Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1921-06-02

/ Preparing Seed Bed
,.repared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture)
During OctoiIer and November, 1920,
representatives of the United States
Department Of Agriculture visited -
tractor owners in Ohio, Indiana, ant
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
agrmrnt and farm economies and the
bureau of public roads. in accordance
with plans outlined at the farm power
conference ut Chicago H.. in 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-
tuns.
Farms Above Average in Size.
The average size of the farms Wis
itcd was 21S acres. This is consider
ably above the average size of all
farms in thcs" states.
Two-plow tractors were owned on
III of tie 2sG farms thrcc-p ploW trac-
tors on lU4, and four-pl"w tractors on
SiN farms. one farmer owned Il one
lloW machine. and one farmer owned
fNc-pl"W machine. TWo-pl"w ma
chimes We're found on - per cent of
the farms with less than 100 crop
acres, and ON - per cent of those with
lGO or more crop acres.
One hundred and six of the tractors
had been in use one year, 100 had
been in use one and one-half or two
wears, 10 had nren in use two and one
half or three years, and 81 had been
in use more than three years.
On the average the tractors were
used for 3O.S full days during the year
covered by the Investigation. Twenty
draWhar work ON the home farm,
- 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 80
ur more days work.
The number of WOrkStOCk still
owned varied from two head on II Of
the farms 10 more than - on five of
the large farms. On the average there
were 6.S head per farm ut the
time of the survey, ana their value
was $40 per head. In al. there were
ISIS head of workStuck on the 2S6
farms and Ill colts less than one year
- age.
The average number of full days
work per year per horse, for all farms
was CSC. ON 20 of the farms the
workStock did less than 10 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, II per cent of the grain cutting,
ard about 10 per cent of the loading
and hauling of hay
OF 267 men who did spring plowing,
142 did it all with tractors, 12l used
both tractors and horses, and four
used horses only.
OF 225 who did fall blowing, 100
did it all with tractors, 27 used both
tractors and horses, and eight used
horses only.
In all the power for 80 per cent of
the drawbar work on these farms, as
measured by days of horse labor re-
quired 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 l, 1920, was
$3.50, and the average cost per farm
was 81 7G.
Costs 45 Cents Daily to Feed Horse.
Exclusive of grass and stalk pasture,
rhc average ration per horse consisted
Of l3 tons of hay 1.2 tons of straw,
e. acre of Stover. 37.S bushels of corn,
and 22.3 bushels of oats. The total
cost nt feed per head was S134. Based
on present prices (March, 1920, 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
50 AZ. Based on present prices the cost
on these farms would be not far from
ST 80 per day
The average first cost of the two
plow tractors was 1912, of the three
pillow tractors S1,354, and of all trac-
tors 81. 40. The average amount spent
for equipment, mostly plows and disks,
for use with tractors was about $40.
The average value of the horse-drawn
implements disposed of after the pur-
chase Of the tractors was $12.
The average life of these tractors
as estimated by their owners Is 81