HARVESTING 



99 



and dining room. In the early fall before it is too cold, the 

 men often sleep upon the straw in the open air. 



Distribution and Manufacture of Machinery. The figures of 

 the following table pertain to the United States only. A 

 summary of patents on machinery which does not include ma- 

 chines used exclusively in industries other than that of wheat 

 is not available. Over 2,000 patents were on wheat harvesters 

 and over 3,000 on wheat threshers. The figures on the sales 

 are to a certain extent approximations. 



Little attention has been given to the export trade of the 

 combined harvester, principally because the capacity of the 

 manufacturers has been taxed to the utmost to fill home orders. 

 Machines have been shipped, however, to Australia, Argentina 

 and Spain, and though they work fairly well, the people do 

 not take kindly to them. They lack the proper amount of in- 

 telligence to operate the machines with the best results, a 

 difficulty not experienced to any great degree in the United 

 States. Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay have taken most of 

 the machines that have been exported to South America, about 

 one-fourth of the total exports. Another one-fourth has gone 

 to the colonies of Australia and New Zealand, and the others 

 have gone mainly to European countries. Many also go to 

 Canada; 718,113 binders were sent there during the 9 months 

 ending March 31, 1903. Over two-thirds of the exports are 

 mowers and reapers. As many as 9,000 tons of machines have 

 been shipped abroad in a single steamer. 



1 Census Bui, 200, 1902, p, 17. * Letters by competent observers. 



