2023.05.21 "Extra" Pic

Puzzle: https://jigex.com/q8TNm

That's alot of steam power right there

Yes it is. 'It takes money to make money'. I'd guess the financing behind this operation came from some place other than agriculture. And ironically so, as this was a time when so many struggled to try to scratch out a living on the land.

And a lot of folks still do.

Are they contour plowing with the lay of the land?

Early big time farming.

In my area back in the day, if somebody had a steam engine, they done a bunch of custom work with it to justify owning it. Would travel from farm to farm and do custom work. Would be in and out and on to the next place. Often times the neighboring place would be the next place it went. They'd line out thier work so that it was a continuous string from one place to the next. Where you were at in the job lineup (by location), was when they'd get to yours. No zig zagging around and backtracking. That way they could avoid roading these things very far from one job to the next (top speed was probably only 2 or 3 mph).

Around here, the custom work was mainly threshing. The guy that owned the steam engine, also owned the threashing machine. Or worked in partnership with another guy that did. In areas where they only raised wheat, as I suspect in this photo, they likely also done custom plowing along with the custom threshing. Obviously at different times. Likely didn't plow until all the threshing was done for everybody they worked for.

If cash payment was an issue, and likely was for most customers, X amount of bushels of threshed wheat were probly accepted as payment. Probly happened moreso on threshing than the plowing jobs.

To cut expenses, the water and fuel hauling was done by the owner of the place. Alot of times a team of neighbors pooled together to help each other out on this.

Back in the day, times were different.

Anyways, not just the wealthy owned these things. People who continously put them to work did also. Although they likely had thier steam engine mortgaged rather than payed for.

Does it seem these are three identical Case steam engines?

(quoted from post at 19:41:04 05/21/23) Does it seem these are three identical Case steam engines?

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No, the two in front are 110 horse while the one in the back looks to be an 80 horse. I'm a huge Case steam traction engine buff and can identify the horse in a matter of seconds, if you don't believe me, ask my family. I actually made plans for a 1/16 scale 150 horse. Never made it, but I still have the plans.