850 AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 



corn shredders that a man cannot reach in and touch either the snap- 

 ping- or husking-rolls, and, second, to prohibit the operation of 

 unguarded machines by incompetent persons. Vigorous efforts are 

 being made by the labor commissioner to make the law effective, and 

 these regulations will unquestionably stop most of the accidents, 

 though it will be difficult to prevent the employment of any but com- 

 petent men on the old machines. The ability to reach the rolls, and 

 the youth and inexperience of many of the operators are the prime 

 causes of the casualties. 



Corn shelters cause accidents similar to those on corn shredders, 

 but not so many of them. The wood saw is another dangerous 

 machine on Minnesota farms, and, in the last five months, six serious 

 accidents' have been reported from its use. Most of them could have 

 been avoided by a guard on the saw. Belts and gear-wheels probably 

 rank next to corn shredders as causes of unnecessary accidents. The 

 belt accidents are due either to attempts to put on or take off belts 

 with the machinery running, or to unguarded belts. We can see no 

 reason why light, transportable guard fences cannot be used to guard 

 the belts of machines moved from farm to farm, and a permanent 

 guard be used to protect belts on stationary engines, as similar belts 

 are protected in factories. 



The number of gearing accidents indicates that they, too, are to 

 be seriously considered. While oiling machines, the oiler frequently 

 gets his hand caught in the gears or a sleeve or glove catches in the 

 exposed cogs of a gasoline engine or other machine. Nearly all such 

 accidents could be prevented by covers over the cog-wheels. An 

 inspection of the agricultural machinery on exhibition at last year's 

 state fair revealed that it is the common thing to leave dangerous 

 gear-wheels entirely uncovered. The manufacturers allege that the 

 farmers want the machines at the lowest possible cost, and they must 

 economize wherever possible in manufacturing them. 



Occasional accidents occur on a number of other machines such 

 as hay presses, cream separators, corn binders, hay and litter carriers, 

 mowers, and grain separators but in most cases the accidents are 

 due either to a special carelessness on the part of the person injured 

 or to one of the causes we have already noted especially gear-wheels 

 or belts. In our list of 135 accidents, four farmers were badly injured 

 by dynamite while blasting stumps. They clearly lacked knowledge 

 of how to handle the explosive. One farm laborer was killed by a 

 vicious bull and another seriously injured; three were badly hurt by 



