American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1917-08-21
TRACTOR vs.. HORSE POWER.
Gotthllf Isaak. Using Tractor, PIows
for ~ Cents Per Acre Can Horse
flesh DO ~ Welt

How many farmers Ia Power cOun
~ pillow 81 a cost OF a. cents an acr'
for cost OF horsefiesh and feed2 How
many. using horses. can pillow eighI
acres or more IN a ten hour day, thus
enabling them TO do their plowini
when the soil is IN the best condition
How much money would a farmer
have 10 invest In teams 10 enable him
TO pillow eight acres a day. With such
an outhi. what would the daily feed
bill be7 And bow many days In the
year would such teams be idle and
eating their heads off"
Cotthilf Isaak can probably come
nearer answering all these questions
than any other farmer In the county,
having made comparisons that few
farmers have been able 10 make. MIR.
Iaaak operates a large farm on the
state highway eight miles south OF
American Falls. lie cleared his land
with a large tractor. which performed
economically and well on s%agebrush
land. but proved 20 be too heavy for
lands once cultivated Like others
who began with heavy tractors no went
I o horses, and for seven or eight years
used horses exclusively. This year
DC VhfAiAhHtU n nHAhit AthAARAf h'
therefore can make comparisons be-
tween heavy tractors, horses and light
tractors, as TO the cost per acre OF
each. and the amount Of work that
each viii do. His decision rs In favor
OF the small tractor. With II he can
do more work In a day, better work,
and AZ a less cost per acre than with
either the large tractor or with horses.
He still has his large tractor and his
horses. but the little 1920 tractor does
all his piowing II Is a coal oil burner.
starting with gasoline and switching
10 coal OH. The average consumption
OF OF this season was sixteen gallons
each ten hours Of operation. He has
plOwed 800 acres M a cost OF AZ cents
per acre for fuel, and challenges any
farmer IN the county using horses to
equal this record
But economy OF operation Is not. In
his opinion, the only advantage Of the
small tractor The tractor does not
get sick and die. Horses do. The
tractor expense ceases as sOon as work
ceases. Horses must be fed all the
time. whether working or not, The
tractor can. when necessary. work
twenty -four hours a day for weeks az
a time. Horses can not DO so. With
a tractor one may pillow 60 a greater
depth than with horses. And further,
Il does not take anywhere near az
much time TO look after a tractor and
keep e in perfect condition as it does
TO take care Of a team.
A 1920 tractor develops twenty
horsepower al the fy wheel and de-
liyera ten horsepower at the draw-bar.
thus equallinE the pulling power Of
ten horses. An sic 10 the equal OF
eight horses. One man can not TO ad-
vantage handle eight or ten horses on
a pillow But one man can handle "A
tractor and this is a saving In labor
cost. Horses. 10 say nothing OF har-
ness, cost more than a tractor which
will do an equal amount OF work. The
cost per o per horsepower OF a
tractor, ranges from six to eight cents
The cost per hour per horse power OF
horses. with average prices for feed.
Is about twelve cents These are av-
eraEe cost comparisons gathered from
many sources. and Include repair. fuel.
depreciation and interest on the
amount invested In tractor outfits, and
for horse outnts Il includes cost OF
feed. interest on amount invested In
horses. and losses Of stock. MIR lsaak
has found the above costs comparative
~ cOrreci~yory much in favor OF the
small tractor.
Tractor Does Much That Team Can
Not DO.
Mr. Isaak has tried his tractor out
on an sorts OF ground. rough. level.
hiilsldes and brush. and 10 travels right
alonE 10 total disregard of obstacles
which would present difficulties 20
horses. hp has turned many acres for
%ncishbors Who were short OF time and
help Besides using 10 for blowing ne
operates the thrcsher with lt. connects
II % the wOo law. the grain chopper. |
and other labor saving apparatus on
the farm. Whenever d happens that
a team becomes stalled with a load
he can gen bis tractor fo the scene and
ret the load moving without any
trouble. The uEiue is always ready
Tor work winter and summer. and has
proven oue ~ the greatest money saw
err ou the ranch Being handy as a
machinisf the owner ol the engine Is
enabled to state that the machine has
cost him q minimum iu repairs. lie
thinks it only a matter OF a few years
until The ranehers az this county will
recognize the fact that "a tractor will
som return a profit on the original
investment
Couiesses 10 Mistakes.
The ranch Of Mr.. Isaak is located
about eight miles south OF American
Falls. below Neeiey. II embraces the
original homestead Of 100 acres filed
on IN 1903. Although the farm has
been cultivated continuously for the
past eight years. the wner frankly
states hat he Is sull learning by ex-
perieEce each season. That he has
made mistakes In the operation OF the
farm be admits with equal frankness,
but there is nothing pessimistic In his
makeup.He knows when be has made
sn error OF judgment, seeks the rene
fy, and fhe following season he worka