The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-04-20
TIE: HORSE OTTGHONN?
City Traffic and Farm Work of the
Automobile.

me strong points III tae l.6iSNt-
inc work Of the automobile,e says a
writer in The Automobile Magazine
(New York;, ARE fully as numerous
and prominent as they are in the
passenger service" The various uses
to which the electric truck and the
steam-traction autom Obile may be
adopted are outlined thus by the
writer:
In the large cities the electric de-
livery wagon has no equal for de-
liverine groceries and other merchan-
disc. 1t is, indeed, SO convenient
and expeditions that after an en-
ploye has used it while he can not
be hired again to drive horse, I'M
less he is in urgent need of job.
He finds the horse too slow, too un-
clearly and too troublesome. The
fact is that he has outgrown the
horse during the short time that he
used the electric automobile.
For heavy freighting there is moth
ing equal to the electric truck and
traction vehicle The electric truck
not only hauls the enormous load OF
ten or fifteen tons, but is also
equipped with an electric hoist for
loading and unloading heavy articles.
1t is indeed SO useful and SO econom-
ical that in the large, progressive
cities It has already practically SUI
perseded the horse; and in the small
er places, where electricity is not
yet so available, the gasoline truck
is rapidly taking the place of the
draft animal and the beast Of burden.
For extensive farming and garden
ing, the traction automobile stands
prominent. Its tractive power IS
indeed marvellous. One traction
draws over the ordinary farm
lard a blowing outfit that plows,
sows and harrows, all at the same
time, strip thirty-six feet wide, fin
ishilg from sixty to eighty acres per
day. When the grain is ripe, the
traction automobile is again hitched
to q large combined harvesting and
threshing outfit that cuts. threshes
and sacks, all at the same time. from
100 to 1875 acres Of grain per day;
and all without much human effort.
The machine, instead of the human
hand does the work. !
The traction automobile is also
we'll adapted for extensive gardening.
The size of the traction vehicle can,
OF course, be. adapted to the lay OF
the Land, the nature of the soil, and
the size of the farm or garden.
1t is true that most OF the present
! traction autom obiles used for farm
| ing, logging, country freightins, etc,
are still of the steam type. But this
need not continue to be so. In many
| cases gasoline would be much more
| convenient and economical. and, with
an adequate distribution of good n.y.
| dro-electric power plants tpower
| plants that generate electricity With
! water-pover), electricity would be
| much better than either steam OF
gasoline.
With good electric convenience:
the efficiency OF these traction auto
mobiles would even be much greater
for no water and fuel would ther
have to he hauled and admitted int
the. engine. and the storage batter!
of the electric type can be recha~s get
when the driver is eating and sleep
ing.
| Extensive farming and gardeain!
in the near future will therefore, III
doubt. consist principally of autona
| bfle-ridiny. which can be conven-
emily performed by women as vel
as by men. The farmer, sitting II
his comfortable automobile car
bitches his traction vehicle to tn
large plows, trucks, harrows, seeders
self-binders, headers, cultivators
corn and potato planters, or an
other farming implement that h
wishes to operate. When he finds
too cool, the electric current ca
warm his cab; when too dark, 1t ca
light it.