Evening Times Republican

Iowa Man Invents One Enabling Two Persons to Do the Work of Six

THEY WILL INVADE MINNESOTA

State Dairy Commissioner McConnell Has Already Ordered Several of F. M. Devore, of Thompson, Iowa, Who is the Inventor of the Machine--Will Establish Manufacturing Plant

Special to Times-Republican

Thompson, Dec. 17.--F. M. Devore, of this place, is the inventor of a new machine for milking cows that promises to be of great value to the dairy business. Last week Mr. Devore installed one of his machines on the farm of C. H. Kelly, three miles southeast of Forest City. Altho an Iowa man is the inventor of this wonderful and useful device, the Minnesota dairymen are likely to be the first to profit by its use. Last week W. P. McConnell, state dairy commissioner for Minnesota, came down to Forest City and was there met by Mr. Devore, when the two went to the Kelly farm to inspect the machine and see it in operation. Altho the machine was hardly ready for operation, Mr. McConnell was so favorably impressed with the work that he entered into an arrangement with Mr. Devore to at once commence putting them in some of the most important dairies.

Mr. Devore is undecided as yet where he will ultimately manufacture these machines, as several places are anxious to secure such an enterprise. He has something like 1,000 orders in sight, and has representatives in several states. Mr. Devore hopes to soon have a manufacturing plant established. He is at present having the machines made at Lake Mills. The price of the machines ranges from $200 to $600.

During the last year the decrease of creamery patrons in our state has been 20 per cent, while in Minnesota the increase has been 33 per cent. While Iowa cows average 124 pounds of butter fat to the cow, Minnesota cows average 165 pounds.

A Minneapolis paper in an article relative to the machine says:

"The passing of Maude Muller and other milkmaids will soon be brought about thru the inventive genius of a man down in Iowa who claims to have a machine which can milk a cow in one-fifth the time required by the hand process. The innovation may soon be introduced in the barnyards of Minnesota, for State Dairy Commissioner McConnell has gone down to Iowa to investigate the merits of this automatic milk pump. If Mr. McConnell finds the machine satisfactory he will endeavor to have it adopted by dairymen and farmers generally throughout Minnesota.

"According to information which Mr. McConnell has received concerning the machine, it enables two persons to do the work of six, and, as the milk passes thru rubber tubes it is protected from all barn odors and contamination of any sort. Mr. McConnell says that if the machine is all that is claimed for it, it will be a great boom to dairy farmers, for they have much difficulty in getting men who are reliable milk extractors."