The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, August 29, 1919, Page 12

TWELVH| THE PRACTICABILITY OF THE FARM TRACTOR IN THIS STATE DISCUSSED ~ IN BULLETIN ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT “The Farm Tractor in the Dakotas” is the title of a 32-page booklet re- cently issued by the United ‘States department of agriculture for distri- bution among farmers in this state. It is known as Farmers’ Bulletin No. 1035 and contains many important articles of information to presoat aad prospective users of tractors. The following are a few of the many interesting paragraphs in the pamphlet: . The question as to the smallest farm on which a tractor may be ex- pected to prove profitable is often asked and has been much discussed. This obviously depends upon a num- ber of factors, and particularly the type of farming followed. Certainly no more reliable opinion on this point for farmers in any locality could ibe obtained than the average of the es- timates of a large number of tractor owners in that neighborhood. In the opinion of Dakota farmers the mini- mum number of acres on which the 2-, 3-, or 4-plow outfits may be ex- pected to prove profitable are 185, 225 and 314 acres, respectively. At- tention is called especially to the fact that these figures represent the small- est size of farm for which these trac- tors should be purchased, in the opin- ion of men who have had experience with them, and not the size on which they can be used most profitably. A farmer who is contemplating the pur- chase of a tractor and whose farm is ler than the acreage above givel, ld consider carefully befort act- contrary to the opinions of, ex- perienced men. On the Small Farm While a tractor is less efficient on a small farm, because of the smaller fields and a correspondingly greater loss of time in turning the large per- centage of the area of fields to be finished up with horses when plowing, etc., these points are not so important as the fact that the small farm is usually thrown out of balance, from an. economic standpoint, by the in- vesiment of a disproportionate amount of capital in power which can be used fewer days than would be the case with the same machine on 4a larger farm. The overhead charges per unit of work done, therefore, are much higher on the small farm. The obvious course for the small farmer who has already invested in a trac- tor and wishes to make the best use of it is to acquire more land in order to utilize the tractor more efficiently, which, as mentioned elsewhere, is the course followed by a large percentage of tractor purchasers. The minimum size of farms on which tractors of these sizes are recommended for Da- kota conditions are considerably larg- er than the acreages recmomended for the same-sized tractors in other sections of the country, owing doubt- less to the different types of farming followed. The, average sizes of the farms re- porting on. which the 2-, 3-, or 4-plow tractors are used are considerably above the minimum figures given above, being 346, 389, and 489 ‘acres, respectively, with an average of 252, 303, and 396 crop’ acres,’ respectively: There was not a ‘sufficient number of reports on the larger sizes of ma- chines to give a reliable indication of the average size of farms on which these tractors are used. Quality of Work ‘Not a few farmers, when consider- ing. the purchase of a tractor, hesi~ tate because .of the fear that they may not be able to do the work as satisfactorily as with horses, This applies particularly to plowing. That there is little reason for this attitude is indicated by the fact that 37 per- cent of tractor owners report that the quality of work done by tue tractor is better than that done by horses, while only 2 percent say it is poorer. The remaining 61 percent see no dif- ference. The quality of the work done in plowing does not depend so much upon the tractor as upon the plow and its adjustment. Under average con- ditions, the work done by most en- gine gang plows when properly ad- justed is fully equal, and often super- ior, to thé work done by either a walking or gang plow drawn by horses and operated by a skillful plowman. If a job of plowing where a tractor is used is not satisfactory, it is not usually the fault of the trac- tor, but of the plow, or, more prob- ably, it is due to improper adjustment of the plows. Of course, in fields with obstructions, sharp angles, etc. the tractor may be responsible for poor work ‘because of its clumsiness, but under ‘most; conditions the plows and the operator determine the quality of the work done. The tractor’s part is to furnish the power to pull the plows. Cost of Operating The cost of performing farm opera- tions with the tractors is made up of four main factors; namely, operating expenses (including fuel, oil, and grease), repairs, depreciation, and man labor, To these are added some Jess important charges, such as in- terest in the investment, cost of housing, and time spent in caring for the outfit, other than repair work. In calculating cost of tractor work,’ the mistake should not be made of omit- ting any of the first four