By the time this copy is in your hands, probably in January of
1998, many of us will have put our engines and tractors into
hibernation, although for this writer, it’s nice to have a
heated shop so that we can occasionally start up an engine or two
for some light entertainment. The thought of 1998 becoming an
immediate reality also reminds us that in just a few months,
we’ll be off on our grand tour of Germany, Austria, and
Holland. We’ve mentioned this trip several times, and
registrations are moving along nicely, but if you’re interested
in signing up, but have been procrastinating, our clock will soon
be running down. We’ll probably close out our tour signup in
April or May, since the tour will leave in early July, unless of
course our maximum of two coaches is filled, in which case tour
signup will end at that time. So if you’re interested in
accompanying our jolly group, let us know!
Recently, our friend Walter Reiff of Stuttgart, Germany
presented us with a copy of M-A-N Motorpflug and M-A-N Traktoren
1922-1963. This book, written by Peter Streiber, is a beautiful
title depicting the development of the M-A-N motor plows and
tractors in Germany. A number of excellent titles have emerged from
European collectors in recent years, demonstrating that engine and
tractor collecting is indeed a very popular hobby there.
Fortunately, our 1998 tour will take us to the H. M. T. Show in
Holland, which is Europe’s premiere show, with attendees coming
from great distances to display their restorations.
An interesting sidelight to the M-A-N tractors is that they were
early to use a front-wheel-assist to some extent, doing so some
years prior to their becoming popular on American tractor models.
Especially after World War Two, many German tractors were available
with special fender seats so that the entire family could climb
aboard and go to church or take a Sunday drive. At the time, the
family tractor was often the only means of transportation.
As we prepare this copy in early December of 1997, we’re
delighted to have finally gotten caught up on orders for our new
Encyclopedia of American Farm Implements. Initially, the book was
delayed due to some technical problems, and when it arrived, ye
olde Reflector found himself in a happy, yet somewhat embarrassing,
position. Orders for the new book went far beyond our expectations,
and we soon found ourselves in stacks of orders way beyond what we
had anticipated. Our small operation was completely overwhelmed! In
summation, we’re happy that the new implement book has sold so
well, but we’re quite unhappy that it took us so long to get
all the orders sent out to people.
Recently we were asked to appraise a small homemade steam engine
dating from the 1890s. Capable of only 1 or 2 horsepower, it was
built for the express purpose of running small household appliances
including a sausage grinder, a corn sheller, and some woodworking
tools. It was built almost entirely by hand, plus the benefit of a
small treadle operated lathe. We’re always amazed at the
ingenuity and patience of those early inventors. Having almost
nothing to work with as compared to today’s tools, they
nevertheless built machines that did their job, did it well, and
lasted far beyond their time. In fact, this little steam engine is
still operable, even though it has easily reached the century
mark.
While reminiscing about the past, it’s inconceivable to ye
olde Reflector that we’ve been writing books and articles about
vintage engines and tractors for almost thirty years! That’s
almost half of our lifetime! Quite often we’re asked how we
ever got into writing. It’s quite simple. At the Midwest Old
Threshers Reunion in 1969, this writer, along with Harold Ottaway
from Wichita, Tom Graves from Oregon, and a few others, were
gathered together one evening, talking about the many different
engines that came from the factories at Waterloo, Iowa. Because
many of them were so similar, there was a question of their
origins. Someone even suggested that there was probably a big
factory with a dozen different doors, all carrying a different
name.
Initially, we tried to interest someone in compiling this
material, and after no success in this regard, we finally decided
to go it alone. Finally in March 1971 our first book, Power in the
Past: A History of Gas Engine & Tractor Builders in Iowa,
appeared. From that meager attempt came other books, and after
something over thirty different books, we’re at the present
time.
This winter we’re going to finish assembling our Standard
Catalog of Tractors to be published by Krause Publications at Iola,
Wisconsin. It will be some -what in the format of their renowned
Standard Catalog of American Cars, and hopefully will be the most
comprehensive encyclopedia of the tractor that has ever been
published. If you have tractor materials that should be included in
this book, kindly contact us. In this same connection, and as
we’ve mentioned previously in this column, the trend is toward
digitizing photographs, feeding this information via a scanner
directly into a computer. While the days of film and the darkroom
are a bit threatened, there’s no doubt that digitizing is the
wave of the future.
