The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-04-08
g By Bion H, Butler

no is compelled to run his own expert
nlent station, issue his own bulletins
as ne sits around the fire with his corn
COP pipe IN the evening, and make his
own comparisons and deductions.
AS 1 looked at Gates and his aggres-
SiVe sons the thought came to m. that
III the arrival of these people In Rich
mond county, North Carolina had
come into a heritage Of 1ncalculab1e
worth. Here are ,nen who have been
accustomed to DO things. The start
out on a scale that pays no attention
to dimensions. The unit ceases to be
an acre. 1t is the amount Of land tina
can be handled at the most economical
outlay. SO they begin with 3 thousand
acres because q thousand acres per
lnits the purchase Of three traction en-
glnes and machinery that is eff
1ectlVe. Ten acres can not buy Il trac-
ton engine. A hundred acres can
hardly afford one. A thousand acres
can warrant the outlay. if a traction
engine costs fifteen hundred dollars
n the cost is divided among 4 thous-
and acres II means q dollar and a half
to the acre. The engine can earn a
dollar and q half to the acre. It can
not earn fifteen dollars SO readily 10
the acre it the cost is apportioned
among q nar acres. SO the unit
is p thousand acres. one traction en-
gine represents to each acre about as
much as q grubhoe would TO one acre
if q man bought the grubhoe to clear
the one acre.
Same way with another traction en-
gine to pillow with. Same proportionate
cost Of about a dollar and a half al
acre for the improved powerful labor
saving machine.
so the big Gates plantation is work
ed with machines that can operate on
a big unit and Immediately a big ex-
pertinent is set in motion. It is shown
that ON this scale the machines are
$ profitable to clear land. Mr.. Gates is
not wholly convinced that they arc
profitable sources Of power for plow-
t ing. He comes from that training
l school which teaches a man to look q
both sides. and he q considerable
faith in a team Of two or three or fOul
mules hitched TO a gang of plows, O.
I &c what they can pull, the idea bein;
G that a mule can do other things thar
I pillow at other seasons of the year. an'
0 that a farm that employs many hca'
of stock has much manure 10 haul on
3 OH the field III the spring.
4 Ii will be seen hat Mr.. Gates an,
4 his sons are working out a big problem
Q OF and clearing for this section Of TIL
South. In the future anybody VIII
waits - w liz ii'ttCC
K and economical methods Of clearing
< land can obtain it, for J am Of tn
C impression that many OF the expert
II mentS at the Gates farm will befOr
G long find their way into the record
n OF the agricultural department., as tn
II department is catching sight Of tn
IS magnitude and the Importance of TIL
i operation, and is taking notice.
e Two weeks s a man asked me til
Ie cost OF clearing land in this section G
g the state. told him I thought aboU
ten dollars would cover it. He insist
ed the figure was far too low. / cOul
II not argue the question, forI lacked IN
certain data. i asked Mr.. Gates. II
10 said at his place it costs six TO ten do
re lars. He now His place does nf
differ materially from other sandh.
land. So we have a basis from whtc
\ to figure. This is an instance Of I'll
Ia ways III which this Gates project is Sc
I'd ting the state on q sure figuring bias
n instead OF on conjecture. Con1ectuI
II does not satisfy. The man who ashe
about the cost Of clearing land was hs
i'll uring on land to make a big cote
plantation, but he wanted to know no
rs much he would have TO invest befo1
Nv ne could be ready to get q return, an
s. he Will not buy until he can procu1
OF information that is not a guess,
asked Mr.. Gates what ne propoS'
T. tn Olant. He said about five hundre
ar acres Of COW peas. He will also plal
some corn and some cotton, as l
wants 10 know what cotton will do c
Oh new ground and what corn will do {
ed new ground. He has the opinion
ch many men. but not many positive fac
from their experience. The weight
< opinion is that COW peas will thru
4. ON new ground. Next year Mr.. Cat
will he able to tell what a single year
a test can say concerning cow peas {
IS new ground. corn on new ground az
cotton OF new ground. The test "