1849. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
177 
3mprct)eb implements. 
System, Order, and Economy. 
An evil of great magnitude seems to pervade and in¬ 
fluence too many farmers, and that*is the employment 
of an insufficient force to perform their duty at the pro¬ 
per season, and with economy of time. The oft repeat¬ 
ed excuses for such neglect, and for the losses flowing 
from it, are, too much laud in occupancy, or want of 
means, alias capital. Doubtless there are instances 
where such causes do operate harshly, but they are pro¬ 
bably exceptions only, and by no means a general lea- 
ture. As a general rule, the due cultivation of one 
hundred acres, requires a permanent steady application 
of the force or labor of one man, a lad, and one good 
team of horses. With less power, it cannot be main¬ 
tained in good condition, or continue profitable. This 
proportion of "force is indispensable for any larger quan¬ 
tity of land. The owner of a farm of one hundred 
acres, if an able workman, ■ needs the addition of but 
one laborer if studying the closest economy; but a lit¬ 
tle reflection wiil convince us that two laborers will be 
more effective, and provide against the contingencies of 
.sickness, or the casual calls from the farm to the neighbor¬ 
ing markets, or occasional public duties, to which every 
man is called to contribute a portion of his time. Judging 
from the county best known to me, the great bulk of 
our state is divided into farms of about 150 acres, or 
less,—-a size quite easy of control by a proprietor, with 
two laborers, rendering the excuse of too much land in 
occupancy, as untrue and invalid. 
The next excuse, the want of capital, is equally un¬ 
sound- for no man ever pays wages out of his capital 
or principal. Wages arc ever derived from profits, and 
every farmer most naturally enlarges or diminishes the 
srate of wages, according to the increase or decrease of 
tiis profits. This is a law we all follow, though we do 
not all study it, or consider its bearings upon our profes¬ 
sion, whether farmers, merchants, or manufacturers. 
If profits cease, we cease to pursue the vocation, and 
turn our attention and means to objects of greater de¬ 
mand among our fellow men. 
But at no time in the history of man, did the cultiva¬ 
tion of the earth, properly pursued, ever cease to af¬ 
ford abundant profit to the capital employed, and suffi¬ 
cient wages to all engaged in it. I am aware that this 
position will fee denied by men engaged in other pursuits, 
and am walling to admit that some portions of the earth 
do not exhibit the feature above claimed; but the cause 
for such an exception, is an artificial interference with 
the farmer, forcing him from his natural position to 
meet the exigencies or desires of some other class of 
tiis fellow beings. Happily with us, the position I 
claim for the American farmer is well sustained, and 
needs no other proof, than the existing prosperity of the 
whole breadth of our land,—its uniform, steady, onward 
increase from year to year, since the dawn of our free¬ 
dom. 
I have been led to these remarks, because the above 
excuses are offered as cause to adhere to the plow, the 
harrow, the scythe, and the flail, as the only absolutely 
necessary implements for the farm. 
Has it not been proved already, that the work ac¬ 
complished in former days, is now performed by other 
implements, or improvements on old ones, with much 
less labor and in much less time? Is not our work ge¬ 
nerally better done at this day, by all who use these 
improved implements? Surely it is so, as has been 
proved by the economy with which wheat can be raised, 
and as we hope further to prove, in the raising of Indi¬ 
an corn. 
, Let us now proceed with the examination of other 
farm implements and machinery, testing their economy. 
There is music in the sound of the flail, but its notes 
are seldom heard since the introduction of the Thresh¬ 
ing Machine. It is more than one hundred years ago, 
(1732) that the first machine for threshing grain was 
patented, by a worthy Scotch farmer. All however, 
that was claimed for it was, that by its use, one man 
would do the usual work of six men. In 1755 another 
and better machine was produced in Scotland. In 1772 
the English began to feel the necessity to save labor 
and time, and a machine was produced by Mr, Smart; 
and in 1785, a London mechanic brought forward an 
improvement which was more successful than its pre¬ 
decessors, though far from perfect; others followed ra¬ 
pidly until the year 1790—93, when an American farm¬ 
er, Mr. Ampthill, of Virginia , invented a machine for 
threshing grain by moveable rods, and this machine was 
introduced favorably into England. 
Prior to 1790, an ingenious Scotch mechanic had con¬ 
ceived the plan of passing the grain between rollers, 
which probably led to the improved machine now so ex¬ 
tensively used in this country; nevertheless, it was left 
for American ingenuity to supply the English farmer 
with the more perfect machine, for it is the American 
design now mostly used, as patented by Jas. Atkinson, 
of Braham Hall, in Yorkshire. It is the application of 
spikes on the revolving drum, that is peculiarly Ameri¬ 
can. The use of the threshing machine in this State, 
does not, I believe, extend beyond the year 1822, or 
thereabouts, when a very imperfect one was put up in 
Saratoga county, brought from New Hampshire. Not 
operating with the desired success of the proprietor, it 
was transferred to Mr. T. D. Burr all, a farmer at Ge¬ 
neva, in Ontario county. He being a skillful and scien¬ 
tific mechanic, as well as farmer, very soon improved 
upon its mechanism, and in 1830, gave to us the ma¬ 
chine which can thresh for us 300 bushels per day or 
more. A more conclusive proof of excellence need not 
he required than the fact that,' since 1830, full four 
thousand of these Threshing Machines, have been put 
into operation in the United States. They are made of 
various sizes; the most convenient for the farmer, being 
capable of threshing about 200 bushels per day, with 
the power of four horses. 
Having for several years used one of these threshing 
machines, I compute the cost of threshing and cleaning 
my wheat, (both operations being performed by the 
same force or power,) as follows: 
One man to feed the machine, at 39 cts. per day, 
do to supply the feeder,.. 38 “ u 
do to pitch from the mow, 344 11 u 
do to deliver the straw,.. 32 u u 
do to attend the fanning 
mill, generally done by self, 50 u u 
Per day,. $1 934 for labor. 
Four horses and a driver,.... 2 50 
- , $4 431 p r Jay. 
Wheat is threshed at an easy pace, delivering 200 
bushels (often more) per day, which at the above rates, 
makes the cost per bushel to be two c*nts, 21 . 1000 . 
It should be remarked that tb« rates of wages above 
named are the actual rates paid; the work being done 
by yearly hands, whose wages amount per day to the 
sums stated. 
Itinerant threshing machines, can generally be hired 
to thresh for farmers who do not possess these imple¬ 
ments. The charge for threshing in such cases, is from 
four to five cents per bushel, and the supply by the farm¬ 
er, of all necessary horses except two, and all the ne¬ 
cessary labor except^he owner, who commonly feeds 
his own machine. These machines are generally used 
on the field, the wheat sheaves are brought from the 
shocks, and the straw is left in numberless instances 
occupying the same resting place season after season. 
