Judge, 1901-07-13 · page 8 of 16
Judge — July 13, 1901 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes early agricultural mechanization and farming automation. The cartoons mock the impracticality of overly complex farm machinery solutions. The top illustration shows an elaborate mechanical mower, captioned about weather control necessitating such devices. Below, "Munkittrick's idea" depicts absurdly tall stilts or platforms for circumventing chickens in fields—technically effective but rendering cultivation "slightly difficult," the caption notes with dry humor. The remaining panels show increasingly ridiculous contraptions: a person entangled in farm equipment, and a massive automated harvesting machine with multiple implements working simultaneously. The satire targets wealthy farmers or inventors seeking technological shortcuts rather than practical farming methods. The final caption suggests these fantastical machines will someday handle all farm work while readers enjoy Judge magazine—mocking both the unrealistic optimism about mechanization and advertisements for such impractical devices. The humor lies in the gap between promotional promises and absurd reality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Munkittrick’s idea of circumventing the chickens is effective, sure enough, but I found cultivation rendered slightly difficult, Until the above machine is perfected, we fear farming will have serio then harrowing, fertilizing, ‘Seed sowing, land rolling, rain, ceaebee and 5 machine; and there you are, all wile you read Jupce. SOME SUGGESTIONS ON FARNII WHO HAS TRIED HISU COPYRIGHT 1901 BY JUDGE COMPANY OF KEW YORK. comicbooks.com