For the machinists in our hobby, we’ve seen and have used
lots of different products as a threading lubricant. One of the
oldest, and still very good for many things, is a mixture of lard
and old motor oil. However, this stuff will get rancid eventually,
and then becomes a most unpleasant product. There are all kinds of
manufactured products such as Tap Magic, DevTap (from Devcon), and
numerous others. We’ve had especially good luck with DevTap on
those difficult metals, particularly when cutting threads on the
lathe with a single-point tool.
This month we begin with:
33/2/1 Gardn’ Mastr’ Tractor Q. Don
Price, 8942 Rap Rd., Cook, MN 55723 has a Gardn’ Mastr’
Garden-all tractor, Model JRE, s/n 20861. It was made at Liberty,
Indiana, It also has a ‘John Deere Quality’ decal, although
he hasn’ t found any John Deere dealers who know anything about
it. If you can be of help to Don in finding more information on
this tractor, please contact him at the above address.
33/2/2 Sandow Engine Q. I have a Sandow engine
made by Detroit Motor Car Supply Co., Detroit, Michigan. It is a 2
HP, two-cycle engine . I know a lot about air cooled engines but
this engine is a new venture for me. Can anyone tell me about the
ignition and how to make it run? Any information would be greatly
appreciated. Jim Thompson, RR I , Box 103A, Athens, IL 62613 or
email at jbthomp@sprynet.com
A. If you can be of help to Jim, especially
anyone having one of these engines, please contact him.
33/2/3 Cushman Cub Q. I just bought my first
engine, and am excited about restoring it. It is a 3 HP Cushman
Cub, Model R20, s/n 72670. What is the correct color, and does
anyone know when it was built? I would also like to know how it was
striped. Any information would be appreciated. Dan Saumer, Rt 2,
Box 318, Pine City, MN 55063.
A. There are no known serial number lists for
the Cushman engine. We have DuPont 7498 Green listed as the correct
color for the Cushman Cub, although we have seen numerous of them
painted gray as well. We don’t believe there was any striping
used on the Cub, just the colorful Cushman Cub decals on the side
of the water hopper.
33/2/4 Chicago Pneumatic Compressor Q. See the
photos of a Chicago Pneumatic compressor. It uses a Hercules
engine, Model TXA, 6×7. The engine is s/n100 l06. The engine is
missing the governor and the carburetor. Any assistance would be
greatly appreciated. Leon L. Koehn, RR 1, Box 142, Ringwood, OK
73768.
A. We have no file data on this engine. Can
anyone be of help?
33/2/5 Novo Engine Q. I have a Novo 1 HP
engine, s/n 74954 on a factory cart with a Myers 3-inch horizontal
water pump. Can anyone supply further information on this outfit? 1
would like to hear from other owners of the ‘pumping
outfits.’ James W. Priestley, 117 Lind St., McMinnville, TN
37110.
A. Your engine was shipped on 7/19/1922 to R.
H. Newell Co., Milford, Maine.
33/2/6 Cushman Cub/Massey-Harris Q. For a time
Massey-Harris sold the Cushman Cub in Canada under the
Massey-Harris name. Does anyone know when or for how long M-H sold
the Cub? Also, Harris Bros. Co. of Chicago shows the Monarch engine
line, as noted in the book, American Gas Engines Since 1872. Does
anyone have any specific information on this engine line? Any
correspondence would be appreciated. Jim Schmidt, 175 McNale St.,
Stratford, ONT N5A 1Z5 Canada.
A. We’re not sure at all regarding the
M-H/Cushman question. Over the years, we’ve been told that
Harris Bros, was a large company that apparently specialized in
factory closeouts, along with their regular merchandise lines. In
1921 though, their Monarch engine line was virtually identical to
the Nelson Bros, engines concurrently built at Saginaw,
Michigan.
33/2/7 Goold, Shapley & Muir Q. I just
acquired an Ideal by G. S. & M. of Brantford, Ontario. It is a
3 HP engine and runs on propane gas. I was told it was a
hit-and-miss engine, but it seems to run like a throttle governed
engine. Any information on this engine would be greatly
appreciated. Stuart Johnson, 5055 S. 38th St., Climax, MI
49034.
A. By definition, hit-and-miss governing
enables the engine to take in a full charge at each intake stroke,
and when the governed speed is reached, the governor (generally)
actuates a catch mechanism that holds the exhaust valve open until
speed drops sufficiently to release the catch and provide another
power cycle. There are other ways too, such as cutting off the
spark, to achieve the goal, but usually the above scenario is how
it was done.
