The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1920-01-15

u tractors nave come INTO use 4uAe0
generally over Stearns County during
!. the past few years and are being USED
for various kinds Of farm work, In
GLIDING blowing. discing, dragging
harvesting and belt work. such as NIL
ing siIos, running shredders and feed
grinders.
During the year Of 1919 the Farm
Bureau in Kittson. Brown, Nicollect
and Martin Counties co-operated with
the state department at University
FERN in determining the cost of oper-
.ating tractors. The following sum-
mary furnished from estimates by %
farmers in Brown, Nicollet and Martin
counties have been furnished to this
office by William L. Cavert. who has
had charge Of this cost accounting
work. These figures should give q
fair idea on the cost of operating
tractors in southern and central Min
nesota.
Tractor Work: Flowing. 1876 days;
Discing, 80 days; Dragging. a days;
Harvesting, 2.5 days; Road Work, IL
days. Total. 22.s days.
Belt Work: Threshing, 40 days;
Shredding. 81 days; Silo Filling, 81
days; Feed Grinding. S5 days; MISC
SO days. Total, 1870 days.
The % machines were all OF the
wheel type and consisted of one-two
bottom machine, Is three bottom ma
chimes and four four bottom machines
The total days Of both tractor ana
belt work per season were 40.S days
The average acreage per farm were
500 of which SO were in small grain
and "a in corn. It is probale that due
to the unusually wet season especially
in Nicollet and Brown counties, the
acres Of crops per farm were material
" less than usual but the amount OF
work done was probably nearly nor
NAL as the small crop acreage would
not decrease the blowing in the fall
of 1919.
Tractor Expense: Depreciation bas-
ed on life of S.5 years. $149.1O; In
rterest at per cent on average invest
men based on one-half Of first cost.
s$5o.6o; Repairs. $4,000. Total $4,000.
The figures as to the repairs are un-
satisfactory as most Of them have on
ly been used two or three seasons and
the repair items would be expected to
be much larger during the last half
of the life of machine When the
repairs were less than four per cent
.,of the first cost including cash items
and owners time in overhauling as it
was thought that the repairs would at
z least equal this figure over the life Of
the machine.
With total annual expense of $246
and 40.S days Of use per year the over
head expense per day of use would be
5000. Upon this basis the following
would be the figures for cost of plow-
ing per day and per acre:
Depreciation, interest and repairs on
tractor. s6.03; Depreciation, interest
and repairs on plows, 2.S3; Wages of
operator, $500; Kerosene at 1877 cents
and gasoline for starting, $3.50; Oil.
$50. Total, $17.99.
Cost per acre. SO acres plow'ed per
day. 5000.
It is apparent that the advisibility
OF having tractor as part of the
farm equipment will be determined in
large measure by the following con-
siderations:
j. How many days of tractor and
( belt work does the farm provide?
q How many horses will the ira
tor replace?
g. To what extent does the tractor
enable it's owner to get such work as
fall blowing done in the most davor-
able season?
The figures show that the tractor
was used for 1916 days of blowing as
compared to To days devoted to all
other field work. This would indicate
that with most farmers. the principal
use of the tractor aside from belt work
IS blowing and it is apparent that the
possible saving in horses will be de-
termined in large measure by the ex-
tent to which the blowing season re-
quires more horses than the next
busiest season such as spring and
corn planting.
Upon these 23 farms. belt work was
furnished nearly half the days OF
work for the tractor. While the COM
plete records are not available. it is
estimated that fully half Of the belt
work was done for neighbors. If one
is to do belt work it is apparent thai
In ADDITION TO the ITdCtoT oiic mus
make a large additional investment
in such machines as grain separators
corn shredders ensilage cutters, corr
shelters, etc. However, one Of these
machines is ample for several farms OF
100 to $40 acres. Therefore. there
would be an opportunity for one farm
er in every neighborhood group to owl
q tractor that would do the owner''
blowing and in addition to the bel
work Of the owner and his neighbour
but If every farmer in the localit!
owned a machine, then the machine
would have to justify itself upon tn
basis of the work furnished by tn
farm Of the purchaser.
In case Of farms Of 800 acres
more, it is possible that the ability t
get blowing done in the most favor
able season would justify the use
a tractor even though but limited us
was made Of the machine for bel
work.
Plan week Of Conference Activitie
Of the Minnesota Farm Bureau WI