Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-11-04
Commercial Trucks and Trac-
tors Revolutionize Freight
and Farm Work.
HORSE TOO COSTLY TO KEEP
Eats Production of Five Acres
and is Only 2 Per Cent
Efficient.

In view OF the apparent food crisis
as evidenced by the scarcity OF nearly
oil foodstuffs, the following excerpts
from an article by Mr.. Herbert NJ
Casson. is of timely interest:
"A very few years ago the horse In
dustry was one of the greatest indus
tries in the country because OF the
close relationship 1t bore to successful
and economical agricultural produc-
tion M well as to the various trans
portation problems. Since the advent
OF the commercial motor truck and
| tractor n revolution has gradually
been taking place In the cities and on
tho farms of the United States. The
| horse has become Improbable as he
is too costly TO buy and too costly to
keep. As Edison has said, horse Is
the poorest motor ever built. He eats
twelve thousand pounds OF food
year. the output OF five acres. and yet
he is only two per cent efficient.
recent government report shows that
n farm horse averages only three ana
one-half hours OF work per day, and
requires Mt least three thousand Gu
bic feet OF space for himself and his
| feed. In 1915 according to Mr.. j. Ar
! thur Bell cf the bureau of animal In
diistry. there we're about twenty-four
million horses in the United states.
| which consumed over two billion dol
! lars worth OF hav and grain each
! year. The land devoted to the pro-
drction of food for these horses wound
furnish food for n greater population
| than exists nc present in this country
approximately 125, 900 900.
There are other items which defin-
itely dlsprove the horse as an econom-
ic asset to our nation. There Is an
enormous amount of labor devoted to
the care and upkeep OF horses which
must be considered For the ten mil
lion horses used in our cities, thous-
ands OF stables and street cleaners
must be employed to maintain sani-
tary conditions. an item OF approxi-
mately $40 per horse per year IT. ad-
| clifton the tremendous amount OF la
bor expended In hay making, corn
growing and the labor OF mechanics
| who make horse-feed machinery.
! mowers, tedders, feed grinders. etc.
In conservatively estimated at $50 per
horse per year. II is said that the
iron hammered by blacksmiths into
| horseshoes in one year is sufficient to
| make $4,000 farm tractors or $4,000
otor trucks"
HOrscshocs Arc Expensive.
"Mr Waldemar Kaempffert SAYS
charge II to the horse II you have to
| pay more than ever for your shoes
About ono hundred and thirty million
dollars worth OF leather must be
fashioned into harness every year.
| Abolish the horse and New York
could clean Its streets Mt an expense
of only ten million dollars year In
stead OF fifty million dollars. II all
the horseshoers, stable builders. host
lers. street swcepers. harness makers.
hay balers and whip makers, a vast
army of thirteen million horse slaves
wcre released from horse bondage
and engaged in minlstering directly to
human wants. who knows but we
would hear less OF strikes for higher
wages TO meet the increased cost OF
food?"
ASIDE from the economics OF the
food crisis, horses will probably havo
to be replaced by motor vehicles.
since the war requirements are to be
so great The Country \Gentleman
states that for an army OF 1000 900
men we shall need 416000 horses AMI
mules An average OF $40 horses
per month have been exported for the
allies since the beginning OF the war,
and 1000 n month will he needed to
keep our flag advancing as fast as the
| others. These figures give some idea
OF the vast numbers OF horses which
must be available. and makes ono
realize the necessity of acquiring
some other means Of transportation
in many lines OF work
"Tn an interesting article Mr. Harry
Wilkins Perry OF the national automo-
bile chamber OF commerce, says that
II the work horses in the country
were displaced by farm tractors and
motor trucks, as passenger automo-
biles have largely displaced the pleas
ure horse. or family carriage horse.
the wheat Weld OF the country could
he increased 80 per cent. or the corn
crop doubled. There are in the coun-
try 100000 farms OF so acres or
more In extent. which could use mo-
tor tractors with economy. A census
taken last February shows that not
more than "a, 371 farm tractors will
be used in the United States this sea-
son. so II Ia evident that there Is a
great opportunity here FOR the Amerl-
can farmer to Increase his efficiency.
With the hlg farm tractors that are
used on the immense farms OF tho
west, ono tractor can plow. double-
disk and seed twenty-five acres day.
accomplishing the work OF one man
and a team for two weeks, and the
same tractor can he used later for
harvesting. threshing and moving tho
crop to market.
Trucks Save Much Time
THE farmer. the merchant and tbs
manufacturer can all perform a pat
riotic duty by making a more eXten.
slve use of the time and labor saw
Ing motor truck and tractor and at tho
same time increase their own profits
and efficiency
1.-THE initial government war re-
quirement OF over 20. 900 motor trucks
and passenger automobiles. as well as
250,000 horses and mules. and the
great demand for petroleum. the uses
OF which have become so maC' and
varied, which tend to lessen the al.
ready decreasing supply and 70 make
the price soar place the Electric"
both as passenger and commercial ve.
hicle In the foreground as the econom.
10 and sturdy means of urban trans
portatlon The electric vehicle lends
itself 70 practically every urban haul.
age need, giving exceptionally satip-
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