Farming evolution was
no 6 over~night 9 revolution
Agriculture has gone through
some tremendous changes over the
past couple of centuries.
From hand power to
horsepower; from horsepower to
mechanical power. From a tune
when almost everyone had to farm
just to get something to eat, to a
time when hardly anyone farms
and there’s too much to eat.
It’s been a very gradual
evolution—m fact there was
hardly any evolution at all from
the time of the first settlers untd
the period surrounding the Civil
War when man power became
scarce and farmers were pressed
into using horses and the many
advanced machines available to do
their farm work.
It may come as a surprise to
many that American farmers were
slow to change. They had neither
the financial ability or the
motivation to buy reapers, gang
plows, gram drills, threshing
machines, and all the rest of the
gadgets available to them in the
mid-IBoos.
Sure, they had horses and oxen,
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and they were used as beasts of
burden. But they were utilized
much the same as they had for
centuries. They did the really
heavy work that men could not do.
like pulling a wooden plow, drag
ging, heavy stones and logs, or
pulling a wagon. But seeds were
planted by hand and crops were
cultivated with a hoe and most
harvesting was a slow, laborious
hand process.
In the years just prior to the Civil
War, it took about 50 manhours to
produce an acre of wheat. Typical
farming technique of the period
involved a walking plow, a bundle
of brush used as a harrow, hand
broadcasting of the seed, har
vesting with- a sickle, and
threshing with a flail. For that
effort, the farmer reaped about
20 bushels of grain.
-With that kind of labor
requirement, it’s easy to see why
about two-thirds of those gainfully
employed in this country during
that time were involved in far
ming.
Advanced farm machinery was
available m the pre-Civil War
period—it just wasn’t being used
by farmers. In the first place it
cost money, and that was
something farmers didn’t have.
They could go for years and never
see more than a few dollars as they
ate what they produced and bar
tered for the'things they couldn’t
produce. And so to invest in a grain
drill or a threshing machine was
out of the question.
inventors were spitting out new
equipment ideas during the first
half of the 19th Century, much
faster than farmers were willing to
change. Here’s a partial list of
farm machinery that was patented
during that period: a mowing
machine, an iron plow with in
terchangeable parts, a revolving
hay rake, a gram reaper, even a
grain combine was patented in the
early 1800 s.
There were also major
developments in other agricultural
techniques during that period. New
breeds of livestock, new crops,
improved varieties of existing
crops, agricultural magazines,
advanced technology in food
preservation, and transportation.
It was a magruficient tune for
new technology, and yet farmers
were slow to adopts this new in
formation. And then, in 1861 a Civil
War began and it triggered the
first great agricultural revolution.
Two factors—a shortage of
manpower and a general im
provement in farm incomes
caused farmers to start looking at
new ways to do things. Other
developments followed that
assured a continuing flow of
agricultural technology, and an
exodus from agriculture began
that has continued to this day.
In 1820 there were almost 10
million people in the United States,
with 72 percent of those gainfully
employed engaged in agriculture.
By 1890, the population had in
creased to more than 60 billion, but
barely a third lived on farms. Of
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course, that was a time of ex
panding agriculture through the
westward movement. There were
homesteads to be had. land to be
cleared, and agriculture was
growing. But it was growing with
less and less man-hours per acre
and per unit of production.
A farmer was still growing 20
bushels of wheat to the acre, but he
was doing it with-only 10 hours of
labor. And he was using a gang
plow, 'a mechanical seeder, a
harrow, a binder, and a threshing
machine all powered with
horses.
World War I signaled another
dramatic shift in farm production
as the tractor started to replace ,
"horsepower. By 1930, the typical If you yearn for the good old days
farmer was . still producing 20 of sweaty horses, hand-picked com
bushels of wheat per acre, but he * an d 3 walking plow, then you can
was doing that with only four hours probably see lots of things wrong
of labor. And he was using a with modem agriculture,
tractor pulling a three-bottom But when you sit down at the
gang plow, a 10-foot tandom disk, dinner table tonight, remember
and a grain combine. He also that progress puts food on the table
hauled his output to market in a bi unheard of, even unnecessary
{Puck, abundance, and still one acre in
But consider this: U.S. four produces for the world
nnpulation has reached almost 123 market.
USDA proposes change
in marking meat products
WASHINGTON Requirements to delete two shippers’ certificates
for the sale, transportation and currently required for the tran
marking of certain meat products spoliation of U.S. inspected and
would be simplified under a rule passed meat and meat food
proposed by the U.S. Department products.
of Agriculture. - The proposal also would expedite
Donald L. Houston, * ad- the return of alleged adulterated or
ministrator of USDA’s Food Safety misbranded meat products by
and Inspection Service, said the retail stores to slaughter or
proposal is intended to reduce the processing plants by revoking a
paperwork requirements imposed special permit now needed to
on the meat industry in the tran- accompany the products. In it’s
spoliation of edible and inedible place, the proposal would require
meat food products. that oral permission be obtained
Under the proposal, the food from the federal supervisor of the
safety and inspection agency plans --area m which the plant is located.
312 W. MAIN STREET.
NEW HOLLAND. PA
PH: 717-354-4181
million people while the farm
population had increased by only
four million, compared with 40
years before. The country was
growing, but the farm population
had virtually stagnated, even at a
time when farm productivity was
expanding.
Today, a handful of Americans
till this great continent from coast
to coast, using large machinery,
sophisticated technology, and huge
amounts of capital. And instead of
man-hours per acre, farmers count
acres per man hour.
If you’re against progress, then
you don’t like the story of
American agriculture.
D 5207 - 52 Hp PTO
This is a gutsy, powerful, highly
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OUTSTANDING FEATURES:
4- Engine: Deutz F3L-912,
Most fuel-efficient in its class.
+ Transmission: Same series as used on
5506, 6206 and 6207. Fully synchro
shift on the go, two big shift levers.
Transmission, drive line and axles are
actually oversized.
4-Independent PTO clutch. -
4- Brakes: Sealed disc brake as used on
5506,6206,^5207.
4- Max. operating weight: 8800 lbs
SEE OUR DISPLAY*
’at AG progressl
DAYS AUG. 25-27
172 CID