The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1918-11-27
Big Truck Gathering Produce For Transport City


Motors are rapidly taking the place
of animal power in hauling products
from the farm in many counties in
the United States where the roads
permit. A significant phase of this
new development is the growth of
regular freight service, by which farm
ers can hire the taking of their prod
uce by motor trucks directly from the
farm to a distant market, and thus
avoid both the wagon haul and the
shipment by railroad or boat.
OF 1,i73 county reports received by
the Bureau of Crop Estimates of the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture in its recent investigation of the
hauling of products from farm to
shipping point by animal power and
by motor, sos reported the use of
motors, mostly motor trucks. In a
large fraction of these counties, motor
truck service is just coming into use
for light traffic, such as poultry, eggs
and vegetables, than for hauling grain.
A few reports, scattered from Dele
ware to the Pacific Coast, mentioned
the great Importance of the light mot
or truck service in delivering perish
able fruits to shipping points.
In many States, especially in the
northern and south-central sections,
hogs were hauled preferably in motor
trucks on account of the relatively
small amount of shrinkage compared
with hauling in wagons. Some coun-
ties reported hogs hauled exclusively
in motor trucks, although these
vehicles had not yet come into general
use for grain or other products.
Improved Roads Help.
One of the chief lmations to the
use of the truck is the condition of
the roads, and several reporters men,
toned beginning of motor truck use
as following closely an improvement
in roads. Another hindrance to using
motors is connected with the seasonal
distribution of farm work. Some cor
respondents said that after their har-
vest was over there was no work for
their horses to do but haul, and that
motor trucks would not be an econo-
my. In other instances, the trucks
were reported to have done needed
hauling at times when laborers and
horses could not we'll be spared from
the farms. A markest gardeners asso-
citation in Rhode Island is said to be
operating a few trucks with traiers
and to carry produce to the city mar
ket at cost averaging only 10 cents
per ton-mile
Frequent mention is made. even in
the East, of trucks which do a regular
freighting business, charging farmers
for the service One Tennessee farm
err reported having paid truck to
haul a load of Is hogs to market
distance of ten miles, and the trip
was made in the evening after supper.
Use A Regular Train.
Tractors with trail wagons are in
more or less frequent use in various
States, including North Dakota and
California. One Illinois man reports
using ten wagons drawn by one trac-
tor and moving 1000 bushel of wheat
at time.
The great variety of local transport
conditions in the United States is
illustrated in some notes from these
county reporters. One man gives an
average of Is miles as the longest dis
lance for any considerable number of
farmers, but explains that the haul is
to the Cumberland river, which in his
county, is navigable only five months
of the year for the other seven
months the haul is 40 miles to a rail-
road. In Mathews county, Virginia,
few trucks are used; but since the
county is indented by several navi-
gable waterways, motor boats and sail
boats are used by the farmers to a
considerable extent. One reporter in
western Oregon says that neither
roads nor automobiles are to be found |