Arizona republican., 1918-07-07

 it is well to consider briefly the N immense facilities at the dis
 & posal of our national depart
 ment of agriculture. In this connection it is suggestive also. to review the activities of our allies in developing the tractor
 Appropriations available for coil- ducting the department of agriculture amounted last year to the gross sum of approximately s96000000 In these days of stupendous loans and appro- priations it may not be easy to ap- preciate the magnitude of this sum. Yet it represents in dollars and cents an amount exceeding the total revenue and expenditures of the entire na- tional government m 1S40. With this annual budget. with department rep rcsentativCs throughout the nation, with the publishing facilities of the government printing department and the mailing privileges of the postof- flee department at it's disposal, the department of agriculture is in posi- ton to render helpful tractor service. How have these immense facilities been utilized?
 What tractor work has been un- dertaken has been under the jurs-
 
 agement' As far back as ten years ago the officials of the office" began the investigation of the farm tractor. Each year the research work has be- icomc more extensive.
 Asked Fifty Questions
 In 1917 a canvass of 34,000 tractor owners was made. An elaborate ques- tlonnaire was mailed 10 these opera tors. Ii contained about 30 questions lrelatinE to tractor operation. cover ing the points most frequently raised by farmers. A large number of re plies was doubtless received, contain ing information which would be pre- .sumably of use to both farmers and manufacturers. and, in all probability, the continuation of this work has since resulted in obtaining many thousands of additional reports from other tractor owners. But the data thus obtained have not yet been made available.
 The suggestion has been advanced that the department follow the ex- ample of foreign governments and establish at Washington a tractor division. It is felt. however, by many students of tractor progress that such a division would be impracticable for the reason that the tractor is of necessity so closely related to other farm machinery that it could not by itself be treated adequately. Yet there is no question among most eA- perts but that the government should at once engage it's attention more actively with the farm tractor.
 This brings up for additional atten- ton the wide spread demand for a fafa FA fa rfri implements and farm machinery in general or. even if this were not ad visable. a utilization of the depart ments office of farm management into which such research naturally sslls.
 The efficient use of farm machinery and implements is as fundamental tC profitable farming as the efficient use Of factory machinery is in the manu- featuring industry. IL is. in fact. as fundamental to agricultural success as the raising of certain strains oi live stock or of special varieties o' crops.
 Besides the foregoing methods O obtaining tractor information througl the mails the office of farm man agement has conducted through iti specialists supplmental personal in vestigations.
 It is certain that as result of al its investigations the department O agriculture has accumulated vas fund of invaluable data on tn, tractor. But this store of informa lion is packed away in it's archives lt has not been given to the farmers of the nation. It has not been dis .ributed to the tractor industry. [ may be likened to a fortune locked i' The office safe, with great possibli ties. but buying nothing, earning nC interest.
 The thirst for such tractor informa Nion as that which the departmen possesses is evident. We know of re uuests for authoritative tractor in formation which have been made ol