The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-01-17
FARMERS WANT MOTOR TRAC-
 TOR.
Gasolene Driven Machines Best for
 Agricultural Work.

 Agricultural Work.
 Although the importance of the uni- versal commercial vehicle, as it may bG termed, that is to say the machine that | is capable of being applied to the uses of the portable power plant as well as | the tractor and automobile vehicle has | been held before the industry for seve- ral years, surprisingly little has been | accomplished in this country In the way of satisfying what is acknowl- | edged to be a growing demand, says | the Motor World In the great north west there is considerable use of trac- tion engines of the massive steam type, yet in many ways they are too cumbersome or too expensive to be of effective service. Hence the opening for the lighter and more mobile gaso- lene vehicle is an especially promising one. Moreover it is one to which the makers of gasolene propelled vehicles of other types well may turn their at l tention.
 | From western Canada agricultural implement dealers are. reporting 8 strong demand, positively expressed | for a gasolene traction engine which can be used for ploughing, threshing and stationary uses as well as traction. The demand for suitable machine for ploughing is especially strong, and 1t is stated that any machine which is de- pendable for this sort of work can be relied upon for either of the others.
 The fuel question has more impor- tant bearing on the matter than might at first be supposed, especially in local ities where custom threshng and ploughing is done In such cases it is the rule for the steam engines which are commonly used. This demands the constant work of one or two men aside from those actively engaged in opera ting the machine, and as the faramer | himself must furnish their board the expense is often considerable where a great amount of work is done.
 1 With a gasolene machine it is point | ed out that single attendant can look after the entire plant, take on fuel enough for days work in a few min- | utes and at the same time keep the mechanism in good running condition, | This also means considerable saving in wages to the owner of the plant, to- tally apart from the added economy of the gasolene machinery. so that from all points of view the introduction of l the gasolene motor to the work would be attended with marked advantages.
 As to the probable cost of ploughng l with gasolene power it has been esti- | mated that an engine with a gang ploughs with twelve inch bottoms, travelling two-miles an hour or better, would turn over two and half acres every hour or twenty-five acres In a day of ten hours. But to be liberal there should be allowed, say, one-ffth of the time for turning around at the ends and for loss in time otherwise which will cut the number of acres ploughed to twenty instead of twenty five,
 The fuel consumption for this work will not exceed thirty-fve gallons of gasolene, which will cost at fifteen cents a gallon $5.25; at twenty cents a gallon, sevesn dollars Add to this two mems wages at s1.5O each, and the ac- tual cost with basoene at fifteen cents | a gallon, is $S,25 for ploughing twenty acres, or twenty cents an acre, If gas olene is twenty cents a gallon the cost will be ten dollars or fifty cents an acre.
 | On the other hand, it will keep one man and team busy to plough two and half acres in ten hours. A team and man are rated as worth three dol lars a day everywhere. Consequently it will cost stAO to break up an acre oi land with man and team against fifty cesnts an acre with gasolene trac- tion engine.