FARMING TAKES SKILL

[Music] Springtime at Mr Reed's Farm what secret lies in each Bud that Sprout what kind of crops will this year bring even the mules feel spring in the air and are anxious to get out in the field Bob and Frank Reed manage the farm work and divide the work between them they employ 15 full-time men Frank lays out the work for each man the main problem this year will be labor to produce the crop as there is a short of Manpower both on the farms and in the cities at present the Reeds have enough men today Joe will Harrow on the North section the plow has already turned the soil over and broken up the hard Earth into big chunks of dirt the teeth on the Harrow break up the clots and smooth out the ground to prepare it for the planting the bags of dirt are for weit to hold the Harrow down to Larry the mule dirt is something to roll in but for the farmer it is his livelihood Frank knows the composition of his soil this dirt looks right for the carrot crop he will plant Farmers add fertilizers to their soil to make it more productive small cups hold the carrot seed and as the blades cut the tiny trenches the seeds are dropped the right distance apart the machine can be adjusted to the particular crop so that it drops just the right amount a small layer of dirt is left covering the seeds to give them moisture and to protect them from the birds this crisp spring day makes the mules frisky as they pull the cultivator up and down the rows of carrot sprouts Larry and powder nose must walk carefully not to harm the tender shoots the crop will be cultivated four or five times during the season this loosens the ground so that the roots can spread and take hold also it brings up the moisture in the ground and kills the weeds when the carrot plants are still small Bob sprays the field with oil the oil not only kills the insects but also kills the weeds this is a great help in growing strong healthy plants the sky looks threatening Bob watches the Gathering storm clouds with great care while some rain is needed he dreads the storms that may Deluge his Fields sometimes seeping over his planted fields or even covering entire acres and ruining the crop a loss of many man-hours of work the farmer is at the mercy of the changeable weather it is one of the things he can cannot control but the bad rains are over and Bob now has the problem of getting enough water to his growing tomato plants he directs the flow of the water with a tin sheet turning the narrow streams where they are most needed it takes constant care to keep each field producing the best possible crop Farmers rotate their crops to improve the soil each part of the country has irrigation needs according to its natural rainfall some sections require more some less and here the water flow is controlled by small gates in the surface pipes spreading the water evenly over the carrot field Summer and the sun warms up the earth and ripens the growing plant the large fields on the Reed Farm are ready for the Harvest hay hay and more hay to feed the animals in the long year ahead barns are filled to overflowing the Reeds take good care of their stock animals well fed and well housed do better work this baby cat is not well and requires special care he has a little coat made out of Sachs these animals must be cared for in sickness and in heal here come Larry and powder nose again it takes four mules to pull this large cultivator why how the carrots have grown almost ready to be picked the Tomato Vines we saw irrigated are loaded with ripe Tomatoes These Fine specimens make a farmer feel that his months of careful work have been worthwhile skilled Pickers handle the fruit carefully but it doesn't all run smoothly what's the trouble mud not deep but the heavy truck is well anchored perhaps a shovel will do it I guess not but while Bob goes for the tractor the men keep right on digging back he comes [Music] and EO and out she goes this truck and trailer weigh about 20 tons but the Red Tractor does the trick this is only a minor trouble but a number of men are tied up for an hour the skilled farmer is on the alert every minute to keep each man doing the most needed work farming takes good management just like any other Big Industry the Reeds not only have grown their Tomatoes well but have studied political and World conditions that influence market prices many factors determine the price of food will the price of their Tomatoes be as high as they estimated but price is not the Farmers Only worry a neighbor had bad luck his entire tomato crop was ruined by Sun burn that is by extreme hot weather he must plow it under the beans are now full grown and ready to be cut first the machine cuts the roots 2 in under the ground this machine is followed by a rake whose teeth roll the loose vines into wind RS when the sun thoroughly dries the green Vines they are ready for the Bean thresher in the meantime back at the Machine Shop the bean thresher is being overhauled Farmers spend many days repairing their machinery for the hard service it will undergo good Farmers must be good mechanics in this machine age at last the thresh is all ready lucky too because the beans are thoroughly dried look at that one of the biggest Bean Threshers in the world with a crew of seven men the wind row of beans is conveyed up into the cylinder inside the beans are Whirled around with great force the revolving cylinder teeth separate the beans from the pods and Vines the beans drop into sacks truly a huge power plant in action three men sew up the bags and drop them into an unloading shoot stop the machine something's wrong broken bolts in the wheel everything is at a stand still until new bolts can be put in each minute this machine is Idle costs the farmer a great deal of money with everything Ship Shape again the machine moves on when there are 10 bags in the chute they open a trap door and bang the bags drop out truly a modern Miracle machine and now the back opens to let out the discarded Vines thus in one glance we see large fields of beans a machine that is part thresher and part Factory turning the ripen plants into bags of beans and next to this the huge trucks Gathering the sacks an impressive illustration of modern farming carrots at Harvest time we saw Frank plant the seeds in this very field Bob sprayed and irrigated the young plants the men cultivated them several times and now the pickers pulled them from the ground and bunched them for the market fields of squash any farmer would take pride in vegetables like this are the result of scientific farming that is the farmer understands his soil and knows how to make it produce he cultivates it carefully and guards it against blight and weather he cooperates with the men who work for him now the fruit of his labor is ready for the market it all takes skill we owe Our Daily Bread to the farmer hats off to these men who feed the world oh [Music]