Show Many Uses of Tractor on Farm Expert Addresses Engineers Engineers- Farming Made Pleasant Life An address by H. H I L. L Horning delivered to the members of ot the Society of ot Automotive Automotive Automotive Auto Auto- motive Engineers at Washington When the farmer finds that his hs farm farmIs Is not producing enough to keep him what does he do He cannot go across the road and take a sUes slice of some one else's farm He has got to go down deeper and get another farm The fecundity of the soil can be measured roughly by the cubical contents contents contents con con- tents of the seed bed Intensive cultivation cultivation cultivation cul cul- cul- cul depends on better physical preparation of the seed bed together with a correct chemical balance and moisture for the crop to be raised all operations on the soil being so timed asto as asto asto to bring soil activity climate and plant growth Into harmony These problems problems lems ems of increasing the depth of the seed seedbed jed bed bed Improving its physical and chemical chemical chem- chem ical cal condition and taking advantage of the he right time of the year from the i standpoint of moisture and bacterial I activity indicate that the tractor is po potentially potentially potentially po- po the best means of production for tor or meeting the food problem The tractor Is parti particularly effective In raisIng raising rais- rais ing ng the energy foods An analysis of the he average diet indicates It will enter enter enter en en- ter Into the production of 54 per cent of the energy foods BUSINESS FARMING Tractors make farming possible on a business basis Among the many ad advantages advantages advantages ad- ad vantages of tractor farming are the following following following fol fol- fol- fol lowing 1 Many farms can be made to substantially substantially substantially sub sub- Increase their crops as the tractor can bring up one inch more of the virgin soil than the horse has ever been able to turn over By turning over one inch more the following year the soil can be further improved Many crop outputs can be Increased 20 per percent percent percent cent by these methods Some soils do not lend themselves to an Increased output by means of subsoil cultivation as the top soil Is only seven inches deep 2 On many farms very deep plowIng plowing plow- plow Ing lag Is required in order to bring up the good subsoil and thus to reclaim land Such overworked farms are found in New York and In the New England states 3 A tractor allows a farmer fanner to make the most of a good day by plowing three times as much as with horses He lie can also harvest at such high speed that grain can be cut at exactly the th right time and thus Its maximum food value can be retained The tractor tractor trac tree tor will also save a substantial proportion proportion proportion pro pro- portion of the crops of some of the northern districts in which the season season season sea sea- son for growing is comparatively short and the shortage of farm labor makes it Impossible to harvest the crop be beI before before be- be fore winter I INCREASED OUTPUT 4 The tractor will Increase the output output output out out- put per man on the farm so that it is at least three times that possible with horse methods of cultivation This is time when there Is 3 p. shortage of ot 2000 men on the farms of our country 5 Tractors when used for tor July plowing in the winter wheat belt will increase the output greatly depending on various conditions this crop will be beas bes ps as s much as five tive times what would be obtained with the tho September plowing I Tractors can be used in the hot month of July when it would be impossible for horses to live for any effective work even for a very few hours a day In the month of July the condition condition condition condi condi- tion of the soil Is correct from a chemical chemical chemical chem chem- ical standpoint to produce a strong sprout and effective roots In July the rainfall over the wheat belt Is such as to help the condition of I the soil In producing a hardy grain growth which in September and the dry months of the fall fall and and winter will willbe willbe willbe be able to withstand the lack of moisture moisture moisture mois mois- ture the wind and cold The tractor because of its increased output per day and per man allows the total plowing on the farm to be done within a pe period period pe- pe nod some time in July which gives the most effective yield The tractor can work twenty-four twenty hours per day dayI if necessary while the horse can only work a maximum of four The science of agronomy which considers rainfall rainfall rainfall rain rain- fall during season sunshine wind the chance of drought evaporation temperature temperature temperature temper temper- the type of storms and the average average average av av- av- av amount of rain at one time can be used to good advantage In operating operating operating ing tractors 6 The tractor allows a larger acreage acreage acreage acre acre- age to be put Jr to produce food for human consumption inasmuch as the horse requires the crops from five acres of land to support him for a year The land required to raise the bushels of ot food for farm horses can be used for other necessary necessary necessary sary human food or for food tood of the horse in other work for which he is better fitted COST OF POWER 7 Figuring the cost of power de derived derived derived de- de rived from