Evening star., 1925-01-02
FARM EQUIPMENT
. MAKERS REJOICING
Heavy Replacement Sales
Expected During 1925.
Many Debts Paid.
BY j. C. ROYLE.

special Dispatch to The Star
NEW YORK, January 2.-The farm
er started in today to celebrate his
change from rags to riches first by
drawing n good long breath. The
sudden departure of the wolf from
the door on the advent of record
breaking prices for the banner wheat
crop left most agriculturists SO be-
wildered that they could do little
a first but pay their debts. These
have been almost entirely cleared ur
in many instances, and, while pur-
chaseS by the farm communities have
been fairly heavy in late months
manufacturers catering to farmers
wants believe the buying period has
only started.
Equipment Outlook Good.
The farm equipment manufacturers
for example, feel that 1925 will be
n splendid year for them. The Ma
tional Association of Farm Equip
ment Manufacturers has just COM
pleted a poll of its members, COM
prising about 200 manufacturers
with $1,000 dealers in practically
every farm center in the country
and as result has issued this dec
Jaration: Confidence has return ed
and feeling of conservative op-
1imism is felt throughout the farm
equipment trade"
Manufacturers recognize. however
that there are some spots which have
not been reached by the general
prosperity and where future sales
will probably be small. This is due
TO one of the poorest years in his
tory, and corn means beef, mutton,
hogs and milk in those sections.
Iowa, for example. has a corn crop
only 80 per cent matured. Indiana,
Illinois and Ohio also suffered and
this will affect farm equipment and
other sales through restriction of
buying power.
Machinery Lasts Longer.
Farmers have acute need OF re-
placing old, worn-out and out Of
date machines in order to speed up
The handling of the crop and cut
down expense of raising ii. Farmers,
however, have got pretty we'll used
10 the idea that they can make the
old machines do another season. US
ing little ingenuity, a lot of bailing
wire and few new parts. Experts
or leading company assert. after a
survey of Iowa so complete that ev-
cry farms binder was examined, that
the average life of that piece of ma
chinery has been increased 10 years
over pre-war estimates
There is every probability that the
export business of the farm equip
ment makers in 1925 will continue to
advance by leaps and bounds. Prac-
tIcally every civilized country has
been speeding up food production and
importing American farm equipment
10 replace the man power lost in the
war. Australia, Canada. Argentina,
South Africa, Mexico, India. Egypt.
France, Germany and scores of other
countries are expected to buy more
IN the next IL months than in the
last annual period
May Double Acreage.
If the price Of wheat stays up, Can
ada may double its prairie province
wheat acreage in the next two or
three years. because she has multi
piled her man power by some 5000
Americana built tractors each year
since the war. The struggle is still
on over better fat production be-
tween low cost hand labor in Europe
and high cost man labor in America
supplemented with labor saving ma
chinery, but the victory is slowly
turning to the American producers.
AS a result. sales of silos, ensilage
cutters. barn equipment, cream sepa-
rators and milking machines are ex-
pected to increase materially.
"The farmer will make replace
ments in about the same proportion
as he returns TO prosperity said
Finely p. Mount. head of the Advance
Rumely Corporation. today HE will
not buy all his requirem ents in 1925.
Even If he had the ability and desire
to do so. the machinery would not be
available. But all signs point to a
steady return to normal and 1925
will show a substantial return to the
farm machinery business"