FARM MANAGEMENT 97 



well and without waste or injury to the fiber, but do not clean out the 

 hurds as well as is desired. They are portable, weighing only 2,000 

 pounds, and require only 6 horsepower for operation. An ordinary 

 thrashing engine furnishes sufficient power to run two breaks. The 

 hurds are used as fuel for the engine. The average day's output 

 from each of these machines is 2,000 to 3,000 pounds of rough 

 hemp. Attention is called to these machines especially, since they 

 are the first portable machines that have proved successful, working 

 out in the field and producing untangled long-line fiber similar to 

 that cleaned on the hand break. 



Reapers and mowers have revolutionized the harvesting of hay, 

 oats, wheat and barley, and the old method of placing the hay in the 

 mow by hand labor has largely been superseded by machines which 

 lift a whole load from the wagon at one time. Profitable commer- 

 cial raising of potatoes and onions would be impossible were it not 

 for the machinery now in common use for planting, cultivating and 

 digging. By the use of these machines not only is time and labor 

 saved, but the yield is largely increased. 



Selection of Machinery. Intelligent selection of the correct 

 type of machine for the work expected to be performed by it, is of the 

 greatest importance. This point is too often overlooked by the 

 farmer who is strongly prejudiced in favor of some particular make. 

 When the correct type of machine has been selected, its size should 

 be carefully considered. By the use of sufficiently large and strong 

 implements, with large capacity, a great deal of time and labor is 

 saved and the life of the machine is greatly lengthened. For exam- 

 ple, on a fair sized field, a three section harrow will do one-half more 

 work with the same amount of man labor. The teeth, having to 

 travel less distance in harrowing the field, will remain sharp longer, 

 and, consequently, the efficiency of the harrow is increased, while the 

 time required for the work is decreased. 



A man of ordinary ability can handle a two bottom gang plow 

 nearly as easily as a sulky, or one bottom plow. By the use of the 

 gang the capacity of man and plow are doubled, while the wear 

 on each plow is only one-half what it would be on the single plow, 

 were it made to cover the same number of acres as the gang. Then 

 too, time is saved in case the shares must be taken to a shop for 

 sharpening, as only one-half as many trips are necessary for the 

 gang as with the single plow, for a field of equal size. 



In selecting machinery, it is usually advisable to consider the 

 matter of securing repairs. Repairs or new parts must be secured 

 for nearly every farm implement some time, or perhaps several 

 times, during the life of it. Usually, the repairs are not ordered 

 until the implement will not run any longer without them and then 

 they must be secured in a hurry. For example, the binder, mower, 

 or other important implements or machines must be repaired at 

 once, or the farmer may lose part of his crop while waiting for 

 repairs. In this case, the question of being able or unable to secure 

 the necessary repairs, may represent the difference between loss and 

 gain on the season's crop. For such implements as are absolutely 



