strides than thanin la in the preceding 50 centuries With the coming of the plow the reaper and aD the other earlier types of farm machines farming farmIng farm- farm farmIn In Ing though not an easy life liCe n r. r r a f q iv e k l it c k Plow used on Gen George Washington's plantation in Virginia Has lias Haswood as wood mx d moldboard wood standard no landside Flat iron share and iron coulter certainly became more mor attractive attractive attractive tive than it was to Millets Millet's Man With the Hoe With the de de- development de- de development of other types of have followed in rapid succession agricultures agriculture's progress has steadily continued No longer docs does the tiller of the soil fit the poets poet's description of stolid and stunned a broth er to the ox No longer does the plowman homeward plod his weary way He De rides The horse-drawn horse cultivator and grain binder have given way in inmany inmany inmany many areas to the tractor cultivator and the combine Harvesting of the com corn crop is now performed in ever increasing measure by the tractor- tractor operated corn dicker corn corn- icker cotton costs are being reduced by the mechanical ical cotton picker the primitive pump is succeeded by the electrical electrical- electrically operated ly-operated ly operated water system hand milking by machine milking The heretofore laborious job of making hay is becoming less lessL of a back- back backbreaking backbreaking backbreaking breaking chore through the newer machines for harvesting and stor stor- storing storing storing ing of this important crop such as power mowers rakes up pick-up balers forage harvesters And so it goes each step an improvement over the old less labor in growing and harvesting of food and feed crops in livestock raising in horti horti- horticulture horticulture horticulture culture or dairying In every branch of agriculture the story is the same increased efficiency through use of the machine reduced effort on the part of the operator more time for the better things of life impossible of attainment in former times when the days were not long enough ough even t td f 1 perform the single raising the food for the family In discussing the part which mod mod- modern modern modern ern farm equipment plays in saving time tune and labor for the farmer we weare are apt to overlook some of the important services which it renders I in the job of food production Modern Modem farm equipment has done more than any other one thing to neutralize weather hazards It en en- enables enables enables ables the farmer to both control and shorten his crop handling time thus increasing the amount of work that can be done in the hours of sunshine I allotted to him weed control and ande eradication e can be adapted to indi indi- individual individual individual vidual weeds controlled plowing depths do much to bury such su h insect Pests as the corn borer Hessian fly and ld the boll weevil quick and positive positive positive tive erosion control is made possible through modern mechanized farm equipment All of these tend to in- in increase in in- increase increase crease acre yields and in many eases cases save entire crops Cost Per Unit Decreased One hundred years ago with tools then available it required several days ys of man labor to grow and har har- harvest harVest harvest vest an acre of wheat Today in John Deere Steel Plow i b OF MACHINERY MAC The he life li e of farm machinery can be greatly extended as proven by tests conducted at the University University University sity of Missouri Corrosion and lack pf of care of farm machinery cut its life li e in half and added to the upkeep cost A record rec rec- record record ord on a few of the implements Life Equipment Housed Walking plows 20 years 15 years Gang plows 20 years 10 years Corn planters years 8 8 years 4 years Cultivators 20 years 8 years Mowers 12 years 7 years Binders 12 years 5 years Wagons 24 years 19 years Disk harrows 15 years 8 years the Great Plains areas of the United States expenditure of less than 10 minutes of man labor per bushel is not unknown when modern methods and machines are used In other crops the story is similar and because of such methods and the marvels of present day equipment it has been possible for the farmers of the Americas Great Britain or others of the United Nations to maintain or expand their production of food in the war period despite reduction of workers on the land Without the aid of such labor and time-saving time machines there is little doubt that the millions of men in inthe inthe inthe the armed services and the many millions more at home would have long since faced serious food crises that might have jeopardized the out out- outcome outcome outcome come of this world struggle It is true that thousands of per per- persons persons persons sons in war-torn war countries cut cutoff cutoff cutoff off from normal food supplies have perished and that in areas where the population still de de- depends depends de- de depends upon primitive agricultural agricultural agricultural tural methods starvation is not than at any time in their history to make sure that machines already on the farms will continue to tion They have manufactured as many complete machines as avail avail- available available available able materials manpower and gov gov- governmental governmental governmental restrictions would permit and have maintained throughout this period the high standards for which American farm machinery is noted throughout the world Products of the farm equip meat industry have always been sturdily built huilt to take the beating farm work demands some idea of their sturdy construction Is indicated by the orders for re re- repair repair repair pair and replacement parts re re- received by manufacturers for machines 30 and even 40 years ears old still operating Today equipment going into the hands of the farmer is better engi engi- engineered engineered engineered than ever ver Knowing something of the men who design and manufacture these farm machines I am convinced that the products for the postwar era will willbe willbe willbe be even better The history of the farm equipment industry has been one of continuous progress and of ot increasing ever-increasing service to ture I am confident that this record will be even brighter in the years ahead y AA v f r L v 6 A i f C Ct t k Yc fw r fy q EY c cs s' s s J r. r y 1 yr y f y t y s f t yr R r j Facsimile of original McCormick reaper which proved one of ot agri agricultures agriculture's agricultures cultures culture's most important machinery developments I uncommon But such disasters serve to underline the importance importance importance tance of substituting improved food producing equipment for forthe forthe forthe the hand band tools of the ancients Man can get along without along without many things but not without food or orthe orthe orthe the means of producing it With the wider distribution of I present-day present equipment and the new even more efficient machine tools of ot agriculture to be available after the war is it too much to hope that the scourge of famine may maybe maybe maybe be stamped out entirely In any event the manufacturers of farm equipment can be relied upon to do their utmost toward that end In the meantime they are con con- continuing conti continuing ti to produce both for civilians and military purposes Doing Big War Job Their factories have been turning out immense quantities of munitions and material for use on land sea and air and they will continue to todo todo todo do so as long as the emergency re re- re- re quires They have produced more re re- repair repair re- re repair pair parts in the last several years |