. 'u ^;ai){^LfekJLHj;CTTOWM4im^'UiroiTOm»K^^ -miwiyivuss /if 



ISSew Farmers' Alliance iSleeded 



ARTICLE ONE 



Editor's Note 



k Tbe lumberman lias heard much in recent years on the subject of lessening the waste in his logging and mill- 

 ing operations, and he has been given a great deal of free advice. The accompanying article and three others which 

 will loUow will have a lew things to say on the lumberman's side: not in regard to his milling and logging, but 

 in pointing out ways in which he can assist his brother, tbe farmer, in preventing some of the farm's leaks and in 

 helping the farmer to realize some practical results from the doctrine of conservation. 



The farmers of this country need more roofs vporse than they use it should go immediately into the shed. When -wauted again 

 need any other one thing. It is fashionable to discuss various it -will come out in as good condition as -when it -went in; but if 

 kinds of conservation and how to turn them to practical account. it has been left exposed to -weather, it requires more or less over- 

 There is conservation of forests; conservation of soil; conserva- hauling before it is serviceable, in addition to permanent injury 

 tion of -water resources; conservation of mineral resources; con- which is nearly certain to have occurred. 



servation in better highways; conservation of health, and It is not the purpose of this article to advance argument to 



various other kinds, classes and degrees of consetvation, all show^ that the farmer loses by this neglect to house his machines, 



of -which have received due attention, and all of which are The matter is so plain that it needs no argument. It may be 



worth still further attention. But there is a certain kind stated, howe'.er, that estimates have been made by persons well 



of conservation which comes a little nearer home than some posted that tbe farmers of the United States could save $50,000,- 



of these, and it is no less deserving of attention. It relates 000 a year in their implement bills by keeping roofs over what 



to the saving to be made by farmers in the matter of roofs. The they buy. Machinery to that amount rots and rusts out every 



saving alluded to will not result from economy in roof material. year, and roofs would bring about that saving. 



It does not consist in buying something cheaper, or in getting The whole loss is not shown by rusted and useless machines 



along with less, but rather in more roofs and in putting them to which are thrown on the farmer's scrap heap when he buys new 



better use. implements to take their place. The fifty million dollar invest- 



It can be shown that one of the most profitable farmers' ment in "dead horse" is only a part. The other part can not be 



alliances that could be brought about would be an alliance between so accurately measured, but it is probably not one dollar less. It 



the farmer and the man who sells roof material — that is, the lum- consists in the poor work done by unserviceable implements — 



berman. Amon" the greatest leaks in the farmer's bank account plows that turn a poor furrow and pull the horses unnecessarily 



is the money spent to make good the losses due to lack of shelter while about it; mowers that drag and hog the hay instead of 



for various articles about the farm. These articles fall into cutting close and even; rakes that rattle, pull hard, work poorly, 



several classes. The first consideration may be given to agricul- and drop croo'ied windrows; wagons -with loose tires, dished wheels 



tural machinery. and leaky beds; and other implements which require extra power 



The farmers of the United States pay nuire than .$1.")0,000,000 a to get even poor work out of them, 



year for new implements. This does not include half as much It may be asked what is this to the lumberman? Is he his 



more for wagons. The two items exceed a total of $200,000,000 farmer brother's keeper? To a certain extent he is. The lumber- 



which comes out of farmers' pockets annually in this country to man has an interest in the agriculturist. Take the farm imple- 



buy implements and vehicles. This is a good investment. It inents alone. The chief part of tbe material of which they are 



■n-ould scarcely be possible for agriculturists to make a better made comes from the forest, and it must be had in enormous 



investment than that expended for good, up-to-date implements. amounts and it is high-grade stuff. The annual demand for wood 



What care is given to this machinery after it is bought? Some in ten select^^l states will show this. The states are representative 



of it is cared for as it should be. It is not unnecessarily exposed and the -vvoo.l shown in the following table is the yearly domaml 



to sun and rain. When not in use it is properly housed. The by makers of agricultural implements. 



farmer who takes that kind of care of his vehicles, implements Annu.m, Dk.mand of Wood for AcnicuLTURAr, Implkments 



and tools is not in need of any advice along that line. S(atc Feet Cost 



Thousands of farmers do differently. A person need not travel Illinois 187,983.000 .$ 0,784,201 



farther than through a single state to see it. Costly hnp.ements -~ :.V.V.V.V.V.V.-.;V.:.;;;;;;:; I^^IC; i:oi«:G6? 



are left standing; in the weather days, weeks and months, to rust, j,jpi,i„„„ 47,840,000 1.717,786 



warp and rot. If the plow is not left in the furrow where the Missouri .•J7, 701,000 1,311.000 



hired man last unhitched from it, more than likely it lies by the Virginia 10,801,000 .-..•?0,754 



fence. Perhaps it was dragged to the barnyard to keep company yortnjn^on^^ ^^^'^ .I37 Sgi 



with a rusty mowing machine, a dilapidated reaper, a t-wisted ;|,^y^^ -^ ..'.'..'.'.".'.".'.".'.'.'.'.'.!!!'.!! 3!477!ooo losioOO 



horse rake, and an old wagon or two — all standing outdoors to :Maryland 1,056,000 72,180 



dry, warp, twist and split in the sun, or swell up in the rain 



until the woodwork bursts and the metal parts become red and 'J'"'»' 473,305,000 .$14,781,130 



' rough. The woods listed in the foregoing table are not more than one- 

 Such scenes are exceedingly common in practically every part third of the total for the United States. That means that not 

 of the United States. In some sections a person can hardly go less than a billion and a half feet of first-class wood arc required 

 a mile without seeing such a barnyard; in other sections he must every year to supply the farmers of this country with agricultural 

 go farther. Possibly conditions are a little worse in the South implements, :ind that required for wagons adds many millions, 

 than in the ^Sforth, for in the South many of the farms have no As far as tiic lumberman is concerned, it might be supjiosed 

 barn or shed of any kind where the tools can be sheltered, while that it is not to his interest that farmers should save their 

 in the North most of tbe farms have some sort of a shed, but machines; that the more implements left to rot in the weather, 

 often make little use of it. the more wood the lumberman can sell to make new ones. That 



Machinery thus exposed deteriorates rapidly. The paint peels is a very nairow view to take of the matter. It is poor economy 



off; the wood shrinks and the nuts work loose; twists and warps to destroy in order to replace. No farmer's ability to buy new 



develop; the metal parts deteriorate by rust more in one month machines is increased by permitting his old ones to rot and rust 



than they will wear out in a year of use. Farm implements should out. His necessities may imrease but his purchasing power 



never be left idle in the sun or rain. Ample shed room should lieeomes less; and it is a well known law of economics that the 



bo provided on every farm and when a tool or vehicle is not in sizes of purchases are determined by ability to buy and not by 



—M— 



