The Aberdeen weekly., 1919-06-20

l Small Tractor.
tended to make the exhibition a per-
manent feature, but failure TO find suit
able land for plowing caused the idea
to be abandoned. Not until 1913 was
anything on n large scale attempted in
the United States. Then a demonstra-
ton was held at Fremont, Neb., in
which % manufacturers exhibited 80
tractors. From this time on ma
tional tractor demonstration has been
held each summer, with an eyer-in
creasIng number OF manufacturers ex-
hibiting until at the last show. held
in Salina, Kan, in 1913, over 300 ma
chimes were entered. and 53 manufac-
turers were represented. A winter
meeting IS held each year at which
manufacturers of tractors and ac-
cessories exhibit. This show has been
held in Kansas City, Mo, for the past
four years Various local shows are
put on each summer, and since 1916
these have continued throughout the
summer, beginning in Texas and con-
tinuing nOrthward. In March. 1919, the
first large demonstration of the year
was held in the South at Macon, Ga.
which shows that the South is alive to
the possibilities of tractor farming.
The following production figures
show the enormous growth of the
tractor industry in the compara-
lively short time 1t has been in exist
ence:
FARM MACHINERY-FARM POWER.
MARCH IS. 1915.
1917 -.-.-...--.-.-.-.....-.-. n,5Oo
FARM EQUIPMENT CONTROL. UNIT
ED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AG-
RICULTURE.
1911 OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES 62s142
lJio 132, lbS
MANUFACTURERS ESTIMATED PRO
DUCTION.
1919 314. 936
AS previously stated, there was esti-
mated TO be between 45 and 30 firms
or individuals making or attempting
TO make tractors in 1909 The office
of farm management, United States
department of agriculture. has always
kept In close touch with the tractor in
dustry, and the files show that in 1909
there were 102 FIRMS actively engaged
in manufacturing tractors and 1872
firms and individuals planning to be-
gin In the near future.
Character of Tractor Changed.
In the beginning the tractor was con-
structed to simulate the steam engine
in appearance. AS time passed and
prejudice disappeared many refine
ments took place until today it is n
compact, well-built machine capable
of performing a multitude of opera
tionS. The first machines We're heavy,
rough affairs. capable of pulling eight,
ten, or more bottoms. 1t was soon rec
ognized that If the industry were to
prosper machine would have To be
built which would be practical for or
binary sized farms. The result was
that small machines came on the mar
ket, bU' 1t to pull two and three plows.
This pc Of tractor appealed to the
small farmer.
There are now more two and
three plow machines built than of all
other sizes combined. There are. how
ever. a number of companies still max
ing large-size tractor, which is still
used on the big farms of the North
west and the Pacific coast.
How Tractor Was Transformed
From the rough machines of 1908
and 1909 with single cylinders, chain
drive, cast gears, excessive weight. ex-
posed working parts, and poor ac-
feasibility have been developed ma
chimes of light weight with inclosed
working parts, friction and various
gear drives. electric fixtures, radiator
cooling systems, cut and hardened
gears, multiple cylinders, air cleaners.
kerosene carburetors. one-man control.
and an easy accessibility-all this at
price of one-half to one-fourth of the
early machines.
Owing TO varying conditions. there
are two types of machine on the mar
ket at present-the crawler and the
wheeled type. The purpose of the
crawler is TO prevent miring down on
soft grOnnd. The same principle was
employed by tanks in the late war.
The wheeled tractors are more numer-
Gus and employ various devices to
obtain traction, such as lugs. grouters.
spikes, cleats and extension rims
Again, some wheels have a device CIV
ing a stepping arrangement, as in the
PIT wheel. which was developed by
two Italiar my engineers. A few
trac' - ~r....Jy both the crawler and
wheel
As yet the tractor industry is COM
paratively young. and what its ulti-
mate effect on farming will be ii is inn
possible to say. The trend seems to
be toward motorized farms and the
elimination of horse power. This Is
best shown by the fact that motor
trucks are being purchased by farm
e,s in ever-increasing numbers and
that the motorized corn cultivator is
coming into use in increasing num-
berS.
There are two important problems
the solution of which would no doubt