Throttle governed, or volume governed, engines use a butterfly
valve in between the carburetor or mixer and the engine intake
valve. The governor, acting on this butterfly, regulates speed by
controlling the opening and closing of the passage. If there’s
a butterfly (or perhaps a slide valve) it is a volume governed
engine. If there’s a hookup mechanism it’s a
hit-and-miss.
Hit-and-miss engines that sound like a throttle governed engine
are either working about up to their maximum capacity, or as a
rule, aren’t properly adjusted. Remembering that a properly set
hit-and-miss engine should drop off the catch block, fire a shot,
and hook up again (as when running idle at a show), two major
causes are, 1) there isn’t enough fuel ,or 2) the governor
mechanism is not working properly. Oftentimes the linkages are worn
out and need to be reamed and refitted with bastard pins for a nice
fit. The catch finger when at rest needs to be fairly close to the
catch block; the distance from the catch block to the finger is
what determines the difference between impulse strokes. If the
finger is too far away from the catch block, it has to travel too
far and this makes it almost impossible to attain correct
governing. Virtually every hit-and-miss engine was originally
designed to release the finger, fire a single shot, and then hook
up again. Some engines will do this consistently, but owing to
their own idiosyncracies, others will not. However, when you hear
an engine that consistently has to fire three or four times before
hooking up, it isn’t running as it should, and almost always
the problem is with the governor mechanism. A final point is to not
expect good governing when the catch block and the finger are worn
off and rounded. Almost all of these parts are capable of some
adjustment, and by careful study, one can see how they should
work.
33/2/8 Pressure Gauges Back in the September
1997 issue (32/9/1) Douglas Poor asked some questions about
pressure gauges. In response we have the following from Dennis A.
Pollock, 705 Indiana SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108:
The hairspring is used to take out the backlash between the
sector gear and the pinion gear and this is about all it can do
considering its size. In areas of high vibration or pulsing
pressure, the spring cannot hold the two gears together, so the
better gauges will almost always be filled with a clear thin liquid
that stops the erratic movement of the pointer. The pinion gear is
the small gear attached to the pointer shaft. The hairspring wants
to pull the pointer back to zero and as the pressure is applied to
the Bourdon tube the spring wraps up and gets smaller in overall
outside diameter. The sector gear has a slot that is used to adjust
the range of the gauge. The Bourdon tube is an oval tube that wants
to straighten out when pressure is applied to it and the thickness
of the material in the tube determines the pressure range that it
can tolerate without blowing up.
The forked arm is used to increase the sensitivity of the gauge.
The more accurate gauges have screws solidly located to the frame
around the outside of the tube and used to limit its motion. As the
tube straightens out under pressure the screws are screwed in to
contact the tube and calibrate its motion.
Bourdon tubes are usually used for pressure and diaphragms are
used for vacuum. A diaphragm is two round metal disks that are
soldered or fastened together at their periphery with air space
sealed between them. To increase the sensitivity or travel, several
diaphragms are fastened together in the center so that they only
touch where they are fastened. The difference between a diaphragm
and a bellow is that the bellow are all open to each other on the
inside and this area is usually connected to an outside source of
vacuum. In very, very accurate gauges a diaphragm is used to
compensate for changes in local or differential pressure and some
sort of bi-metal spring is used for temperature compensation. For
nor -mal use the Bourdon tube will compensate for local pressure on
its own. Even when a diaphragm is used in a gauge, there will still
be a hairspring to take out the backlash. This is such a basic idea
of removing backlash that I doubt if it was ever patented.
I started working on these things in 1957 and have probably
forgot most of what I knew.
33/2/9 T. Eaton Company Q. Vincent A. Ellinger,
688 Millstone Dr., Rochester, Ml 48309-1648 wants any information
on an engine from T. Eaton Company, Toronto & Winnipeg, with
s/n KE173451.
A. Your engine is a Stover, with this
particular one having been shipped to Eaton in 1928. Stover shipped
thousands of engines to Eaton, who in turn sold them throughout the
provinces of Canada; apparently also shipping a limited number to
other countries within the former British Empire.
33/2/10 Earthmaster Tractor Q. See the photo of
an Earthmaster tractor, s/n J988. Can anyone advise the proper
color scheme, when it was built, and other information? Any help
will be greatly appreciated. Gordon]. Read, 1911 Grandview Ave.,
Medford, OR 97504-4823.
33/2/11 Gardn’ Mastr’ Tractor Q. In the
August 1997 GEM (32/8/3) was a query about an unidentified garden
tractor. See the photo of my Gardn’ Mastr’. It was made by
Garden-All Tractor Inc., Liberty, Indiana. H. W. Richardson, 400
Parkway Circle, Montevallo, AL 35115.
