Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1915-05-07

The modern gas tractor of ten or
more horsepower has thus far, within
its limited area Of use, proved TO be
an auxiliary of the farm horse rather
than substitute. This is a conclusion
set forth in a new Department of Agrl-
culture Bulletin (No. 174) entitled
Farm Experience With the Tractor
When properly handled, according to
the bulletin, the tractor is often Of
great value in permitting one or two
men to perform large amount Of
work within limited length of time.
With further development, a lower
first cost, and operated by workers who
have been carefully trained, tractors
will undoubtedly continue to grow in
number and efficiency, Extending their
field of work into new territory. The
heavy demands for power to break new
land are practically over, and the
growth of the tractor will hereafter be
due more to its merit than in the past
In past years, wherever the tractor
seems TO have succeeded, the farms
have usually been very large. The
present trend of the tractor industry,
however, points to the development
of cheaper and smaller outfits, designed
to pull only from two to four pillow bot
toms, and these should make good on
farms of moderate size, providing they
cost considerably less per unit of draw
bar power than the equivalent in
horses
For the Farmer Who Considers Buying
a Tractor
The farmer who considers buying a
tractor may well review carefully the
results of other farmers experience as
set down in the Department of Agricul-
lures new bulletin The fact that some
men have found the tractor profitable
Investment is proof that under certain
conditions it can be used successfully
for farm work.
The physical condition Of the land
determines largely the degree of sue
cess which can be obtained with
tractor The zeal conditions are large.
level fields, free from distractions. such
as trees, stumps, rocks, holes and
ditches with soil firm enough to fur
nish solid footing for the drive
wheels, yet not sufficiently hard TO
make an excessive draft on the plows.
Another important factor in deter
mining the success or failure of tract
or is the amount of capital invested in
it. The average farmer can not afford
to increase his power investment to any
great extent. In purchasing a tractor
he should not, therefore, spend as
much for 1t as he can realize on the
horses it will displace, for the reason
that the working life of tractor is
only about half that OF horse. while
there are many operations for which
the tractor can not be used. The first
cost OF tractor should on that ac-
count be correspondingly less. 1t is I'M
safe to rely on an increase of crops
from better work with the tractor. as
IN most eases this is not realized
Tractor Still in Process of DEVELOPMENT
The fact that the tractor, as me-
chanical power outfit designed for pull
ing implements and for doing station
airy work, is still in the process of de-
velopment must be remembered by
those who examine the records of its
success as given in the bulletin. Some
OF the tractors used in the past not
only have not been completed and per
fected outfits but the man who worked
them were not always properly trained
to handle them. Also during the first