Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1909-05-13
The Automobile In Rural Districts.

Automobiles are dragging roads. haul
ing poduce to market. husking corn,
turning cream separators. rounding
up cattle and turning the hum-drum
of the farms into real life all over
the middle and southwest. Farmers
all over Iowa. Missouri. Kansas.
Nebraska and some of the other states
have the fever in its most virnleni
stage They are buving every month
more motor cars than go 70 the cities
in most of the states named. are
building roads for their cars and max
irg the so-called farm problem re-
semble fiction.
SO general has the use of the auto
mobile and its engine become on the
farms of these states that In Iowa this
winter the state agricultural college
curriculum included short course in
the practical uses of motor cars on
the farms Machines were kept for
demonstrations among the students,
ltIlulOS nClO uCAlNClCo OL AhOAOi
and road building and classes were
instructed in the care of cars and the
use. repair and and building of gaso-
line engines such as are used in au-
tomobiles.
In Kansas the same course is to he
added next season and others of the
lot ho no nt1nGfinn rnHnr
consideration-wh whether automobling
is part of modern farming. Without
waiting for the agricultural schools at
least six hundred farmers in Kansas
alone have decided that it is. That
number are supporting motor cars of
one kind or another.
1t is estimated that the states men
toned are using one thousand seven
hundred cars on the farms, large
lumber of which are of the Buick
product, dealers say that this spring
will see the sales of any previous year
morethan doubled. To get the signi-
ticance of these figures it must be re-
called that three years ago the motor
car was almost unknown to the rural
districts of these states Farmers
still chased when cars from the cite s
frightened their horses. but now the
farmer is himself in the speed mad
class.
Recently the United States senate
was reminded that motor cars were
being used for tending herds of cattle
and sheep in Idaho. Wyoming and
Montana, out on the bleak ranges.
None of the Missouri Valley state s
has made such remarkable strides in
farm motor car owning as Kansas.
There the fever is at its height and
there most of the peculiarly pointed
evidence of progress may be found.
In the central portion of that state
is Salina. a small city which does.
however. very considerable business
In medium priced cars such as farmers
usually buy. from $1,000 to $4,000.
Around Saliua are some of the pio-
neers In the matter of using automo-
biles on farms.
1t was a little more than three years
ago that Fred Brendle. whose place is
nine miles from Sslina. drove home in
his car, model 10 Buick runabout,
which cost 81 1000 1t was the first
farm car in the district. In the three
years that Brendle has driven this
cart il still in fine conditional
has never been to the repair shor
save on a single occasion when the
owner drove over broken beer bottle
and cut tire almost through Every
other repair be has made himself.
II make my machine do all the
work of a light wagon. Brindls
saws. "Of course. cannot haul loads
as--heavy as are possible to gooc
team, but make up the deficiency in
tbs speed AMI the number of trips pos
sible. have no horses to feed. tC
hitcn and unhitch..- On everv triflina
occasion. ] turn the crank and an
of. The initial cost was not so yer,
much greater than that of reall,
good team and light wagon and tn,
comfort is double. Last year 1 hauled
salt and barbwire and fence posts e
nv farm IN the car. used ii to hau
lath and cement and window casins
md light lumber when built a new
house.
mo. never take the least concern