The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-08-23
Getting Down to Figures.

Not many years ago the farm hand
could be hired for $40 q month with
board and room. Now the farmer pays
from $50 TO $50 and in some cases as
high as $50 n even SIS where the
man has considerably ability. But this
does not tell the whole story. Even at
these prices farm hands are unobtain-
able. The recent increase In industrial
activities, and the enlarging of the
army and navy has created an acute
shortage OF farm hands In the state.
Many farmers will be compelled to do
without hired labor and this will lead
to the purchase Of more saving ma
| chinery, the high price received for
farm products furnishing the necessary
cost,
To illustrate how farm operations can
go on In the face OF the shortage OF
hands when the truck Is supplemented
to take their place, let us suppose the
case OF a farmer hauling hay to mar
ket, a town 6 miles away, BY extra et-
fort with his hired man the farmer
| hauls loads Of from 5000 to 1000 pounds
of baled hay, making two trips a day
| and delivering II possible total OF l6, 1000
| pounds, figuring hat he hauls his
maximum load each trip, With q q
ton truck that VIII travel from six 70
eight miles an hour and on which could
be loaded at least 5000 pounds. five
trips could be made a day and the one
| farmer would thus deliver a total OF
| 25, 600 pounds as against $4,000 pounds
that two would have delivered with
| horses.
A number OF farmers, among them j,
j. Cottle, OF Bcrryton, Kan, h have
definite arrangements for using much
labor saving machinery to operate their
farms of quarter sections OF land, with
out regular hired help, favor this as
II enables them to have their children
more to themselves. without the some
kI,,Aa Gal lnr,tAeAA NJ farm hn ndQE
The Middle West will for some time
be more largely affected by farm la
Dor shortage because of the war than
other sections on account OF having a
higher percentage OF white and Ameri-
can born population. Also young men
volunteered readily in this war, Just
as they did In the Civil war when the
state. had more troops In service than
Ii had voters
The recent announcement that grain
suitable for human God would no long
err be fed to horses In Great Britain,
calls attention to the possibility OF
gradually decreasing the production .of
horse food supplies by utilizing for
human ~foodstuffs the areas now devoted
to producing grain and hay for horses
The increased wheat acreage OF Mis-
souri,. Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska
at the expense OF tho corn and oats
acreage will make horse feed high In
price. This will be especially opera
tive in Kansas since this state, largely
"a wheat state. rather than a corn ana
oats state, Is already compelled In
most years to buy from other states
a considerable portion OF the grain
used by horses.
For years there has been n constant
decreasing surplus In the amount OF
foodstuffs raised n some authorities
have asserted that In so years under
ordinary development, the production OF
foodstuffs would not be sufficient to
feed all the world, Eventually, there
fore, the motor must be substituted TOT
the horse in all lines, particularly heavy
hauling, 1t Is likely that the influence
Of high prices caused by the war wiz
have the immediate effect OF speeding
the change.
A half baked objection to using mo-
tors In connected with the seasonal dis
tribution Of farm work. Some farmers
who specialize on grain say that after
their harvest Is over there Is no WORK
for their horses to do but haul, and
that motor trucks woul not be an
economy. However, in the Middle west,
where winter wheat ts grown, the ploW~
ing for the next crop should be begun
as soon IA the harvest is over ana
trucks are reported TO have done the
needed hauling or the grain INTO mar
ket, at times when neither laborers nor
horses could he spared from the FIELDS.
4 dairy farmer near Detroit demon
stated some time ago under pre-war
conditions, that by delivering 10 gallons
OF milk to the city with a truck he an
reduce the cost from rs cents to 10 cents
n can, Recording instruments operated
by clockwork were attached to both
wagon and truck. The chart shows that
the team was hitched up at S:25, drew
up the milk house at S:35, left for the
city at $40, arrived at l2;OS, left at 1905
and pulled up again at the milk house
al 4;30, The empty cans were un-
loaded and horses were driven to farm
ward and unhitched at 4:40. Hence,
the total time of Z hours and Sc min
utes IL accurately determined above
mans chance of error. In like manner
the truck was gone from the farm a
total OF only 2 hours and 20 minutes,
showing an exact saving in time OF 3
hours and SO minutes.