I THRESHED WITH APRON or great belt separator (as it was called)

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One great help and surely a step toward progress was when Novotny brothers purchased a J. I. Case threshing machine in 1873 from Adolf Dworak, J.I. Case dealer in Schuyler, 16 miles south, which was their closest town. Threshing jobs were in demand by settlers and the seasons of operating the rig was long. Threshing season began when grain was in shock and lasted till late fall from stacked grain, sometimes as late as Christmas. On one late job a blizzard came and covered the horse-power. Only tips of the levers or sweeps were sticking out of the snow bank. Moving from one place to another was a task which my father and uncles often talked about, with no bridges across the creeks which they had to cross. Once while crossing a creek the machine sank deep in mud. While trying to pull it out the rear axle, which is wooden, broke. At that time there were no hydraulic jacks or any other lifting jacks. They used blocks and levers. The only thing was to get anew axle from Schuyler, which took all day. At first only John Jr. and my father, Frank, operated the outfit but later Joseph, Anton and Charles went along too. My father, Frank, was the only one staying with the machine through all the years of its operation. The yearly earnings amounted to any-where from $700 to $1000.

The machine is 32 in. cylinder, 12 bar, run by Buffalo Pitts horse-power to which were hitched five teams of of horses they walking in a circle, generating power which was transmitted to the threshing proper by tumbling rods. It is estimated that in the 43 years of continual operation of the machine, it threshed about 700,000 bushels of grain. No record was kept but the owners themselves made the conservative estimate. The spout was placed between spokes of the hind wheel which could be used on either side. Grain was spouted into a bushel basket or half bushel when talley box was used for wheat. All the grain emptied either directly into a wagon box or into sacks which had to be carried into a second story bin. This machine did a lot of heavy threshing, especially if the stacks were not built right and didn't shed water and if packed and hard, which was often stacked while wet and green. This machine threshed fast enough to keep seventeen men busy. I, myself remember we threshed 1900 bushels of oats in one day. As for cleaning and saving grain, it did excellent work with common sieves. One reason why the machine is still in good condition and could be put into operation if absolutely necessary, is because every year it was carefully stored and repaired. Properly oiling on the machinery was never neglected. All the parts of the machine are the original with the exception of side gear or bevel gear through which power was delivered to the cylinder and then to the rest of the machine. Some other small parts were replaced but two leather belts are the original and were on the machine every hour of its operation.

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