Tp:._ ', 'irini^a^sar-'^^v^ 



162 



THE ILLIKOIS FAKMER. 



Juke 



luxuries. The potatoes will need care 

 this month ; work them with the double 

 shovel plow or cultivator or the flat 

 cultm*e system until the blossom buds 

 are fully formed, when they should be 

 slightly hilled up with the single shovel 

 plow. 



If you have much grain to cut, se- 

 cure one of Burson's grain binders to 

 help you through the harvest. 



The new set willow fences should 

 be looked after and kept free from 

 weeds. You need have no misgivings 

 if you do your duty to the cuttings, for 

 you will in time have a good fence and 

 valuable wind-break for your trouble. 



Burson's Grain Binder. 



Mas 



Above we give a cut of this new la- 

 bdlSr-saving implement, with explanations 

 for its use. At the reaper trial of the 

 State Agricultural Society, at Dixon, 

 this binder attracted more attention 

 than any other implement. This, from 

 its novelty, was nothing strange ; but, 

 from the time that it first came on the 

 ground, it almost wholly absorbed the 

 interest of the farmers present, and it 

 was necessary to discontinue its work- 

 ing to give attention to the further pro- 

 gress of the reaper trial. That one 



man could bind a six foot swath as fast 

 as cut with four horses could not of it- 

 self fail to draw the admiration of the 

 grain growers, at a time when he was 

 paying two to two and a half dollars a 

 day to six men to follow his reaper, it 

 was an appeal so direct to his pocket 

 that it could not be withstood. In this 

 was no novelty but a broad fact sus- 

 tained by an argument of some eight to 

 ten dollars a day, besides the trouble 

 and extra expense of getting these ex- 

 tra hands. Ko wonder then that it was 

 hailed with delight, and that those deep- 

 ly interested should continue to watch 

 it with close scrutiny, to see if per- 

 chance there was not some deception in 

 it, if after all it was not one of those 

 things made for show, and which would 

 work for a short time but must not be 

 driven too hard or overworked. But no 

 such discovery could be made, and its 

 steel muscles and iron frame stood the 

 test, and triumphantly passed the orde- 

 al, and was voted a place among the 

 valuable farm improvements. 



We think this binder is to the grain 

 grower what the sewing machine is to 

 the tailor — ^facilitating the work and 

 doing it in a much better manner than 

 by hand. The bundles are firmly 

 bound, without regard to size, and less 

 grain is wasted in the process. The 

 wire band is easily cut for the thresher, 

 and we cannot learn that the wire is 

 any damage to the straw. 



An ordinary day's work of a reaper 

 is eight to ten acres, (great day's work 

 double this.) We will set it at ten 

 acres and see how it will figure up. 



Cutting and raking — two teams and two hands $5 00 



Use of reaper 25 cts. per acre 2 50 



Seven hands to hind and set up in shock at 

 $1,50 each 10 50 



$18 50 



