Bye-Bye Stick Shift

Bye-Bye Stick ShiftSince the 1890s, when it really was hard to do properly, skillful gear shifting has been the hallmark of the expert and the measure of the difference between the men and the boys. After all, a bright ape could be in taught to steer; in fact, bright apes have been taught to steer. Lindsay Schmidt, owner of an 1800-acre farm in Australia, uses a chimpanzee named Johnnie as a tractor driver, and has for years. Johnnie can steer a straight course over a plowed field, turn the trac...