Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1921-07-07

years. The annual depreciation of the
twO-plow tractors amounted to Sl64.
and of the three-plow $2lT. The an
nuai cost of repairs. including the
value of the owners time spent I'm re
pairing the tractors. was $50 for both
the two-plow and three-plow sizes.
Tie fuel consumption per day for
the two-pow tractors varied from
about Is gallons for fall blowing 10
about IL gallons for drawing tie hay
loader. For the three pillow tractors IL
varied from 23 gallons for blowing to
10 gallons for drawing the hay loader.
The tweplow tractors covered &C
acres per day I'm blowing and three
pillow machines SO acres. The amount
Of fuel required per acre by the two
sizes was practically the same. %
gallons for the twO-plow and 81 gal
Ions for the three-plow tractors.
Difference in Flowing Costs.
The average cost per acre of power
for the blowing done with two-plow
tractors was about 81 and with the
three-plow about $40. The cost OF
power for the blowing done with
horses on these farms was about 500
per acre. Based on the present costs
power for blowing with horses would
be about $1.90 per acre. For most Of
the other operations the cost Of power
when furnished by horses was slightly
less than when furnished by tractors.
The cost per acre Of power for disk
ing with tractors was SO.67, with
horses. S0.64; for cutting grain with
tractors, S067; with horses. S0.59.
These figures represent the cost Of
power only, and do not include either
the cost Of man labor. or that of the
implements used.
The average cost per day Of two
pillow tractors for drawbar work OH
the home farm was about $12.65, and
of three-plow tractors about Sl7.75.
The total cost of power furnished by
the tractors for drawbar. work at home
during the year averaged S34!. This
drawhar work on the home farm con
Stituted T6 per cent of the total work
done by the tractors. and only 20 per
cent of the total annual charge for de
probation, repairs. and interest on In
vestment. is included In Il.
Tractor Reduces Number Of Work
stock Needed.
On the 172 farms where there had
been no change In acreage the num-
Der Of workstock had been reduced by
p head, an average reduction Of &c
per cent. Forty-four OF these 172 men
had not reduced the number of work
stock. 62 had disposed of one or two
head, 43 had disposed of three or four
head, and % Of more than four head.
On these 172 farms one horse had
been kept for each % acres (tOtal
acres, not crop acres) before purchase
Of tractors. and at the time OF the
survey there was one horse for each
37.7 acres For all the farms there
had been an average of one horse for
each 276 acres before purchase Of
tractors. and there was one for each
$40 acres at the time Of the investIga.
ton. On the farms where there had
been no change in acreage there had
been one horse for each 21.5 crop acres
before the purchase Of tractors, and
there was one for each 20 crop acres al
the time of the investigation.
Operating Costs May Be Reduced.
There were great variations on in
dividual farms in the cost OF power
furnished by both horses and tractors
and by more careful management
many farmers could doubtless reduce
this cost. Repair costs and fuel con
sumption Of the tractors could In many
cases have been reduced by more care
full operation. The cost Of keeping
wOrkstock could have been reduced OF
many farms by more careful feedinf
practices.
The average annual cost of power
for the drawbar work on the hons
farm which was done with tractor
was equal TO the cost Of keeping q
head Of workstOck and this is prac
! ticalIy the average number displaced
per farm. On the basis Of presen
prices, however. the cost Of keeping
| NOFhSiOCh
more than the cost of operating trac
tors.
Since. during the year covered b.
the investigation, the cost Of power oil
the average farm was no greater thai
IL !: had all been furnished by horses
any saving in man labor costs, an,
sAin due to getting a larger amour
Of work done in a given time. and an,
other advantages connected with tn
use of tractors which cannot be meas
ured directly I'm dollars and cents
might be considered clear profit. II 4
doubtful. however II such gfins wen
great enough To balance the cost o
operating the tractors on many Of tn
farms where there was no change II
acreage and where no wOrkstOck wa