items, as each of them will amount to a consid- erable sum per unit of work. The others may be comparatively insigni- ficant in some cases, although they A Pune- tured Tire Takes the Joy Out of Life Get a Dayton Airless Tire A.J. Ostrander Room 2, Webb Block Bismarck must be included to obtain a strictly accurate figure. Though not the only consideration, the cost of a tractor is one of the first points which a farmer must consider. The prices of the different makes of outfits vary considerably for machines of practically the same capacity, ow- ing to differences in quality, sales ystems, efficiency in manufacture, quantity produced, etc. It is a grave mistake to sacrifice quality for a say- ing in the first cost, since in no other farm machine do ability count for more than in the tractor. On the other hand, it is poor menagement fcr a farmer to invest too large a part of his capital .in power. The desirability is obvious of further standardization and quan- tity production of tractors, in order to reduce the first c The price which a farmer can af- ford to pay for a tractor for use on his farm depends upon a number of | factors, such as the amount and value of the work which the machine will perform annually, the value of the horses whi it: will displace, the value of the man labor saved, and the amount of increased returns which reasonably may ‘be expected from its use. 1 Work Done Per Day—Plowing The number of acres covered per day by a plow drawn by a tractor is usually slightly greater than that cov- ered by the same sized horse-drawn plow. The acreage covered by two different machines, each pulling the same number of plow bottoms, often varies considerably, because they travel at different speeds, are in dif- ferent kinds of soil, plowing different lengths of furrows, etc. Theoretical- ly a 14-inch plow when drawn by a tractor should cover approximately 3 acres in an ordinary working day of 10 hours, as the average plowing speed is slightly more than 2 miles per hour. This holds true in actual practice when the plowing conditions are favorable, provided the outfit does not give trouble. That is, a 2- plow machine should plow 6 acres and a 10-plow outfit 30 acres per day, pro- vided both travel at the average rate of speed and are kept moving. How- ever, where trash, which frequently clogs the plows, is to be turned under, each plow drawn by a large tractor will cover much less ground in a day than one drawn by a small outfit, since the delays will naturally be in proportion to the number of plows pulled. A delay on account of one plow on a 2-plow outfit stops only 1 other plow, while on a 10-plow rig, for example, it stops 9 other plows. To illustrate: Supposing a man ope- rating a 2-plow tractor were compel- led to stop: 10 times during th day for each plow in orther to clear it if trash, and. spent three minutes each time (which would -not ibe unusual), the loss of time during the day would amount to a half hour for each plow, or, but one plow-hour total loss. Hach plow would have done nearly as much work as in plowing continuously. On tho other hand, ‘a man operating a 10- plow tractor under the same condi- tions would have.to clear each plow ‘thevsame*numberof ‘times in propor- tion to the acreage covered, resulting in a total loss of three or four plow- hours during the day. In such case each plow would have done much less work than under favorable conditions. In view of these facts it is apparent that when plowing under unfavorable conditions large gang plows do not cover as much ground per day per plow as the smaller ones. However, one man accomplishes considerably more work with the large outfits, even under such conditions. According to the figures furnished by tractor owners in the Dakotas, the area covered per day (10 net work- ing hours) in plowing with the trac- tors most commonly used is 6.3, 8.5, and 10.9 acres for the 2-, 3-, and 4- AT WORK IN THE WHEAT FIELD sess A Rubber-Tired ‘truck Will Do Anything the Farm ‘¥ = ‘arm ‘Wagon Will Do and Much Besides plow outfits, respectively. These fig- ures correspond closely to the theo- retical capacity of the various outfits as above mentioned in discussing the delays occurring with tne different sizes which the tractor is not prac- ticable, it is obvious that 50 days’ work annually for a tractor on most farms is about all that can be expect- ed unless a decided change is made in the farm organization so as to utilize the tractor more efficiently. Plan to Lengthen Working Period Practically all farm operations must be carried on within limited periods, and between these seasons there will often be no field work which the trac- tor can do, either on the home farm or for neighbors, even though weath- er and soil conditions are such as to permit field work with a tractor. Efficient farm management plays an important part in organiizing the farm so as to provide profitable em- ployment for the tractor during as meny days as possible. Such organ- ization involves the planning of a crop rotation which will furnish a large amount of work which can be done by the tractor, the elimination of jas many. horses as