Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-04-20
TRACTOR READY
BEFORE THE WAR
Plays Big Part in Production
of Food So Necessary
at This Time

at 1AlAS
When a democracy long educated
to the habit of peace enters a war,
1t is expected that a certain lack of
preparation will be encountered
However, in some ways America
was fairly well prepared for her tre-
mendous task AS it gradually came
to be appreciated that the food sit
uation was critical, the farm tractor
rose to a position of prominence in
public thought. Many city people,
unacquainted. with recent farm de-
velopments. hearing of the tractor for
the first time. have considered it
something new, designed especially
to meet the vast needs for more food.
The tractor is not new 1t is only
its general appreciation which is
new. 1t did not take this war to
produce the tractor. but it did re-
uuire some such crisis as Sthat pro-
duced by the war to make the whole
civilization of the Allied countries
fully appreciate the Importance of the
farm tractor.
New tractor companies are being
organized so rapidly these days that
it is hard to tell which ones are
actually selling tractors and which
ones are just getting ready to build
them. One thing is sure, that with
more than 200 tractor companies now
in existence, it is safe to assume
that there were considerably more
than 100 companies actually manu-
featuring and selling farm tractors
at the time this country entered the
war. Most of these companies are
fairly new at the business, but sew
eral have had long years of expe-
rience with the tractor industry.
The international Harvester Com
pany, for instance, manufactured it's
first farm tractor in 1906 and has
been gradually increasing it's tractor
operations during the last twelve
years. The Harvester Company now
has three immense factories. two in
Chicago and one in Milwaukee, COW
erinS total area of 1876 acres, which
are largely devoted to the manufac-
ture of farm tractors. From the
time when it operated only on gaso-
line and was built on a scale provid-
ing a great number of horsepower
and selling for a price within reach
only of the large farmer or ranch
man, the tractor has been developed
to the point where now it operates
successfully on kerosene and is
adaptable in size and price to the
everyday needs of the average
farmer.
In England and France, of course,
the special war need for tractors has
been even more urgent than it thus
far has been in the United States.
If the American tractor industry had
been as new and undeveloped as
most of our other war industries,
we could not have gone to the res
cue of our Allies so readily as we
have been able to do. For more
than eight years American manufac-
frn
abroad that foreign farmers might
gradually learn to use them. Since
1908 the Harvester Company has
shipped thousands of farm tractors
into Great Britain, France, Italy,
Holland, Denmark. Norway, Sweden,
Australia New Zealand and at least
fourteen other foreign countries. 1t
is due to the fact that the Amer
lean farm tractor industry was pre-
pared and that the European coun-
tries had been given a chance to
learn the use of American tractors
that so much has already been ac-
complished in so short a time to-
ward keeping up food production in
the countries of our allies.
Largely through the assistance of
American made tractors Great Brit
ain during 1917 was able to increase
her normal cultivated area in the
British Isles something like 100000
acres, and by the help of American
tractors already in Great Britain or
on the way she expects to bring
enough additional acres under culti-
walton during 1918 to raise the in
crease above normal to a total of
100000 acres.
The tractor industry is well devel-
oped and well prepared. the princi-
pal need now being a sure and guar
anteed supply of raw materials.
Let the Government encourage and
promote thes making of farm trac-
tors as a war measure" said re-
cent editorial in the Chicago Amer
lean. 1--WE appeal to the Govern
ment with all it's worries and re-
sponsibilities to find a few minutes
thought and an efficient immediate
plan for supplying the iron, steel and
other necessities to those who man
ufacture farm tractors
Farm tractors take the place of
men. They take the place of horses.
"They save all the grain and fod-
der that the horses would eat, re-
leasing the grain and fodder to feed
cows that give milk and butter, and
cattle and hogs slaughtered for food.
One farm tractor saves enough grain
and fodder to raise and fatten ten
steers"
Luckily, in this war we do not
have to depend on any new Industry
to furnish food for the world. Give
the industry which has already been
developed plenty of raw materials,
and it will give the world plenty of
tractors.