The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1929-12-27

The introduction of tractors
suitable for cultivating corn. cot.
ton, and potatoes is comparatively
recent. Previously the standard
method of cultivating corn wa
with the 2-horse, 1-row cultiyabor
Under the old conditions one man
could cultivate from 80 to so acres
OF corn, according 30 the topogra.
phy and the character OF the soil
With one of the new power cult
vators equipped for 4-row cultiva-
non, one man can cultivate from
lou to 200 acres of corn. In the
same manner he can cultivate a
bout the same acreage of cotton.
This gain in the acreage one
man can cultivate tends to in
crease the size of farms in the cen
tral corn belt and in the western
part of the cotton belt. 1t material
~ reduces unit costs of production.
Following the introduction of tine
Observation-Disclosures the number of
horses needed on corn and cotton
farms decreased sharply. From
1918 to 1923 the number of farm
horses In the United States de-
creased more than z million head
simultaneously the automobile and
the truck practically replaced the
horse IN the cities. There resulte6
a marked decrease in the demand
Tor corn, oats and hay. However.
the decrease in the demand for
corn Tor horse feed was party off
set by a slight reduction in I'm.
acreage of corn and by increases
IN other kinds of farm stock.
The Increase in Tractors
An indication of the rapidlv
growing use of mechanical mower
ON farms is the increase in the
number OF tractors manufactured
IN TINS country. In 1927 the num-
per produced was 62,742. THOUGH
TINS TINS was double the production of
1916 1t was less than half the
number turned out N 1923 IF is
estimated that in 1923 there were
approximately $4,000 tractors on
american farms. Tractors have re
Gently been greatly improved in
Design and construction. The aarIv
Iarm tractors were large and
proved unwieldy on land ALREADY
under cultivation. Then followed =
reaction toward very small trac-
TORS. Today middle course is fol.
lowed; the tractors now turned ont
are somewhat larger than those
mat were popular a few wears
ago: In the northern great nlains
region the S-plow and 4-plow trac-
Tor Is coming rapidly into use. and
mere is some demand for 6-plow
tractors. piO"
More strongly built implements
% mitch to these tractors are re-
CURED Manufacturers have been
cautious about producing such 3
lupment, fearing that their neces-
sa.rily higher price might Interfere
with sales. It is now coming n he
recognized, however, that the GREAT
power OF the modern tractor neces-
Sl'ates strongly built attachments
7 typical example of the labor
SAVING affected by the use of The
tractor IS given in a recent St15v
maze 9y the University of Arkan-
as which showed that a rice
-aIner IN that state using tractor
equipment could accomplish three
our and even five times as nucb
= ne could by earlier methods In
'ne rice-growlng county In Arkan-
a. the survey showed 1907 trac-
.ors' or one for every s. acres Of
IN many western localities the
{ af.ners have increased the size of 4
-leI implements and the area of
ana they till, by using laroe 4
cams Teams of u to 90 horses
re not uncommon for nlowino
narrowing and seeding
~, ! on some of the combines in the
ael1lc northwest as MANY as 80
.oIses are used effectively A con.
- Is on between the tractor anf
, - olg team, the outcome Of which
alities. -o Al many &c
ct eno Toward Larger Farms
maIger power units of farm {
srs .nent are undoubtedly the chief
1850 OF the recently accelerated /,
Gnu toward an increase in the [
! Is . u farms. It has been estimat,
snat from 1915 to 1917. Mon
ana had about * nm wha.+ fa~,,-