desirable, and the dis- tribution of the work over a long period. The rotation, of course, should include nly such crops as can be grown profitably in the particular region. The fact that a large percentage of these Dakota farmers enlarged their farms after buying tractors is signi- ficant when the tractor’s place in farm management is thus considered. Obviously these men have learned through experience that much more land per man can ‘be handled when-a tractor is used than with horses only, and that to get the most out of their investment they must farm land enough to keep their tractors busy at profitable work throughout as much as possible of the available working season. This point. should be kept in mind ‘by farmers who select their tractors by visiting demonstrations of differ- ent makes of outfits. The quality of work done by different machines should be of value in selecting a good gang plow, but. it is practically worth- less in determining the value of dif- ferent tractors. It is quite possible that a tractor of very inferior quality may. be pulling a good gang plow, well adjusted, and doing much better work'than an outfit of first-class qual- ity which is pulling a poor plow or one that is out of adjustment. ‘Depth of Plowing The average depth of plowing done with tractors by thé Dakota farmers who furnish data for this bulletin is slightly Jess than 6 1-2 inches. The average depth they had previouslv plowed with horses was about 5 inches. While this deeper plowing is ordinarily considered at indicating a Handy two-car garages. iii Keep Your Car Why walk several blocks every time you want to use your ear, when for a small investment you can build a garage at your back door It will pay for itself in a remarkably short time due to saving of rent, cleaning and repair bills and garage service. Of course you will want to make it fire-resistive with LEHIGH stucco, conerete or Then fire outside won’t hurt your car and fire inside won’t spread to the house. Come in today and look at our plans for one- and We will be glad to estimate the cost of materials and to help you find a reliable contractor to do the work, “The Yard That Saves and Satisfies’’ NORTZ LUMBER CO. conerete blocks. better quality of work, it does not appear to have had any marked ef- fect on the crop yields, although in- creases from this cause were report- ed in a number of cases. Disking Plowing Land As to the quality of disking. or other work on plowed land, it will of course, as with plowing, depend large- ly upon the implement drawn and the skill of the operator, The question ot packing the soil is usually more important in connection with work on plowed land than in plowing, but that this is not a serious drawback with modern tractors in a large por- tion of the Dakotas is ONE MOTOR TRUCK MAKES THE WHOLE COUNTRY AKIN ‘ A prominent’ farmer purchased a Maxwell truck some time ago. It was not long ‘before his neighbors realized that he was able to haul his produce to town very much cheaper than they. Before many months had passed five other neighbors bought Maxwell trucks.’ Now the whole fleet of six trucks make regular trips to town and supply the community with merchandise, The company has a story to tell themselves about the Maxwell truck, of which they are proud. While haul- ing several truck loads of spare parts be Fox MAAN EYE AL wna FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 1919 Saat ARAM EIST jal IAI abd SS 5 a hl Ses from the freight warehouse to the store a careful check was made of the weight of each load. The average weight carried was found to be eigh- ty-two hundred ‘ pounds (8200) or about four times the nominal rated| capacity of the vehicle. H,C.L. WAR CALLS FOR ARMY TRUCK Congressman Kelly, Writing for The Daily Tribune Outlines » Work for Transport Service in America. By M. CLYDE KELLY, Congressman From Pennsylvania. The motor transport service of the postoffice department may be made as important an agency in: peace as the motor transport service of the United States army has been in war. The same ability and genius which made possible the Service of ‘Supply in france will make possible an even greater success of the service of sup- ply in America. The motor transport service of the army an be used in this new service of peace, ‘ Here is a practical way to guarantee to many thousands of returning sol- diers useful employment, .which will mean the welfare of the nation. opment which to all the people, TRUNK ROADS PART OF POSTAL PROJECT The operation of this direct market- ing plan between organized communi- ties will show very soon, also, the im- portance of permanent road construc- tio. A system of great trunk high- ways, crossing the continent east and west and north and south, can be built and paid for largely out of the reecipts of this motor transport serv- ice of the postoffice department. They would be post roads as intended by the constitution, and would be federal highdays with connecting roads built by the states and local subdivisions. \No more important task could be un- dertaken ‘by this government now, and it would furnish constructive employ- ment