24 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 



It will be seen from the Statements B and C that the 

 cost of operations is now at the 1916-17 level, and that the 

 1917-18 figures may be taken as abnormal owing to war con- 

 ditions. The entire tackle is in thorough working order 

 and, with the rigid system of replacements practised, may 

 be calculated to be as good as when first purchased. The 

 work done by it is excellent, but the heavy capital cost still 

 remains a drawback to its general adoption on estates, 

 and it is to be feared that this cost will never revert to 

 pre-war figures. 



A Fordson motor tractor (Plate I) was bought in May, 

 and a demonstration of its working was given on the 

 farm. As this was the first tractor of its type to be 

 worked in India, much interest was displayed in the 

 demonstration and a large number of people attended 

 from all parts of India. 



The tractor worked with implements in use on the farm 

 and did all that it was asked to do in excellent style. It 

 was hitched successively to a double furrow disc plough, a 

 Ransome's cultivator, Cambridge roll and rake of three 

 spring tooth-harrows, and afterwards was used to run the 

 silage cutter. One could not fail to be struck with its work 

 over ploughed land which was good, thorough, and showed 

 no sign of poaching the land or failing to get a driving 

 grip. Its weight 21 cwt. all on appears to be the optimum 

 for these operations. It is an extraordinarily handy 

 machine and, with its light weight and great power, is well 

 adapted to Bihar conditions. It is now working regularly 

 on the farm and careful records are being kept of its fuel 

 consumption, etc. A report will be issued in due course, 

 and I take the opportunity of stating here that pending 

 the completion of thorough trials and the issue of this 

 report, I am not prepared to express any definite opinion 

 as to its capabilities. Any one wishing to see it working 

 is welcome to do so. It is hoped to be able to run parallel 

 experiments with other types of tractors this winter; and 

 also to test fully the various types of implements provided 

 with these tractors, and there seems little reason to doubt 



