The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-09-23
POWER ON THE FARM

We have often wondered why farm
ers in cOmmuni', do not form jonet
stock companies and buy tractor plows
TO be operated in the community as
the locomotive thresher is now used
The only disadvantage might be that
all the owners OF the tractor plow
might ask for its use at the same
time. Just as soon as the ground
should get lust right"
But there are so many splendid re-
suit from the use OF the tractor
plows that any disadvantage coulC
not long stand in the way Tractor en-
gines fop general farm hauling and
plowing are more generally in use in
Anderson county than In any other
in The Southern states Nearly half
Gi the farm tractors i'm use I'm this
state are owned and used in Ander-
son county. Wade Drake and Dr.
McCalla were the pioneers. we be-
iieve. Wade brakes great success as
farmer this yer Is due to hi; using
none but good seed and his plowing
the ground deep. He TIE, to get out
Of few acres that which other farm
"rs fail to get out of nearly twice
the acreage. The great trouble in the
South with reference to farm machin-
cry has been the lack of care given
20 the implements. but when farm
cr buys tractor. he will surely keep
it up. Any man who has 1GO acres
or more under cultivation can find
plenty of use for tractor.
Many mules have been sold and the
nule market Is going TO be very high
next spring. 1t may be poor econ
omy for the farmers to sell off too
many OF their mules until after they
have sowed down about two-thirds of
heir land in grain--and then they can
get along without mules and negroes
also.
The already high price of horses is
being accentuated every day by the
number being sold out of the country
for cavalry mounts to be used abron,'
Tho drain upon th6 American horse
supply will soon bes uch that wher-
over possible mechanical contrivances
Will be used to do their work.
Were we to begin at once 1t would
require five years to replenish the
Train which the war has already made
upon the horse supp, OF the world
The United States government depart
mant of agriculture has estimated that
it costs $76 to $50 per year to keep
a horse, and in study of horse util-
ity for period covering six years, 1t
was found that he averaged only 3.14
hours OF work per day as his contri-
button to lessening the high cost of
living.
In contrast with this 1t was found
that he ate up the entire Yield os
,ne ou. of every five acres which he
helped to cultivate. 1t has been
shown too that for every hour he
worked 1t cost about 16 cents; where
rs full horse power hour can be de-
livered by high grade oil engine for
only two cents per hour, in both cases,
;nterest. fuel. food and depreciation
being included.
Again, In plowing. team of two
horses chh pillow only about two acres
per day. I'm doing this they travel
i6 miles, which IL a good days pull
ior horses with load.
A SHALL tractor on the other hand,
the kind which costs less than six
horses. weighs less than six and with
capacity doing the work of twelve
will plow fully that much in an hour
or SO. 1t will Furthermore plow il
deeper and keep It. up "a hours each
day until the work Is completed with
r!. sceding, resting or growing thin.
While is would. not be wise to dis
pose. OF brood mares - and bloodet,
stock to satisfy the foreign buyers, In
the end. perhaps. the increased prices
which thcir purchases will undoubt-
ediy bring about win be beneficial In
'orcing thousands OF farmers to adopt
newer and more economical form of
power.