The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1920-01-16
MOTOR TRUCK ON
FARM is USEFUL
OF Utmost Importance to Get
Various Foodstuffs to Mar
ket in Quick Time.
Big VEHICLE IS Efficient
Increased Number Of Trips Alone
Places Car in Lead and Proves
Its Economy-Heavy Truck
Has Many Advantages.


Time is the farmers capital. The
difficulty of employing adequate help
has discouraged more than one prac-
tical farmer from raising the crops
which would pay him the greatest !
profits.
Always he has realized that to mar
ket the crops was of such prime i'm
portance that he could not afford to
stub his toe" by growing foodstuffs
which he would not be able to get to
market on time.
Frank Andrews Of the department
of agriculture, bureau of crop esti-
mate, has made a very careful inves-
tigation of the uses of the motor truck
on the farm and the results he has
arrived at are amazing. Mr.. Andrews
says in part, ''the estimated cost of
hauling in wagons from farms to ship
ping points averaged in 1918 about 80
cents per ton mile for wheat, 33 cents
for corn and 4S cents for cotton for
doing the same hauling in motor
trucks the averages are Is cents for
wheat or corn and 1S cents for cot
ton. The motor truck will make an
average of "a round trips Per day
over an average route from farm to
shipping point Of 113 miles, while
wagons will make but 1.2 round trips
over an average haul of miles. The
increased number of trips alone will
place the motor truck in the lead and
prove its economy. The fact of the
matter is that, taking wheat as an ex-
ample, the average wagon load was
Sc bushels while that of the load of
the average motor truck was "a
bushels"
Found Most Efficient.
Not only are the heavy duty trucks
used exclusively on farms, but in
many sections where market garden
ing is done the trucks of III to two
ton capacity are found most efficient
by the truck gardeners. Where the
farm is big, and the crops are staples
the heavy-duty truck is most effective,
but for the smaller farms the 11a to
two ton truck is found most desirable,
and every investigation made in re-
cent years has proven that this size
of truck is the one best suited to use
on the farm.
The most important points for the
man operating a farm of any size to
consider are these: Primarily the
truck saves time; the farmer can get
his breakfast at home, go to market
and be back in time for dinner, which
was an utter impossibility when horse
and wagon were used.
Releases Five Acres.
1t takes five acres of land to raise
bedding and feed for every horse on
the farm. When the motor truck sup
plants four horses it releases 20 acres
of valuable land. which may at once
be utilized for the growing of crops
which will pay a substantial profit.
When the truck is idle it doesn't cost
a cent. When the horse isn't working
he must eat just the same.
Against the possible 100 miles day
which the truck can travel under load
good average team of horses can
travel 20 miles in ten hours-that is
going ten miles loaded and ten miles
empty over good roads.
Think of the uses to which a truck
can be put on the farm 1t will haul
produce to market and bring a return
load of supplies to the farm. 1t will
haul water to the live stock; it win
haul wood for fuel: bring tile irnple-
ments to snd from tha fields; haul ma
nure to the fields and bring back
load of stones on the return trip; will
haul baled hay to the barns, corn bum
dies to the silage cutter; handle the
grain, that is, both the corn on the
ear and the threshed grain to the bin.
1t will haul live stock to market, thus
making saving of 5 to s per cent
over the shrinkage caused by driving
stock on the hoof.
Many Advantages.
A motor truck offers the farmer the
advantage of prompt delivery of his
perishable produce, thus reducing
waste through decay, as when ham
died by wagon or railroad, and turn
ing into cash crops which would other
wise be lost. Through its speed it en-
ables him to run his farm with less
help, it increases the radius of land
profitable for market gardening and
small farms around the cities, and will
pay for itself in the first six months
of use through the actual net saving
1t will make on any modern farm.
With all these advantages and with
the absolute certainty of successful
operation, there is no good reason why
the American farmer should hesitate
to purchase motor trucks today.