El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-12-29

I York Delaware and llassac husetts
Industry at the Beginning Only.
] Nearly every one OF these companies
/ has its own special tractor and the ma
] chimes range in weight from two pluv
] machines up 20 the heavy tractors which
/ will drag ten plows and more through
/ the burrows.
! AI Of the companies recognize the
] fact that the industry Is AT its beginning
and that the field Tor its expansion Is
] enormous There are more than 5000. coo
3 farms in the United States and I venture
] that all the tractors now in use are less
I than 100000 in number Suppose the ma
/ chimes could be used upon one-third OF
the farms. the possible demand would be
{ al least 1000. coo which IS just about
one half as many automobiles as are
now owned IN the United States. Like
] the automobiles. the machines Of the fu-
Q ture will be Of different grades, weights.
power and prices. Some will be adapted
TO large farms and others 10 small A
greatly needed machine Is a low priced
tractor which will use comparatively
small amount OF gasoline or kerosene
such machine should be able 70 drag
two or three plows- II will be widely
used. and VIII do much TO solve the labor
and food situation
tt was when the wheat was ripe and
they were harvesting the grain that 7
rode from Detroit out TO Henry Forte
big farm at Dearborn. TO see what he
had accomplished in the way OF making
a cheap tractor This farm has been
turned into an experimental laboratory
and near IL will he erected n great plant
which is 70 make the light weight ma
chimes which have been ordered from
Europe This tractor IS by no means per-
rect but I am told that IL viii save the
work OF many horses and plowmen. and
that u VIII BE- Of great value iu Iu-
cressing the food supply Of Great Britain
Henry Ford's Farm
Already a great part Il Henry Forl'
farm is being worked with g. This farm
viii compare favorahIy with many o.
the European estates. upon which the
machines are 20 be employed T. lies nine
miles from Detroit and il consists OF 1000
acres large part OF it, am told is
worth upwards OF $1,000 per acre from
which YOU will see that Do will have ru
yield mighty big crops 10 pay any kind II
an interest upon the millions involved 5u
the investment. But that. I venture cuts
hut little fee In Ny F1rd's calculation HIS
ownership Of the farm is largely seutI-
mental and the same is true Of his work
on the tractor. He was born uuon part
~ the farm and he probably followed
the pillow horses in helping his father PM
IN the few hundred odd acres which made
up the old homestead. and as Tar as
can judge. % was no easy Job. Much OF
the farm IS made ID OF Z heavy son. a
mixture or clay and loan which would De
difficult 20 work when at all wet
grear part OF this has been underdra Ins al.
ths SURPLUS water being carried off into
the River Rouge. which runs through the
property This river has now been
dredged TO a depth which permits 1fr.
Ford's motor boat 20 move IN and out boy
u. and have heard Il intimatsd that
the raw materials FOR the tractors may
Re brought In by this stream
The whole farm Is flat IS floor
me iielas are large and they are sur
rounded by common wire fence. The most
Of the place Is under cultivation and all
the work is done by tractors.
When I visited the farm they were ~u.-
and 10 others they were blowing for the
crops OF winter wheat to b harvest ed 3
EeNt year Altogether there were 1900
acres In grain and the little tractors were
dragging the reapers over the fields. each
tractor pulling one reaper I got on one
Of the machines and drove IL across the /
flelL Il was where the grain was al
ready in shock and the trim was merely Z
TO show me how the tractor worked. 1 /
sat on an iron seat as on suIkey pillow D
with a driving wheel like that OF mo. lr 4
car IN front Of me Beyond this wheel I
comprising the front part Of the machine ]
was the hood which covered the engine ]
and SO the gasoline tank. Attached 10 I
his was another tank known as the air
washer All the machinery is fuciosed ]
Ia the hood. but there is so much dust IN i
farm work that the air that goes into
the engine has TO Be washed before II
Is used
Wheels Wide and OF Steel
The wheels OF the tractor are different
from those OF the motor car They are
made OF steel, with tt es five inches wide
and with great teeth or Tugs two inches
Ieep. which are set at an angle 70 the
TIRE rim three OF four inches apart This
gives the wheels a surface OF IS or 15
ncnes, keeping them from cutting into Z
The soil. and also gives the wheels the
5rip which Is needed to make them move.
W men the cheap. lightweight tractor was
proposed the makers Of the heavy tractor
claimed that weight was q necessity 20
ne success OF any such machine Where
seen a bulldog chase a cat up a tree
A dog has plenty Of weight but the cat
Toes the climbing It's claws give Il the
-raction, and It Is the traction that
hey ara experimenting here weigh q liz
lie more than a ton Some OF the heavier
ractors weigh five tons Each has MS
'Wh place m the cultivation OF our farms.
Possibility Of Cheap Tractors
I went over the farm with one Of the z
officials Of the experimental plant. and E
Is did SO. talked with him as TO the
ossibiiity OF the cheap tractor. He told E
ne that IL was possible 20 cut % acres % E
grain IN one day by means Of a trarto- :
nd that only two men were required To-
un IT, He said that the amount OF ulowinl
possible depended upon tho SOIL but that
me man with a tractor should be able 90
urn over as much a. six acres q DAY I
nese amounts are much fin excess OF
hose reported 20 the department Of yri-
ulture as TO the tractors in use.
The officials Of this experimental Ia
'oratory are enthusiastic as TO the Bos-
Utilities OF the cheap light weight trac-
or and as TO what It will do on the farm.
hey realize that they have as vet b- rl
means a perfect machine but thew say
nat they are getting nearer q practical
Working one from day 10 DAY. They have
lready built 50 different eEperiman.aI Z
racrors. and the later models are moe
nd more satisfactory- The weight OF ]
heir machine now in use is about e-Gr .
'ounds. but they hope 10 reduce th.tI
-eight by the use Of better materials a=t
% the price. I could not get figures Raw S
Materials Of all kinds have so risen that ,
ls impossible 20 estimate what the COM o.
leted machines VIII cost. and all OF the q
ractor makers will probably have 20 re- D
ise their prices to suit the conditions d
rought about by the war.
one OF the leading inventors OF th- {
-actor laboratory here is enthusiastic
2 70 the benefit Of the cheap light weight q
ractor TO the farmer. This does not {
lean the Ford tractor. but Il means tho
ieal cheap tractor upon which several
ompanies are working and which is d
ounu 20 be evolved within n short time. q.
aid this man; THE light weight tractor 1
'W probably solve the labor conditions L
pr our farmers. r viii De used for aIf q
lrts OF work such as breaking the land
nj pIowing. and seeding and reapiug o. o.
III give every farmer who owns one % il
team engine Of perhaps Is horsepower. %.
nd that engine can be used for all sorts .
work By it the farmer can cut his +
nall manufacturing plant IL desired. Y1I
an even use Il for making electricity. and 4,
@ II work nights and bottle W tho work O..
a storage battery The tractor OF the Il
iture viii carry the crops to the mar e.
81, and do all the hauling Of fertilizers >
nd other materials
Alcohol MAY Be Future Fuel.
But nos about the cost N fueI-" u
5ked- "Will not Is cent gasoline prevent E
ny such industrial evolution" q
HaH