273 



THE FAiMER'S MAGAZINE. 



Wkoe-ei' will call tj miuJ i);e various sgncuUural prottsses 

 that were in vogue teu cr fifteen years ago, from the prepara- 

 tion of the grouud for plantiua;, up to the final preparation of 

 the crop for market, needs not to be told that with the use of 

 the labour now devoted to that pursuit, employing the same 

 implements, only a suialT jjer-ceritage of the products of the 

 earth now annually realized could be protluced. Without the 

 aid of the prejeut i:u proved machinery, it is clear that a 

 much larger force of libourers would be required in our 

 aKriculture, while the other industrial pursuits would be to the 

 same exte;it behind their present actual eonditien. 



It would be aa interesting statistical fact to ascertain the 

 uurubcr of persons engaged in the rjoauufacture and snle of 

 agricultural machinery. In tiiis city there are souie five 

 or six establishments, employing from 100 to 300 persons 

 each ; while there are large estaWishraeuts at llockford. Free- 

 port, Geneva, Ottawa, Bloomington, Alton, and other places 

 throughout the State. Probably we should not over-eitimate 

 the number thus engaged in Illinois were we to place it at ten 

 thousand. Ten years ago, if we remember aright, there was 

 but one establishment in the State, on a scale of any consi- 

 derable magnitude, designed exclusively for the manufacture 

 of agricultural machinery — we mean MoCormick's Reaper 

 Manufactory in this city. Now, we not only have at least a 

 dozen reaper and mower raaiiufactories, hut also extensive 

 establishments for the manufacture of threshers, cultivators, 

 drills, improved ploui;hs, &c. &c. Go loto scy couniy in ths 

 State, and we will fiud great numbers of these various ma- 

 chines in possession of the more thrifty and enterprising 

 farmers. In conversatioa with our manufacturers, from year 

 to year, we have been surprised to find that the demand for 

 them is steadily iucreasing. 



We saw it slated the other day, iu a Soulliera Illiuois 

 paper, that the af.eut of McCormick had sold, the present 

 season, two hundied and fifty reapers iu that one los-ality. It 

 is said by good authority that a mower with two horses, t>ro 

 men and a boy, wi!l accomplish the work of twelve men. Il 

 so, it must save the labour of five men at least. Then these 

 two hundred and fifty reapers and mowers of McCormick's, 



sold in one locality the present season, have- saved the labour 

 of twelve hundred and fifty men during the harvest now ue#rly 

 completed there. 



In the State at large there cannot now be iu use less than 

 10,000 reapers and mowers. If the estimate above is not too 

 large, then the labour of an army of 50,000 able-bodied men 

 has been, and will be, saved by them alone during our present 

 harvest. Supposing each machine to be employed thirty 

 days, and e.-ilimati.ag labourers at only one dollar per 

 day, we have a saving iu money paid for labour of 

 1,509,000 dollars. But iu some counties in this State 

 labourers are difficult to obtain in the harvest field at 

 three dollars per day. If we take this price as a basis for the 

 eati-.aaie, the saving during harvest w'll reach the enormous 

 sum of 4,500,000 dollars. A very good authority makes the 

 annual saving in men iu the United States at lerge, by the 

 use of reapers and mowers, equivalent to the labour of 300,000 

 men, and a saving in money of twenty millions of dollars. 



The above estimate is for reapers and mowers alone. If to 

 the saving thus effected we add that resulting from the use of 

 threshers, drills, cultivatora, corn-shellera, &c., the magnitude 

 of the sura annually saved would challenge the strongest cre- 

 dulity. Let it be borne in mind, "too, that all this is the 

 result of some eight or teu years. There is yet room for the 

 inventive faculty in this department of mechanics, and we 

 doubt not it will continue to be used to good purpose. We 

 expect to see steam-ploughs employed in farming operations. 



Considered merely in the light of dollars and cents, this 

 subject is one of vast significance. But there is a higher 

 view to be taken of it — its effects upon civilization. Looked 

 at with reference to this result, its importance cannot easily be 

 over-estimated. But this branch of the subject is too extensive 

 to be trea'ed of at length. We can only say here, that iu the 

 couceutratiou of labour aud of intellect which flows from it, in 

 the increased atteutiou that is uecessaiil}' paid to other arts 

 by the withdrawal of labour from agriculture, we have the 

 prophecy of a greater progress in both material aud spiritual 

 interests than the world has ever yet witnessed, — From the 

 Chicago Press of July 18. 



CALENDAR OF AGRICULTURE. 



In Nortii Britain the harvest is prolonged into 

 this month, and must be managed as before 

 directed. Cut beans with the hand-sickle ; tie the 

 crop into sheaves with straw ropes or of tarred twine, 

 and carry when dry ; and build into ricks, or lodge 

 • the crops in barns. Thatch the ricks quickly, rake 

 the rick-yard clean, and carry the rubbish to the 

 dung-yard. Employ plenty of hands in harvest, 

 and reward them liberally. 



Gather fruits, as pears and apples. 



Pick hops ; use the haulm for litter, and place 

 the poles under cover for another year. Dry with 

 coke as fuel ; some use sulphur, to give the hops 

 a yellow tinge. 



Plough the wheat fallows, and towards the end of 

 the month begin to sow the grain. Finish the 

 laying-on of dung and composts ; plough leys for 

 wheat; and scuffle the bean and pea grattans, as a 

 preparation for wheat-sowing. Prepare, by fallow- 

 ing, the lands intended to be planted with early 

 spring crops, as potatoes, Swedish turnips, par- 

 snips, and carrots. Lay on and plough in the 

 dung in drills, or in broadcast ; if in drills, it only 

 remains to reverse them in the spring, and plant 

 the crop on the fresh tilth ; if in broadcast, the 



land will require a ploughing before being drilled. 

 This autumnal preparation both facilitates and ex- 

 pedites the spring operations, but only benign cli- 

 mates admit the application of the system. 



Scarify the surface of lucerne grounds before 

 laying upon it the finely-pulverized composts. 

 Spread the dung over the surface very carefully 

 and evenly; bush-harrow it, and then roll it heavily 

 in dry weather. This treatment will produce an 

 early spring vegetation. 



Collect manures by every means to the liquid 

 tank and to the compost heap ; burn for ashes^ 

 and keep them under cover. 



Towards the end of the month sow rye for a seed 

 crop, and also for being eaten on the ground in the 

 spring. Sow winter tares mi.ved with rye, or 

 barley, or beans, on lands clean and in good heart, 

 or on a partial fallowing with dung. 



Scour road-sides : clean out open ditches, to be 

 ready for winter floods; enlarge the courses of 

 brooks. Use all the excavated materials for com- 

 posts — the very earthy parts to be mixed with lime — 

 and the vegetable for being burned into ashes. 

 Omit no opportunity of collecting manures in any 

 form. 



