The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-10-07
THE FARMER AND THE AUTO.

Some bankers and economists have
deplored the tendency of farmers to
add the automobile to their equipment
or the ground that it is a needless ex-
travagance. There are two sides, how
ever, to every question and the critics
of the farmers in this particular do
not appear to have the most reason
able one. In a recent issue of the
Iron Age there is a discerning editorial
on this subject which demonstrates
conclusively that the farmers motor
car, instead of being an expensive toy,
like the city mans, is an economy
an investment bringing an adequate
and satisfactory return, to use the
words of the Literary Digest which
gives further publicity to the article
appearing in the Iron Age This arti-'
Gle is in part, as follows:
ITO the average man in the city the
automobile is merely a luxury, and a
very expensive one. What he is
obliged to pay simply for storage is a
formidable item. Accidents on crowd
ed streets are frequent and costly. Re
pair men are quick to take advantage
of a customer who is unfamiliar with
machinery. It is probably not unfair
to say that there are now in use in the
large cities more automobiles than
there are people who can really afford
the outlay IOT d mere 4uAu1
I'm the country, however, the city
mans toy becomes an economic in
vestment, which brings satisfactory
returns on it's cost. The farmers time
is valuable. Nature allows him only
few days in which to harvest any par
ticular crop, and his season is CORE
spondingly short in planting and seed
ing. In a critical period, when con-
ditions are most favorable for plant
ing or harvesting, the time that the
1kra,,o HI la in
makes it an economic agency of pro-
duction. The mere saving of time,
however, is only a small part of the
usefulness of the automobile in the
country. A few years ago there was
much pessimistic talk about the ten
dency of farmers to retire and live
in small towns on the rent received
from their land. The automobile is
now keeping the owner on his land.
His family, who wanted to live in
town for social advantages, has dis
covered that it is more satisfactory to
enjoy the full income of the farm and
own an automobile which can run to
the CITY in the time that would be spent
in walking a few blocks than to pay
rent and other expenses of living in
town. The rural mail delivery, the
telephone, and the automobile give to
the family in the country, owning
good farm, the command of social adj
vantages that are enjoyed by only a
few of the people who live in cities.
The field of trade that has thus been
opened to the automobile manufactur-
er is almost unlimited.
1.-The remarkable success of the
automobile makers in selling their
product to the farmers may suggest an
opportunity to manufacturers in many
other lines who have overlooked the
possibilities of agricultural trade The
American farmer of today is not the
man of even twenty-five years ago. In
the period that followed the Civil war,
until about 1890, the area under Gull
tivation increased more rapidly than
population in the United States. Over
production during thihs period caused
a disastrous decline in prices, which
was accelerated by a large expansion
of wheat growing in Russia, Argentina
and India. Since 1890 population in
the United States has increased faster
than the area under the pillow, and
during the past fifteen years the farm
er has profited by an almost continu-
Gus advance in the average of agricul
tura1 prices. The demand for farm
products is Increasing more RAPIDLY