FOR BETTER CHOI'S 145 



soon leave a meiiiher of his family oiitsid«i all wintt-r as hi- 

 mower or his drill. 



When he tinished his plo^^in^,^ he saw to it that liis men 

 hrou^ht the plow back to the shed. lie then went over it 

 thorou'rhly with a coat of white lead, and it was left that way 

 all winter. In tlie sprini^ a little kerosene or tiirp<'ntine was 

 applied which loosened th'e paint so that with the first contact 

 with the t^round the share came out smooth and shiny like a 

 mirror. 



''That plow," said the Ketituckian, '-cost me $30.0(1 The 

 paint cost thirty-five cents, and it made the i)low last several 

 years longer. 



"That is just an illustration,'" continued he, '-of my procedure 

 with every machine I own. Every two years I make it a 

 point to g-o over the binders, mowers, and all the machines I 

 have on the place with a good metal base paint. I take off the 

 binder canvasses, roll them up, and put them out of the w^ay of 

 the mice. I grease the sickles of the mowers and binders, wrap 

 them up. and put them away in a dry place. Then when I have 

 occasion to use these machines I put the sickles back in place, 

 and before the first circuit of the field is completed they are as 

 bright and shiny as when new. 



'"Perhaps also the question of pride helps a little, because I 

 always like to have everything about the farm clean and bright. 

 I generally use red paint because I like that color, and because 

 red lead is better than white lead for outside work. I keep even 

 the tongues and whiffletrees of my wagons as good as new. 

 They are mostly made of locust in our country, and when prop- 

 erly painted, last a century. 



"This painting is not just a hobby; I have found that it pays. 

 One time I sold a binder which I had used steadily for six years, 

 for over two- thirds of what it cost me, and I didn't cheat the 

 fellow, either. It was practically as good as new. 



"I am a paint advocate alright, and it seems to me that 

 hired men may come and hired men may go, but my wagons, 

 mowers, and drills go on forever. 



'•I don't use up all this paint because I feel more friendly 

 toward the paint manufacturers than I do toward the Interna- 

 tional Harvester Company of America. It is merely a matter 

 of economy with me because paint is cheaper than new machines. 



" I am even more cranky on the lubricants. You know the 

 parts of a binder, for instance, that are subject to wear are the 

 chains, the gears, the boxes, and knotter. Painting won't help 

 these, but plenty of oil will. When I first started farming the 

 most important bit of barn furniture was the oil can. I make 

 it a rule, after each long trip, to grease my w^agons. w ith the 

 result that they are always ready and always ship-shape. I 

 invent patent dust protectors of my own when none come with 



