South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-06-07
FARMERS TAKE
MORE INTEREST
IN MOTOR TRUCKS
Awaken to Service Which
Hauling Units Give in
Moving Produce. Z
BY LOUIS LUDLOW.

WASHINGTON. d. g. June T.
Reports reviewed by government Of
fcials from all parts OF the coun-
try indicate that. the farmers are
taking more interest in motor trucks
than ever before and the next few
years will see a large number OF
trucks join the equipment OF farms
in all parts OF the country.
There is good reason for this, a"
said a prominent government official
The farmers have been awakened
70 the fact that "A motor truck will
do more 10 carry produce 10 and
from the shipping point. A close
acquaintance with the passenger
automobile has shown the farmers
the economical advantage OF a motor
vehicle. and the way in which the
farm tractor has demonstrated its
utility has offered a splendid eX-
ample OF the gasoline engine as a
motive power for work in the fields.
sees Truck Hauling Unit.
80 gradually IL has come TO the
farmer that the motor truck is more
than a freight bearing automobile.
He sees now that the motor truck
is. in reality. a hauling unit, practi-
cally equivalent 10 a team Of horses.
Moreover IL IS a better. less eXpen-
sive hauling devise than a team.
Motor trucks will travel in the
fields They will gather the hay and
the grain and do all the other odd
jobs about the farm. in addition TO
covering the longer distances to town
IL OF
a big saving OF time and money over
horses Moreover, motor trucks do
not draw on the resources Of the
farm for food directly.
During the last year or so the
prices for farm products have been
such as TO make the farmer begrudge
the fodder for his livestock. He
could better till the soil for products
that could be sold and buy gasoline
than 10 feed his team from his own
and. Many farmers even bought
their hay and grain and thought
they we're money ahead by doing it.
Meanwhile they did little more fig
uring and then they saw the light
on the motor truck.
Eliminates Waste.
Chiefly the big reason why a
motorized farm yield more crops
and more profits Is because it elm
mates waste. The food -stuffs that
are damaged during hauling by
horses because OF the slowness with
which the teams must travel alone
would feed thousands of people
Perishable crops must be estimated
in terms OF money, with wastagt
allowance where horses are used q
haul them.
With one truck the speed alone
will save money and that is but q
single point. In hauling hogs Of
cattle TO market this same speed ell
inmates a large percentage OF th'
shrinkage in weight that every cat
tleman figures on when he takes hi
animals to market. The truck car
ries them swiftly and without much
II any loss.
Then there is the saving in th'
farmers own time. which in a rusf
OF the harvest season amounts q
something. The trips that took q
day with horses are made in a few
hours More Of them can be car
ried out in a given space Of time be
cause a truck needs no rest. Ii car
be worked "a hours a day. If nee
essary.
Furthermore the truck offers ev.
cry advantage that the horse denies
A truck IL cheaper 20 keep than Z
team OF horses in actual cost OF fue
and oil as against the cost OF feed a
the market prices. In a word,
truck Ia the handy man Of the farm
II will hail 10 and from market. IL
the field. or most any other place
and II win do it day in and day out
az less cost than horses. II requires
less care than horse. although i
cannot be neglected entirely II re-
suits are 20 be obtained"