Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 September 1907 — Farm and Garden [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Farm and Garden

CORN HARVEST. The Binder For Silage Corn—The Shocker on Small Farms. By C. J. ZINTHEO, Office of Experiment Stations. > The corn binder Is used to greatest advantage Id fields where the corn Is check rowed, as It is possible to cut around a block, keeping the machine, constantly In operation. Average results taken from several hundred replies received to a letter of inquiry sent to farmers in different sections of the country Indicate that for all conditions of com the total coat per acre of harvesting com with a com binder is <1.50. The advantage of the corn

binder over cutting by hand or sled harvester is the amount of work which can be accomplished per day and the general ease with which the work can be done. One disadvantage which may be credited to the com binder is that it knocks off more or less ears of corn. Binders consist essentially of dividers passing one on each side of a row of corn and of cutting and binding device’s. A bundle carrier is usually also attached. The present form of shocker consists essentially of dividers, a revolving table for assembling the shock and a crane for removing it The knives and flywheel attachment for cutting. the stalks are similar to those used on the com binder. Cora shockers cost about as much as binders and weigh approximately the same. The wear and tear on the shocker Is probably not so great as on the Hinders. The shocker requires the work of but one man, whereas the binder requires besides the driver two or three men to follow and set up the shocks. The corn shocker seems to be the machine that meets the requirements of owners of small farms who do their own work. It requires a man of more ability to run a corn shocker than to operate a com binder on account of the numerous movements the operator has to go through all at tbe proper time in removing the shock from the machine. From replies to questions we have a total cost of harvesting com with a shocker of <1.06 per acre compared with the cost of <l.lß per acre for harvesting with a sled harvester and <1.50 per acre for com binders or by hand. The manual labor in harvesting com Is the least when using the shocker. The shock made by the com shocker is not so easily loaded on a wagon as is that made by a com binder, as the individual bundles may be loaded with a pitchfork, whereas the whole shock made with a shocker can best be loaded at once with some form of loading device or horsepower derrick. The com binder is well adapted for cutting corn for the silo, as the bun-

dies are bound Into convenient size to be loaded on a wagon. However, this saving of labor 18 accomplished at the cost of twine, which remains around the bundles for less than an hour and is a total waste when cut Dry Land For Sheep'. It Is generally well known that sheep require a reasonably dry climate and land that is well drained, but it often happens that farmers undertake to raise sheep on bottom land and on land that Is too wet to plow for crop. If sheep are kept on such land for any length of time, trouble Is sure to follow, remarks Farm Press. Sheep cannot stand wet feet, and they must have dry ground to sleep on at night. Sheep lie down a great deal when ruminating. Unless the ground Is dry and warm they are sure to suffer. Besides foot rot, infernal parasites that affect sheep are worse on wet land. The hoof of the sheep is golden only when the hoof is dry. > Milk For Pigs. There may be a few men here and there who chn grow a hunch of pigs without milk as well as with, but they are few and expert Sweet skim milk has as yet no equal as a bone building, flesh making food, in my opinion, remarks a writer In lowa Homestead.

INCLINED CORN BINDER.

CORN HARVESTER AND SHOCKER.