The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1921-05-13

During October and November, 1920,
representatives Of the United States
Department of Agriculture visited $50
tractor-owners in Ohio, Indiana, and
Illinois. A complete record of all the
work done during the year both with
tractors and horses was obtained from
each farmer. Information from which
the cost of using the tractor and the
cost Of maintaining the wOrkStock
could be determined was also obtained.
The investigation was made through
the cooperative efforts Of the bureau
of animal industry. Office of farm man
agement and farm economics and the
bureau of public roads, in accordance
with plans outlined at the farm power
conference at Chicago, H., i'm October,
1919. The object was to obtain infor-
nation, in addition TO that already
available in the Department Of Agri-
culture, which would aid in determin-
ing advantageous forms of power for
different farms and different condi-
tons.
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The average size of the farms Wis
tied was 25S acres. This is consider
ably above the average size Of all
farms in these states.
Two-plow tractors were owned on
ia of the 2S6 farms. three-plow trac-
tors on 104, and four-plow tractors on
six farms. One farmer owned a one
pillow machine, and one farmer owned
a fve-plow machine. TwO-plOw ma
chimes were found on 70 per cent Of
the farms with less than 100 crop
acres. and on 50 per cent of those with
100 or more crop acres.
One hundred and six of the tractors
had been in use one year, 100 had
years, 40 had been in use two and one
half or three years, and 81 had been
I'm use more than three years.
On the average the tractors were
used for 30.S full days during the year
covered by the investigation. Twenty
three and five-tenths days of this was
dTawbar work on the home farm,
81 days was belt work, and 4.6 days
was custom work. Seventy-three of
the 2S6 tractors did less than 20 days
work during the year and 26 did SO
or more days work.
The number of workstock still
owned varied from wv head on IL Of
the farms 10 more than 10 on five Of
the large farms. On the average there
we're 6S head per farm at the
time of the survey, and their value
was S145 per head. In all there were
1878 head of workstOck on the 2S6
farms and Ill colts less than one year
Of age.
The average number of full days
work per year per horse, for all farms
was $50. On 20 Of the farms the
wOrkstock did less than 40 full days
work and on - they did 100 or more
days work per year.
The tractors did 81 per cent of the
blowing on these farms, 73 per cent
of the disking, 43 per cent Of the har-
rowing, planting, rolling. and pack
ing, Al per cent Of the grain cutting,
and about Is per cent of the loading
and hauling of hay.
OF 267 men who did spring blowing,
142 did it all with tractors, 121 used
both tractors and horses, and fOur
used horses only.
OF 225 who did fall blowing. 100
did it all with tractors, ~ used both
tractors and horses, and eight used
horses only.
In all, the power for 30 per cent Of
the drawbar work on these farms, as
measured by days Of horse labor re-
CURED for II, was furnished by trac-
tors and the remainder by horses.
The average cost per head of keep
ing workStOck on these farms for the
year ending November l, 1920, was
$3.50, and the average cost per farm
was SIG.
Costs as Cents Daily to Feed Horse.
Exclusive Of grass and stalk pasture,
the average ration per horse consisted
Of 1.3 tons of hay, IL tons of straw,
OF acre Of slower, 37.S bushels Of corn,
and 22.3 bushels of oats. The total
cost of feed per head was $134. Based
on present prices (AIarch, 1921, the
cost of feed per head would be about
$50.
The average cost per day of horse
labor for the year of the survey was
$2.43. Based on present prices the cost
on these farms woul9 be not far from
81 80 per day.
The average first cost Of the two
pillow tractors was 1912, of the three
pillow tractors 81 1854, and Of all trac-
tors S1,14O. The average amount spent
for equipment, mostly plows and disks,
for use with tractors was about $340.
The average value Of the horse-drawn
implements disposed Of after the pur-
chase OF the tractors was So.
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