the horse and from the tractor tractor trac trac- tor it is an Important distinction that the tractor costs very little when standing idle while the horse when standing idle consumes about 80 per percent percent percent cent of what ho he would when working at full load 8 S. The tractor has a distinct advantage advantage advantage ad ad- vantage over the horse in the amount of time required for tor upkeep It takes third one-third the time to to keep a tractor in first class condition as Is required to keep horses 9 The tractor allows the cultivation of new territory that could not be properly properly properly pro pro- perly handled by horse methods It allows the use of me eme soils that could I not be made to produce by horse- horse plow methods I 10 0 When figured properly tractor plowing can be done for third one-third the cost of horse plowing 11 The tractor will take the place of a great deal of farm labor On a farm of to 1000 acres the proper size of tractor will replace from two to three laborers on a farm tarm of to acres It Is possible to replace one farm hand at least 12 The Tho proper size of tractor on a to acre 1000 farm will do the work of eight to twelve horses on a to acre farm of five to seven horses HARVEST SAVING SAVING 13 At harvest time will be a a. at t u saving of 30 20 per cent of the time re required required required re- re to do the work with horses 14 The tractor has many applications applications I no the average farm in which it Is far more efficient than the human hand As time goes on the range of tractor activities on the farm increases It can be usei in cutting feed sawing wood driving threshing machines and reaping harvests Ir Irrigating Irrigating Irrigating Ir- Ir projects are made easy by the proper tractor application as is the crushing of lime for the land in certain territories in which this useful element element ele ele- dc- dc ment of the soil soU is found The tractor is turning the drudgery of the farm into a work of pleasure The department of agriculture through some of its agents made an in investigation investigation investigation in- in of the number of tractors in successful operation this spring and estimated that about tractors would be in successful operation at atthe atthe atthe the beginning of the spring plowing This represents only 4 44 per cent of the horsepower used on farms for plowing It Is expected that by the end of the year tractors will be I in operation and even then 89 per cent of the power on the farms will be furnished by horses I If tractor manufacturers are assisted by methods that are possible under present circumstances the output can be increased so that by June 1 1918 there will bo be in operation tractors which would represent 20 per cent of the horsepower used on the farms It would be possible by the prO proper er application application application cation of these tractors to increase the small grain crop to the extent of 1 bushels each year By proper government supervision the new tractors and the tho old can be made to produce over twice their normal normal normal nor nor- mal output owing to the fact that tractors can work twenty-three twenty hours per day Instead of ot their usual eight hours and the season of ot useful work can be bo Instead of fifty days There Is no end to the Increase of food production production pro pro- that could be brought about by the proper administration of tractor farming The food shortage for th the coming year is only preliminary to the shortages shortages short short- ages of the Corning coming seasons ons Economic conditions that will exist throughout throughout the world from this time until two years after the w war r will be such as to prevent the return to normal prices of food and other commodities INDUSTRY HAMPERED The tractor Industry is now hampered hampered hampered ham ham- and cannot do its duty In solving soly- soly ing lag the food problem because of conditions conditions con- con resulting from our ur national crisis The production of tractors could be at least doubled with the Present facilities If factories could be supplied with material and labor for the fulfillment fulfill fulfill- ment meat of present demands The tractor therefore when exercising exercising exercising exer exer- Its full function can revolutionize revolution revolution- ize agricultural methods It i Is time for something ng of the sort The flood of population t to the cities has gone on a men exists on the farm tarm Volumes have been written written writ writ- ten by economists and arid students of so sot so so- n t on the migration of the tho rural population The new method of agriculture must go on through an evolution ion to the end that agriculture will not mean dom Th There re is no such oppression as chores no prison term as irksome as the lot ot of the farmers farmer's life without means of access to town no serfdom so hard as the long hours and toll toil on the land by old methods Farming must be made so pleasant profitable so close to the pleasures of the city so near the markets that it will be a avast avast avast vast business Instead of a prison sen sea tence The rural free delivery the telephone telephone telephone tele tele- phone the automobile the motor truck are all bringing a new life to the coun coun- try The tractor must bring democracy democracy democracy racy to the sons and daughters of the soil It must set them free to enjoy life Ufe liberty and the pursuit of happi n ness |