Dairyland Driftings

STANLEY PETERSON, Shell Lake, Wisconsin has to date eight two
cylinder tractors and one power unit besides several gas engines. A
John Deere power unit runs his stationary sawmill, a model AR on
steel for skidding logs and working in the mill yard, a late model
‘D’ for powering his portable sawmill – two G.P. models
used on the farm of his parents, the AUGUST PETERSONS. He has
restored a 12-20 Hart Parr to like new condition, is at present
re-working an early 12-20 Titan and has an 18-36 Hart Parr to
go.

We spent an enjoyable day at the Petersons, shredding corn with
Stanleys 15-25 Oil Pull type L 688, belted to a 4 roll steel
Rosenthal shredder. He had a good crew and I had the privilege of
feeding the shredder and taking pictures. This Oil Pull was
purchased from the late H. M. Jones at Little Falls, Minn. Jones
was probably one of the foremost retrievers of old-time machinery
in our great northwest. To this day, I’ve never heard of a
dissatisfied JONES customer. ARVID STARK purchased five steam
engines from him and much of this business was transacted over the
phone. H. M. was indeed a willing barterer and ready at any time to
steam up some engine in his year. His passing was indeed a loss to
the Collectors Movement.

Six year old Cathy was looking at a Western on TV, when her
conscientious grandmother suggested maybe they should look at
something more constructive. Said Cathy, ‘If you don’t like
it, Grandma, why don’t you go out in the kitchen?’

Had a nice visit with JOE SCHAD-WEILER from Spring Valley, Wise.
His experiences in threshing and saw-milling makes for endless good
listening. Back in 1919, he worked on a steam rig belonging to JOE
LIFFERLING, east of New Rockford, North Dakota. It consisted of a
35 hp double Nichols Shepard and 40 x 64 Advance Rumely Separator.
Threshing until dark late in the fall, they had to hike
kiddi-corner across a quarter-section to the buildings for supper
and to sleep in the hay mow. Next morning HARRY DAHL the fireman,
was sick and asked Joe if he’d build the fire for him. Sure
thing and off into the early morning fog he went, couldn’t see
fifty feet ahead – walking by – guess something told him he was
about far enough – he decided to take twenty paces to the left and
if he didn’t find the engine, he’d attempt to get his
bearings and take off in the opposite direction. Making about a
dozen paces he almost bumped into the big engine as it seemed to
loom in front of him. Was I ever lucky, he said.

A. L. JOHNSON from Leonard, Minnesota came down with his truck
and picked up the 12 hp Advance I sold him. To load the engine,
backing it on would necessitate taking off the platform and drawbar
so we loaded it the other way first, only to find that his short
wheel-base obliged us to reload it, stripping the platform – doing
things the hard way accentuates learning.

A new owner of a Rambler hung a sign back of his car
‘I’m not as expensive as you think’. Before long his
wife driving down the road wondered why so many men were tooting
their horns at her.