Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1921-04-14
HORSES AND TRACTORS
ON C0RN-BELT FARMS.
Cost of Using Horses Shown In
Years Work.
Investigations in Three States On
Cost and Utilization OF Power Snow
mat tractor DIsplaces FL Horses
Average Life OF Tractor More
Than Six Years.

Department OF Agriculture Nl9ieS"
286 tractor-owner 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 WORK
stock could be determined was also
obtained.
The investigation was made through
the cooperative efforts OF the Bureau
of Animal Industry, Office OF Farm
Management and farm Economies
and the bureau of Public Roads, in
accordance with plans outlined at the
Farm Power Conference at Chlcago'
H., in October, 1919. The object was
to obtain information IN addition TO
that already available in the Depart
menttof Agriculture, which would ana
in determining advantageous forms OF
power for different farms and dill
ferent conditions.
Farms Above the Average in Size.
The average size of the farms visit
ed was 258 acres. This is CONSIDER
ABLY above the average size OF all
farms in these States
Two-plow tractors were owned on
TIA of the 286 farms, 3-plow tractors
on 1O4, and 4-plow tractors on
farms. One farmer owned l-ploW
machine, and one farmer owned D.
pillow machine. Two-plow machines
were found on rs per cent OF the
farms with less than 100 crop acres,
and on "a ner cent of those with 16O
or more crop acres.
One hundred and six of the tractors
had been in use / year, 100 had been
in use | 1-2 or 2 years, 40 had been IN
use 2 1-2 or 3 years, and 81 had been
in use more than 3 years.
On the average the tractors were
used for 30.S full days during the
year covered by the investigation.
and five-tenths of this
was drawbar work on the home farm,
2.7 DAYS was belt works and 4.6 days
was custom work. Seventythree OF
the 286 tractors did less than 20 days
of work during the year and 70 dld
SO or more days work.
The number of woIkstock still own
ed varied from 2 head on II of the
farms to more than Is on 5 of tie
large farms. On the average there
were 6.S head per farm at the time
of the survey, and their value was
S145 per head. In all there were L.
97S lead of workstock on the 2S6
farms and III colts less than | year
of age.
Farm Horse Works One Day in Five.
The average number Of full days
work per year per horse, for all farms
was 68.6. On 20 of the farms the
workstock did less than 40 full days
work and on 27 thew did 100 or more
days work per wear
The tractors did So per cent of the
blowing on these farms, IS per cent
of the disking, AZ per cent Of the har-.
rowing, planking, 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 and horses,
and used horses only.
Of 225 who did fall blowing, 100 did
it all with tractors, 81 used both trac-
tors and horses, and 8 used horses.
only.
Of 2S4 men who did disking all but
Is used tractors for at least part of
it. One hundred and thirty men used
their tractors for cutting grain and 81
for drawing the hay loader. A small
er number used their tractors for any
other drawbar operation.
In all, the power for 80 per cent Of
the ,lrawbar work on these farms,
as measured by days of horse labor
required for it, 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 1, 1920, was
$3.50, and the average cost per farm
was $1,076.
This cost includes chrges for feed at
the average price for the year, chores
at 25 cents per hour, shooting. veteri-
nary, harness, interest at 6 per cent,
and depreciation. A manure credit OF
SIS per head was allowed.
Costs As Cents Daily to Feed Horse
Exclusive of grass and stalk pas
ture, the average ration per horse
consisted of 1.3 tons of hay, LIZ tons
OF straw, w acre VI SCoVeI, 90
bushels of corn, and 22.3 bushels of
oats. The total cost of feed per head
was 1874. Based on present prices
March, 1929 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
$243. Based on present prices the
cost on these farms would be not far
from $3.50 per day.
The average first cost of the 2-plow
tractors was $972, of the 3-plow trac-
tors 1884, and of all tractors $1,140.
The average amount spent for equip
ment, mostly plows and disks, for use
with tractors was about $34O. The
average value of the. horse-drawn inn
plements disposed of after the pur-
chase of the tractors was $12.
The average life Of these tractors as
estimated by their owners is Ct years.
The annual depreciation of the 2-plow
trctors amounted to 1854, and of the
3-plow $217. The annual cost of re-
pairs, including the value of the ow-
ner's time spent in repairing the
II y ,I~xrv