Show HORSES DEBT HI INCH used ingam E A study of we this horsepower situation relative to farm income debts and investment in mechanical power reveals an interesting story two brothers were talking about the passing of the old home farm gone foreclosed and this Is what they said jim do you mean to tell me that you have traded this farm our old farm for that mesa of machinery out behind the barn jim studied a moment and then answered 1 I never thought of it in that way but that Is about what I 1 have done the horse association of america has assembled facts such as these from 1909 to 1929 crop acres increased from million to million while horses aylie decreased ln in number during that period from about 20 million down to 12 11 million head and the cash value alue of the total num ber has decreased more than 50 per cent mules have held up tip in f fact a ct increased a little but tho the value went down nearly 20 per cent F farm arm implements including tractors trucks etc increased in cash value lle per cent during this twenty year sor front from 14 billion to over 3 34 billion dollars while in the last 13 years horses and mules show a total decrease of 8 million on farms and nearly another million for non farm work then we see the cost in power per acre was 1245 in 1910 and 1288 12 88 in 1930 or almost the same but the amount per acre in machinery including power equipment changed from to 1000 and likewise tho the horses in value per crop acre decreased from to how this change Is related to the mortgage I 1 1 debt Is impressive in 1910 the owner operated farm debt was 1 billion dollars and in 1030 it stood at 4 billions pi figurea agures gures aro are hard to get for ope operated rated farms although U kl ifie farm fann values increased from nearly GIA 6 billion to josa 10 billion the debt ratio increased from 27 per cent to 40 per cent hence cash invested per crop acre did not change worth mentioning but total debts increased and ratio of debts likewise went up nearly half although more acres were farmed the acre cost in equipment and power remained about the same tho the biggest change cliance ol of all was the replacement of machinery and motive power for animal power and this evolution does not show decrease in cost wherein ig 14 the merit in cutting down work horses from 20 to in 12 million lead head it if we do not thereby show allow reduction in nere cost in debts or debt r reloj toa have we not been seriously fooling ourselves these horses and mules formerly used off the farm consumed million bushels of oats and nearly neaily 1 million tons of hay evidently tho the total change in consumption co n of produce by animals now not longer with us 9 million has re leased 40 0 ni million lillon acres of crop land and some say it la Is nearer 50 million acres the big jump or change is plainly during the high wage period or from 1920 to 1030 1930 during which tractors increased in number from about one quarter million to nearly a million and motor trucks on farms increased erom froni to one million no now we hive have large auppl esi of at pro duce and low prices which la Is to a large degree clearee the direct result ot of this change while the horse may be not so fast or convenient lie he makes us more money to build up a and truck business we e havu taken away 40 per cent of the horses decreased consumption pro pr 0 ollice anco and n d not the ars os st t if t this rapid trend goes on the ts wilt wIll have a haul hard loo job to why 3 million men employed employ pil in making trucks and tractors tract for instance should replace fifteen million on oil the i farm the tha tired fired men thomp lot needed but there is also a larae laico shortage 0 of f horses and mules indicating that attention must be given to the animal power dower and that it I 1 la a power dower which Is still a big industry and nd very vital most of us have gained the idea that this lichine age has just been vindicating itself per cent when it cornea comes to power on the farm dut but facts and figures like history dilatory il atory shows clearly that the farmer armar has wrecked himself as a rule by investing la in a substitute tor for tile the horse borse |