33/2/12 Lauson Type AC Engine Bill Garner, PO
Box 926, Cleveland, TN 37364-0926 has a Lauson Size C, Type AC
engine of 4 HP, s/n 8223. He needs various information on this
engine, including the meaning of the ‘AC terminology. If you
are familiar with this engine, kindly contact Bill at the above
address.
541. Device for Truing Engine Crankpins.
Figure 161 shows a hand-operated device for truing an engine
crankpin. It consists of two wood blocks with a hole the same size
as the crankpin. The blocks are held together by bolts and fitted
with handles.
The pin should be covered with oil, a piece of fine emery paper
should be placed in the blocks, and the fixture clamped on the pin.
Just sufficient pressure should be put on the bolts to make the
paper bite the steel. The device should then be turned round to
grind the pin.
If possible, the crankshaft should be removed from the engine to
enable the tool to be used freely; but if this cannot be done, by
shortening the handles it can be used with the crankshaft in
position.
Brentford, England.
W. E. Warner.
33/2/13 Truing Crankpins Robert A. LeBaron,
5801 E. 5th St., Tucson, AZ 85711 often favors us with informative
articles and information…this month he found an interesting
method for smoothing up a crank-pin from an ancient book on
engines. The book was entitled Oil and Gas Engines. See the device
and its accompanying article in the inset 33/2/13.
33/2/14 REECO Engine Q. I have a 3 HP Model E
Hercules made for Rider-Ericcsson, Walden, New York. It has gray
paint and remnant of a REECO decal in red. Since not a great number
of engines were made by Hercules for REECO, I would like to
refinish the engine in REECO colors. Can anyone advise the correct
color scheme? This and any other information on this engine would
be greatly appreciated. Chris Orcutt, 46 Pepperidge Rd., Portland,
CT 06480-1343; email at Christoper_M._Orcutt@ccmail.bms.com
33/2/15 Mietz & Weiss Q. Can anyone tell me
anything about a Mietz & Weiss one cylinder engine? It is
missing a lot of parts, but 1 would like to rescue it before it is
broken up. Also I have a John Bean Royal 10 that would be good for
parts; about when was this engine built? Bob Cowan, 818 Hill Ave.,
Hoquaim, WA 98550.
A. Apparently Bob has found this engine, and
doesn’t feel he has the expertise to restore it, but hopes
there might be someone who could … this might be a good find for
someone who is capable of making missing parts!
33/2/16 Shaw Engines Recently a fellow stopped
with an engine very similar to the Shaw mentioned recently in GEM.
Although this engine was very rusty, there was some good paint that
was a pale blue or sky blue color. There were some differences, but
it was quite similar. Harold Rossow, POB 15, Weston, ID
83286-0015.
33/2/17 Faultless and Sattley Questions Q. I
have a 2 HP Faultless engine, s/n 6186 made by Faultless Engine
Co., Kansas City, Missouri. It is a hit-and-miss with an igniter,
battery, and coil. There is one similar to it on page 170 of
American Gas Engines. Can you provide any information on this
engine, such as the year built?
Also, I have a Sattley 1 HP engine, s/n 65460, and a
Fairbanks-Morse 2 HP engine, s/n 791747. Can you tell me when these
engines were built? Willard McLain, Rt 1, Box 288A, Miller, MO
65707.
A. The only engine we can tell you about is the
Fairbanks-Morse; it was made in 1936.
33/2/18 Allis-Chalmers ‘C’ Q. See the
photos of an Allis-Chalmers Model C recently acquired. It is s/n
34408. For purposes of restoration, I would like to find sources
for some original Allis-Chalmers parts, including gauges and
meters. Can anyone point me to parts sources for A-C parts?
Alexander C. Black, 3105 9th St., Douglas, AZ 85607.
A. Your tractor was built in 1945. Would any
parts suppliers please step forward?
33/2/19 Witte Diesel Engine Q. I recently
acquired a Witte Diesel engine without a nameplate. I have been
told it was a 4 or 6 HP engine. I need an operators manual and
parts list. It appears to be essentially complete except for the
oil lubrication system. I know nothing about diesels and therefore
any information will be greatly appreciated…I will pay the cost
of duplicating any meaningful literature. W. C. Schwartz, 122
Ormsby Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15210.
