Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-05-23
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION
BY DR. ANDREW NJ SOULE

welcomed by our farmers and our
people generally. 1 can see no rea-
son why it should not perform the
| same type of service for the farm
which the motor has for business and
| industry generally. No doubt there
are many defects in some of the pres
ent types of tractors and possibly
| some of them are too costly in pro-
portion to the service they can rem
der. Nevertheless, the manufacture
of tractors has been revolutionized
| in the last few years and there is no
reason to believe that it's makeup will
not be as completely transposed and
| perfected in the next decade as the
motor car was in the one just closed,
| The tractor has wide adaptable
ity, as all know who have expert
| mented with it. 1t can be used to
advantage for many purposes on the
farm where power is essential. 1t
can be used on a great variety of
| soils and in preparing the land for
| the seeding of a large number of
crops. Therefore, l believe it will
| become more or less generally used
| throughout the whole country. 1t
probably will not prove as effective
or desirable in the hilly sections as
on level, open country, but even on
thousands of farms in the. somewhat
broken Piedmont section of the south
it can be used with great advantage
On farms of this type no doubt if it
was properly handled good many of
the terraces now used could be elm
mated without increasing soil wash
ing to any appreciate, extent. The
tractor has the advantage of being
adapted for performing many types
of service on the farm whereby Ia
Dor can be greatly economical, and
to do this successfully has now be-
come national necessity. Not only
can blowing and cultivating be done
fIn0 two tn1S hut f1on
of materials and supplies of every
kind to and from. the farm can be
accomplished with expedition. The
clearing Of the land can be effect
lively accomplished through it's use.
Sawmills, grist mills, pumping plants,
Sllage machinery and OTHER equip
ment can be operated to advantage
Building material can be transported
from one center to another, and .nu-
merous other types of necessary
service work performed economically
and with dispatch.
Some people are probably of the
opinion that they cannot afford to
purchase tractors at the present
price. The same argument was used
in connection with the automobile
but in the course of ten years we
became the greatest producers and
users Of automobiles in the world,
and as soon as the tractor has dem
onstrated it's utility. it promises to be
as generally and commonly used as
the automobile. 1t may be taken for
granted that our hard-hearted bust
ness men would not have made such
a large investment and undertaken
the manufacture of tractors on so
great a scale as is now evidenced I'M
til they first satisfied themselves of
their practicability to do the work
expected of them. 1t Is certain that
they proved invaluable in the great
emergency through which we have
passed, particularly to the people
land was enabled to carry on night
farming successfully and to bring
great areas under the plow which
had lain out to grass in some in
stances for hundreds of. years. When
the war began England was import
ing about 80 per cent of her food
stuffs. At the end of the war she
was producing about SO per cent of
the food she needed.
My understanding of the situation
is that there are only two or three
points at issue relative to the utiliza-
ton of the tractor. One is the pres
cost s Another S1taHeiS is nigh the a aues1
ton of durability. In other
words, how long a period Of service
will the tractor render, and will the
repair bills prove excessive. A third
is the question of economical opera
ton. In other words, can land be
turned and prepared at lower cost
with the tractor than with horse
power. No doubt theer is great deal
of division of opinion relative to
these propositions, but I am disposed
to think that they will all be worked
out in the affirmative at no distant
date. and that we may therefore con-
ident1y look forward to their ever
usefulness in our agricul-
ture. AS in the case of other classes
Of farm machinery, or live stock for
that matter, as much depends on
management as anything else. One
man buys an automobile and destroys
It's fine mechanism within thirty
days. Another one drives the same
machine for $4,000 miles. Skillful
handling of the tractor will be as
necessary as in the case of the auto
mobile. Undoubtedly where the ma
chimes are kept in repair the cost of
lp-keep will not be excessive, and if
they are purchased and utilized by
those who are in position to handle
them on large, relatively level tracts
Of land at this time there is no rea-
son why this operation should not
prove highly economical.
1t is certain that the present and
future condition of our agriculture