The Devils Lake world., 1921-08-31
TRACTORS PROVED
CHEAPER THAN HORSES
IN FIELD WORK

Chicago-The first authentic figures
ever compiled on the relative cost Of
horse and tractor power have just been
announced by the supervising observ-
ers committee in charge of the recent
Fargo farming demonstrations.
These figures show that it costs
81. 1.297 per acre to plow and prepare
seed bed by tractors and S2.41 to do
the same work with horses under
farming conditions In North Dakota
blowing five inches.
Both tractors and horse outfits drew
ten acre plots by lot and were gov.
erned by rules which severely penal.
lied tractors for delays due to me-
chanical trouble, though horses we're
permitted to rest as long and as FIRE.
quently as desired. In spite of this,
five horses collapsed and died and sew
en- horse outfits were compelled to
withdraw from. the demonstration.
Thlrty-seven tractors participated In
the demonstration, thirty-six of which
qualified and plowed and prepared for
seeding and seeded total of 800 acres,
divided into ten acre plots. OF these
tractors, twenty-five burned kerosene
and eleven burned gasoline. The depth
Of plowfng was five inches. Twelve
horse outfits entered the tests, but only
five qualified and completed the work.
Every ounce of fuel and feed was
checked and weighed under the SUPER
vision of q committee consisting of H.
II. Bates, chairman; E. A. White,
president, American Society Agricul-
tural colleges, and o. w. Young, So.
ciety Automotive Engineers. Two OBJ
servers recorded the work of each out
fit and reported their findings in writ.
ing to this supervising committee.
The general averages of all tractors
qualifying are summarized as follows:
Preparing and
Kerosene Tractors. Flowing. Seeding
per acre (kerosene) sol gals 126 gals.
(Gasolne) ........... IA gals 094 gals.
Luhricating oil per
acre II gals. .O4 gals.
Man hours per acre ~ hours AS hours
Gasoline Tractors
Average fuel used
per acre (gasoline) .27 gals. 12s gals.
Lubricating oil per
Man Rsr hous. per acre g enr. sals q sonr. sos
Average price Of fuel in Fargo was:
Kerosene ..................11.sc IL Sc per gallon
Gasoline ....................23.lc lc per gallon
Lubricating oil ............65c per gallon
Feed costs for horses are given as
follows:
Average number pounds of hay used
per outnt ................ .5oz.
Average number bushels oats used
Aperaee per eetf1 man hour; ner acre ,or 1885
Average man hours per acre for
preparing and seeding ........... 1.A
Fargo prices for feed are as fol.
lows:
Hay ........................... 90 per ton
Oats ..........................' 40 per bu.
Labor in each case was figured at
| 4Oc per hour and on this basis the
! work Of the tractors cost $1.297 per
acre, and that Of horses $2.41 per
acre.
These prices cover only the actual
time\of the demonstration and do not
include labor or shelter charge for
horses, nor tractor depreciation. or the
fact that horse maintenance goes on
throughout the year where tractor
maintenance stops with the engine.
Judge Frank Irvine Of Ithaca, n. Y,
former public service commissioner. ac-
cepted appointment as seventh mem
ber Of the board Of arbitration to set
tie the strike Of paper and pulp max
ers. Three members Of the board were
named by the unions and three by the
paper manufacturers and Judge Irvine
was selected by these six.
Although the number of mine work
ers in France naturally varied great
ly from month to month as result
Of conditions brought about by the
war. the following figures are fairly
accurate. They include both under
ground and surface workers: 1913,
100000; 1915, 1O6,OOO; 1916, 1900;
1917. 1880; 1918, 168,50O; 1919,
l73.SOO. -.
The MillviIle (Mass.) plant Of the
WoonSocket Rubber company, foot
wear division Of the United States
Rubber company reopened July II,
after shutdown Of six months. About
400 of the 700 employees were given
work at once. The wages scheduled
will be the same as that at the WoOn-
socket plant. where two reductions
have been made since the Mfllville
plant was closed.
Employment conditions in and
around Springfield, Mass, are slightly
better than they were six weeks ago
according to tabulatiOn submitted by
II of the largest industrial plants in
the district. The plants manufac.
ture a wide range Of products. Under
normal conditions the factories employ
total of 1884 workers, or 692 pei
cent of the total. The majority o1
the plants do not anticipate any fur
ther curtailment over the presen
schedule.
, J. H. Thomas, the greatest leadel
| of labor I'm England both in and Ou