Wheat Farmer, The (1938)

[Applause] with modern machinery Mr White and his son Tom can put in a large crop 25 acres a day of broad level Prairie Land plowed up a f for the wheat after the soil is prepared drilling time into the hopper of this drill goes about one bushel of seed for every of ground a mechanism regulates the flow of seed down through each of these tubes at the ends these are like tiny plows each making its own Furrow into which the seed Falls the loose soil covering the wheat as it is planted after the planting Mr White looks for rain rain to keep the dried oil from blowing and to germinate the tiny rins rain enough to cause his wheat to grow but not the severe storms that often beat down his growing crop or drown it in stagnant pools of water rain to keep harsh sand Laden winds from whipping out his while the wheat is growing wheat Farmers have other tasks dairying for example a quick dinner for the cat the milk and butter thus secured are welcome additions to the diet and income of the white family much time is occupied also in making Necessary repairs there are social activities as well Mom yeah I have a letter here for you who's it from I think it's about the 4 club meeting open will my hands are dirty [Music] yes they want us both to be on the club program tomorrow night do you think uh you can get your face clean by well I'll work on it at this time we will have several project reports given by various Club Members First I have asked Frank Anderson to tell us of his experiences with strawberries a start toward Diversified crops last year I picked out a rich piece of land prepared it and set out some strawberry plants I took care of them and this year we have plenty of berries for our own use training in cooking and I found that very careful sifting of the flour will improve the texture of the cake at least my little brother seemed to like it livestock Improvement I started the care of my cap on May the 5th first I had to teach him to drink milk from a pale and then when he was old enough I started feeding a mixture of whole corn and cotton seed meal and now that I plan to show him at the fair this fall I've been brushing him every day and breaking him to holler so I can exhibit him such activities as the 4 clubs combine the social and business life of the youth in the wheat farm belt but now the warm sun and the kindly rain have brought the crop to maturity the heads full of mature seeds are beginning to bend as a sign of ripeness Mr strides into his Field of Gold and Grain and takes a few sample heads for testing he crushes the heads between his hands until the chaff and grain are separated the grain is full and dry it is time for Harvest for the entire field seems to be evenly ripened and Midsummer storms are threatening Mr White must have help and quickly 516 F2 hello John this is HW talking want to start combining tomorrow can you run the machine for me all right see you in the morning you in looking for work yeah you drive a tractor tractor yeah I need a couple of harvest hands what you pay 3 and A2 3 and 1/2 from boy so me I live 8 miles north when day you start start in the morning all right let's go the ripened wheat must be harvested and stored without delay and the combine is Mr White's way of doing it early morning till late at night the Harvest goes on harvesting wheat is hard work for all and the farmer's wife does her part by providing Sumptuous meals high noon and time for dinner time for dinner time for dinner time for dinner Prairie winds furnish the power for the pumps for the water with which the hot Harvesters wash away the dust of the field and cool themselves before eating washing and cool water is almost better than drink after the Heat and dust a hearty meal and a short rest thereafter do much to banish the fatigue of the long Harvest day there are no finicky appetites among a group of harvest hands the food on the table vanishes like the Grain in the fields Under the Blade of the combine and woe to the expectant Harvester whom the pie plate reaches last after dinner dishwashing for the women folk and the men are once more back in the dust of the Harvest field the sky Promises at least temporary continuance of clear weather and the combine goes tirelessly on making the best of each Sunny hour a sudden storm at this time might ruin all the standing crop the combine reel turns constantly each blade reaching out and bringing back the heads of ripened wheat to the cutter bar they fall backward and downward upon an endless canvas belt which passes them on into the body of the machine here the grain is separated from the cha acre after acre of ripened heads fall before the blades of the Reel and cutter bar and are carried upward into the mall of the machine each time the combine circles the field it cuts a 20ft swath of ripened wheat the modern combine Cuts just below the head of the Grain and leaves the straw standing the tall stocks are later plowed under for fertilizer and now the hopper on the combine is filled with a threshed wheat at a signal a waiting truck drives alongside and is loaded with a deluge of grain for a moment now the Harvesters pause and enjoy a cooling drink from loaded combine to loaded truck the grain thus leaves the Harvest field without delay the wheat goes on its way to the nearest elevator for today's market may be favorable this is the Harvest field routine from dawn to desk from field to combine from combine to truck from combine to truck and from truck to elevator at the elevator located on a spur of the nearest railroad Mr White sells his grain some elevators are Cooperative some are owned locally and some by Milling interests far off these two simple devices a removable end gate on the truck and a grated opening on the driveway beneath permit r rapid and easy unloading of the grain from truck to elevator from truck to elevator elevator to train from train to Mill and Mill to Bakery thus