33/2/20 Howell Engines Q. In pursuit of an old
engine I ran into Mr. Richard Clark, then 83 and a third generation
well driller. He showed me a catalog of a drilling rig he bought in
1911 equipped with a Howell engine (R. R. Howell Co., Minneapolis,
Minn.) Is anyone aware of these engines? William D. Butz, 2408
Earlmar Dr., Modesto, CA 95350.
A. We’re not at all sure that Howell ever
built any engines. The company was a major supplier of industrial
equipment; everything from burr mills to well drills. Looking
through catalogs of various years, their engine line varied from
time to time. Although their engines may have been built to
Howell’s specifications, we’re not convinced that Howell
actually manufactured any engines of their own.
33/2/21 Unidentified Engine Q. From some boxes
purchased on an auction I found this small two-cycle engine. I
don’t think it was homemade because of the casting design. The
only thing I can find that is at all similar is the Fopay on page
181 of American Gas Engines. Any information anyone can supply on
this engine would be greatly appreciated. Richard Johnson, W. 5551
Pineview Rd., Neillsville, WI 54456.
33/2/22 Fuller & Johnson Q. I am restoring
a Fuller & Johnson Model JA air-cooled engine as described on
pages 106-108 of The Fuller & Johnson Story. I am looking for
parts and information from other owners, including whether the
piston, battery box, push rod, and other parts from the more common
engines will interchange with it. Reed S. Benton, RD 1, Box 116,
Wassaic, NY 12592.
33/2/23 Correction! In the December 1997 GEM,
specifically under 32/12/3, the address for Mac Macomber is 139
Fogerty Rd., Griswold, CT 06351. Please contact him regarding the
above query at this new address.
33/2/24 WK 40 International Q. What is the year
built of the WK40 tractor, s/n 4073? Also what is the point
setting, plug setting, and other maintenance information for this
tractor? Coy L. Eudy, 16464 Austin Rd., Stanfield, NC 28163.
A. Your tractor was built in 1936. We don’t
have specific tuneup data for the WK-40, but if it’s like most
other IHC tractors of the period, the magneto points will be set at
about .013 and the spark plug gap is .020 to .025.
33/2/25 Unidentified Engine Q. Rich Howard,
Hysham, MT 59038 sends two photos of an unidentified engine,
obviously in need of a good many parts. If you can render
appropriate aid, kindly contact Rich at the above address.
33/2/26 Standard Walsh tractor Q. See the
photos of a recently acquired garden tractor. It is a Standard
Walsh, No. 500D2746 made by Standard Tractor Co., Minneapolis,
Minn. The story is told that this tractor was bought new in 1929.
The fellow went to use it in the garden, got to the end of the row
and hollered ‘Whoah’ and it didn’t stop. By the time he
realized it wasn’t going to stop it was clawing its way over
the garden fence. At that point the garden tractor went back to the
shed where it remained. Is this what’s called NOS..’New Old
Steel’?
33/2/27 Duro Engine Q. I have a Duro engine
made by Stover, s/n 101683. Any information on this engine would be
appreciated. Frank Grensing, N6318 Lakeshore Dr., Tony, WI
54563.
A. Although these engines were built by Stover,
the regular Stover serial numbers do not apply. Information on the
relatively scarce Duro engines is rather hard to find.
33/2/28 Emerson-Brantingham Q. See the photos
of a 1 HP Emerson-Branungham engine. Every part has a casting
number prefix of EA. I need to know the Webster magneto bracket
number, or did the engine use a battery igniter? Richard McMunn,
684 McMunn Lane, Villa Ridge, IL 62996.
A. We believe your engine used a Webster 303M3
bracket.
33/2/29 J. W. Lathrop Engine Q. I recently
acquired a 7 HP J. W. Lathrop marine engine, s/n 21729. It was made
at Mystic, Conn. The engine appears to be in excellent condition,
and I hope to get it running soon. If any readers have any
information on this engine, I would appreciate hearing from them.
Alan Turner, 558 Blount Rd., Elizabeth City, NC 27909.
33/2/30 Stickney Engine Katherine Lindgren at
McPherson County Old Mill Museum & Park, PO Box 94, Lindsborg,
KS 67456 writes concerning a 7 HP Stickney engine in their farm
collection, and would like more information on it. If you can help,
kindly contact these folks at the address above.
33/2/31 Evinrude Engine Q. See the photo of an
Evinrude horizontal two-cycle engine. It has a cast iron muffler,
is attached to a cast iron frame with a horizontal centrifugal
pump. Can anyone supply any information on this unit? Emery
McRoberts, PO Box 208, Blairsden, CA 96103.
