Show e Machine Age Age- and Horse Horse- Horses arc are becoming more and more of or a rarity in Davis County ON TilE THE local farms where they were once the basic source of or power for plowing harrowing harrowing harrowing harrow harrow- ing and hauling they are rapidly rap idly vanishing from sight Since 1954 the horse and mule population of or the county has dropped from 1205 to 1103 TIlE THE CHANGE is reported in inthe inthe inthe the latest U U. U S. S Census of or Agriculture Agriculture Agri Agri- culture the results of or which have just been made public It shows that the trend is in inthe inthe inthe the same direction in nearly every part of or the country and that it has been in process for some time In some areas itis it itis is proceeding more rapidly than thanin thanin than thanin in others THROUGHOUT the Unit United c d I Slates States the number of or horses and mules on farms has been reduced from front a peak of or 25 million million mil mil- lion to a mere three million in ina ina ina a period of 30 years ears In the last five years alone there has been beena a 28 percent reduction In Davis Daus County the five five- year drop amounted to eight percent TIlE THE GOVERNMENT IE T stat states e s that horses have become such an unimportant clement element in agriculture agriculture ag ag- ag today that it will discontinue discontinue dis dis- dis continue making its annual survey survey survey sur sur- vey of f the number of or work animals animals ani ani- mals in use explanation lies in the economic changes that have been taking place in farming in recen years Technological progress has made horsepower and mu much ta hand labor obsolete For efficient operation use of power machines has become mandatory They have made it possible for a farmer Carmer to reduce the number of or his hired hands and a the same time to great great- greatly ly output TIlE THE CENSUS of or agriculture shows how the machine age is taking hold in Davis Dayis County The number of or tractors of or all types on local farms now amounts to 1039 There are of them per farms as against 76 per in 1954 Similar increases have been noted in the number of motor trucks and in other mechanical and saving labor-saving equipment per farm |