to thousands of those who are returning from overseas with experi- ence in road construction in France and Italy and Belgium. Now that the war is over, the task of producing and distributing food 1 CFR wr fet Pe gy: Orn me AN Quanrud, Brink & Reibold, Inc. Successors to '_ Motor Car Supply Co. Jobbers of Automobile Accessories | Distributors of _ Veedol Oils and Greases for Automobiles--Trucks--Tractors Complete Line of Springs for All Cars PHONE 206 Fourth St., Opposite G. P. Hotel A Vira ‘Here is a program of constructive devel- will ‘be of permanent benefit not only to the veterans but oconomically holds its challenge. The high cost of living is a vital problem of peace. AMERICA SHOULD BE | THE LAND OF BOUNTY. People siiould live more cheaply in America than anywhere else on earth. We have unlimited resources; land enough to feed the world in abund- ance. We have not begun to crowd ourselves, for here there are only 33 persons to the square mile. France had 191, England 379 and the other ‘European nations were generally a3 thickly populated, Eut in siupte of marvelous advant- ages the prices of foodstuffs have been climbing steadily upward for years and have reached the point where many persons are unable to secure sufficient of these necessities to enable them to maintain proper physical condition. The consumer is obliged to pay a vastly too large pro- portion of his days’ wage to secure these commodities of life. America has never tried to solve this ploblem jn constructive fashion. While banking, transportation, indus- try, have been highly organized, the mighty business of producing and dis- tributing the food of the nation has been left to ‘blind chance. ‘Now let us try co-operation in the production and the distribution of food. The organization which has proved so effective in other lines will prove equally effective in this great work of feeding the people... The school houses of America offer the logical centers for action, both in country and in city. One the people realize the advantages, they will ea- gerly seize this opportunity for mutual benefit. And onnecting these communities, like veins and arteries of the body, carrying the lige-giving currents to {every part, should ‘be the motor trans- Port service of the postoffice depart- ment. It is a public service of the peone for the people and by the peo- ple. FARMERS LARGEST SINGLE USERS OF MOTOR TRUCKS Food: of the World Shipped in Large Measure Over Coun- try Highways In addition to the hundred million !people in this country depending up- on the farmers for food, there are two hundred and twenty-five million peo- ple—let us put it in figures, 225,000,- 000—on the other side of the Atlantic that the farmers of this country must q ye em BED NE, Fed Bm} Vir 9 MEO? Yr Fm WS RD Gk BE mi Ot DAH help sto feed and clothe, , We say clothe as well as feed ‘because cotton and wool in the raw state are also products of the farm. What a gigan- tic task for the farmer! To measure up to this demand, every farm must be placed upon a time-saving, quan- tity-producing basis. On every farm 4 certain amount of time must be spent on the road, haul- ing the products to market and bring- ing out needed supplies, equipment, machinery, etc, The time spent in this manner is lost as far as farm work ig concerned. It is unproductive in a way. Tho less time a farmer and his help are obliged to spend on the road, the better the farmer likes it, and the more time he’ has for pro- ductive work. A Nebraska rancher located forty- five miles from the railroad used to spend four days on the road when hauling to market or returning with a team—two days in and two days out. With his motor truck, he makes the trip in a day and saves three days for productive work. An Towa farm- er living ten miles from town requir- ed the greater part of a day to make a round trip haul with horses, With his motor truck he makes the trip in about three hours. The rest of the day he has for productive work. To the farmer living closer to market the saving accomplished with a motor truck is relatively as great. The farmer is now the largest single purchaser of motor trucks in the country and ‘his leadership he will undoubtedly retain. —Dobbin has been a great friend of Man. So was the ox in his time, ‘but he’s too slow for modern day traffic. That's what he’s beefing about. —'Tis far safer to send the boy to town with a high-powered truck than with a high-spirited team, —Do your work a trifle better than anyone else could do it—that’s the margin that spells success and satis- faction. TT Lock the Door Before the Machine’s Stolen THESE PADLOCKS ARE BETTER THAN BULL-DOGS Here are dependable padlocks that guard your property: safely and satisfactory. The kind of locks that.,cannot be picked or hammered-into submission. If you have a garage or barn, ware- house or other building where property is stored, don’t take chanees on losing it or having it destroyed when a small invest- ment in one of these good pad- locks will remove the danger. A, wide range or sizes and prices are shown in our assort- ment. 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