Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-10-12

Summarizing the experience of S31
trucks, the United States department
Of agriculture found that in the opin-
ion of nine-tenths of these men, the
greatest advantage in owning a mo-
for truck is Saving time" in the
opinions of three-fourths of them
the greatest disadvantage is poor
roads," and 81 per cent believes that
their trucks will turn out to be a
profitable investment.
O.. The reports, however, indicate that
on most of these farms the truck
has not reduced expense to any great
extent, and that it supplements rath-
er than replaces work stock and 9TH
er equipment.
On the average these trucks trav-
Ell Att miles per year, and the cost
of operation is between 16 IL cents
and II cents per mile, making the
total annual cost from $3.50 to S470.
Each truck displaces an average of
1-2 head of work stock. With the
cost of keeping horse year in the
corn belt around $500, the reduction
in expense for this item is in the
neighborhood of S240 per farm. For
all farms the average amount of
hired help saved by the trucks is
$163. On most farms these are the
only two items of direct reduction
in expense which can be credited to
the truck, and on the average they
amount to $50 or $40 less than the
total cost of operating it.
To offset this added cost. custom
hauling done with the trucks
amounts to about $50 per year for
like $40 to $50 annual net expense
which must be more than balanced
by the saving of time of the owner
and members of the family, the abil-
ity to get crops and live stock to
market in better condition or at bet
ter time, and other benefits which
are not directly measurable in dol
lars and centh, if the average truck
is to profitable investment
e. It must be remembered that most
of these farms where trucks are
owned are larger than the average,
and are located at a considerable
distance from market.
= The investigation was made dur
ing the past winter and spring.
Earmer-truck owners in Indiana, Ill
inoiS, Missouri, Iowa, southern Wis
consin. southern Minnesota, south
braska, and eastern Kansas, who
raise corn as one of their principal
crops, and who practice the general
grain and live stock farming char
acteristic of the corn .eilt, reported to
the department of the use they make
of their trucks, the cost of operating
them, the advantages and disadvant-
ages of trucks for farm use. and
other related information.
III A study of the reports of 831 of
these farmers has just been complet-
ed by the division of rural engineer
ing Of the bureau of public roads and
the office of farm management and
farm economics.
Some of the important facts re-
vealed by the investigation are:
The average size of the farms is
346 acres and their average distance
from market is 8 miles.
Only IA per cent of them are less
than miles from market, and 20
per cent are Is miles or more from
market.
A little over one-fourth Of these
men have changed their markets,
for at least a part of their produce,
since purchasing trucks. For those
who have changed market, the aver
age distance to the old market was
2. miles, and to the new market Is Is
miles.
The rated capacity of these trucks
varies from one-half to two tons
Seventy per cent of them are rated
at one ton, and only per cent of
them at less than one ton.
Experience with trucks has caus-
ed 81 per cent of these men to de-
eide that the e1-ton size is best for
their condition, 25 per cent that
the 1-2-ton size is best. and IL per
cent that the 2-ton is best. Prac-
Ncally one man in four has decided
that a truck larger than the one he
>aow\ owns would be better suited to
his conditions.
Ninety-one per cent believe that