1909 - worth the read Handy Farm Devices - Cobleigh - ToC "By Way of Introduction SUCCESS comes to the man who so works that his efforts will bring the most and the best results -- not to the man who simply works hard. It is the know-how, things-to-do-with and economy that count. Labor-saving machinery has revolutionized many a trade and industry. It has made farming an industry and a science of possibilities undreamed of and unattainable a hundred years ago. But it is not enough for the modern farm to be equipped with the best tools and machinery that shops and factories turn out, to know how to use them and keep them in repair. There are many handy devices, not made in any factory and not sold in any store, that every intelligent man can make himself, which save money and labor and time. Inventive men are constantly contriving simple but valuable things to meet the needs of their own practical experience. We are all the time hunting after and gathering these ideas. Now we are putting a lot of the best ones into this book. We are trying, by words and pictures, to explain clearly just how to make each device. Everything described is tried and practical. Some are old, many are new, all are good for the purpose intended. They represent the practical, successful experience of farmers and other wide-awake workers all over the United States. This book is broader than its title. The overflow of good measure includes a valuable chapter on the steel square and its uses. Nowhere else has this subject been handled in a way so easily understood, with confusing mathematics cut out. We especially commend this chapter to our readers. We also present some good house and barn plans, that will be appreciated by those who contemplate building. In addition to the direct benefit to be derived from doing what the book tells how to do, we have in mind the larger purpose of education toward putting more thought into our work and doing what we have to do the easiest, the cheapest and the quickest way. Out of it all, we trust our readers will make progress toward greater prosperity, greater happiness and greater usefulness. ..." Contents at link
Library-Farming all turn of the century books - it's a mixed bag in this particular category >>> plenty of old ag equipment detailed and described for farm operations the old school ways ....
I have a feeling I put this article in the resources section of the site some years ago. Duplication of a useful and informative resource is no bad thing. Thanks for posting.
I think I inherited my grand father's gene creating things. Dad had the skills to fix things the way His dad had, but he did not have the creative genius, if he did he never showed it, but left it to me to make unusual tools and repairs. and a lot of it seemed to come to me quite naturally. My brother had the business sense but again left it to me to create things we needed. My son and daughter have the creative gene and do quite well in their fields of work. I have a partial library of how-to books gathered through the years, what is frustrating is that many of the chemicals they list are not available to the public at least here in California. As a rule, my philosophy is, that if men built something 100 years ago or more, I should be able to make it my self. There are a great many vintage antiques that are still useful tools, useful for things that had not been invented in their time. I find this with a lot of things though, creators usually have tunnel vision and can't see anything past their original purpose for their invention, sad really.