33/2/32 Pattin Bros. Engine Q. I have a Pattin
Bros. 15 HP engine, s/n 2537 with hot tube ignition. I would like
to know when it was built and the correct color scheme. Also, I
would like to correspond with anyone having one of these engines,
regarding its operation. Any information will be greatly
appreciated. Rob Coyle, 2090 Keokuk St., #71, Hamilton, IL
62341-1200.
33/2/33 Whitman & Barnes Q. I am looking
for any information on this engine and boiler that had been in a
barn for over 60 years. The nameplate data is: Whitman & Barnes
Mfg. Co., Auto Steam Engine, Syracuse, New York. Any information
would be appreciated. Jack H. Wolcott, 517 – 129th Ave W., Tampa,
FL 33612.
33/2/34 Unidentified Engine Q. See the photos
of an engine I recently acquired. It has no name tags or part
numbers. Cast into the bottom of the gas tank is ‘Battery
Charging Set, Designed by James L. Yarian, Patents
Pending.’
The whole unit is 15 inches high with a cast iron fuel tank 7 x
15 x 2 high. The engine has a 2? x 1 inch bore and stroke; intake
and exhaust ports are a smooth bore with no pipe threads. Any
information on this engine would be greatly appreciated. Fred
Zwayne, 4915 S. Under Ave., Chicago, IL 60638.
33/2/35 Collis Engine Q. See the photo of a
water cooled Collis engine. The name plate reads: Collis, Formerly
the Superior Piersen/ Designed by E. B. Cushman/ 5 HP, 950 rpm, s/n
5-3089. The Collis Company, Clinton, Iowa. Any information on this
engine would be greatly appreciated. Jim Geisman, 6684 Cochran Rd.,
Horton, MI 49246.
33/2/36 Thanks! To Robert G. Calhoun, 309
Decatur Rd., Marquette Heights, IL 61554-1218 for sending along a
photocopy of the parts catalog for Caterpillar No. 34 combines. Mr.
Calhoun was a parts catalog illustrator for Caterpillar for 35
years, retiring in 1984.
Modelmakers Corner
G. D. Mason, 33 Baldock Drive, Kingg’s Lynn, Norfolk, PE30
3DQ England, makes model engines and would like to hear from model
suppliers. If you can help, kindly contact Mr. Mason.
Galen Bengston, PO Box 507, 411 Lincoln, Quinter, KS 67752 sends
photos of some recent models. MM-1 is a Stirling-Steele 4-cycle
engine; MM-2 is an Atkinson Cycle Engine; MM-3 is an Allman
Inverted Engine, and MM-4 is a Free Breeze Stirling Fan.
Model makers, and those with casting sets and related model
making activities, are encouraged to submit their letters and
photos to this column.
A Closing Word
After a hiatus of several months, we understand from Motor books
that the book American Gas Engines Since 1872 should be back on the
shelf by the time this copy is in your hands. There have been quite
a few inquiries about this book since it went out of print last
summer, and it took several months for the publisher to decide
whether to reprint it again. We have no idea of the price for this
latest printing, nor do we know whether it will again be printed,
once this supply is exhausted.
It’s easy to be critical of publishers, especially when we
look only at one side of things. However, these companies are
ostensibly in business to make money, and when they don’t think
they’re making enough on something or other, they turn to
something else. Anyone that’s in business for themselves can
testify to this simple fact.
By pure coincidence, we recently came across a cast iron seat
for a Geo. W. Brown corn planter that was built at Galesburg,
Illinois. This pioneering corn planter manufacturer is noted in our
recent book, American Farm Implements, so this piece of cast iron
trivia will soon be cleaned up and adorn our office wall.
Hopefully, another edition of this book will contain a cross
reference of trade names to aid in identifying various machines.
The indexing is easy, since the computer can do it in a few
minutes. The problem is in those long days of keyboarding all this
information from many different sources, eliminating the duplicates
and correcting the typos. All-in-all, we’d estimate this little
process to take a couple of months or maybe more. After all that,
the computer will have it indexed every which way in five minutes
or less. Have computers attained their maximum potential yet? We
think not! The very scenario described above would have been
unheard of only a few years ago, and what we’re describing
today will be horribly slow ten years from now. The moral of the
story is this: We think that since our present is flying by so fast
that we have all the more reason to preserve some of our past! If
computers can help to achieve that goal, so much the better!
Sometimes though, we long for a break in the heady pace that
propels us forward…ah, we have one coming up next July when we
can spend three leisurely weeks in Europe looking, smelling,
tasting, and enjoying with scarcely a care in this world!