266 AGRICULTURE 



then required much more time and effort to secure a living by 

 agriculture than it does now. 



One of the greatest lines of progress in America has 

 been the substitution of animal power for man power in 

 doing farm work. In this we are far ahead of most other 

 nations, even those of Europe. For example, we have in 

 the United States almost twenty-five million horses, or ap- 

 proximately one to every four persons. In France, one 

 horse has to serve ten people ; in Germany, thirteen, and in 

 Great Britain, twenty-six. 



Saving in time by work of animals. The use of work 

 animals has resulted in great saving of time. It has been 

 estimated that in 1830 each bushel of wheat grown in the 

 United States required three hours of a man's time ; it now 

 requires less than ten minutes. In 1850 it took a man four 

 and one-half hours on an average to grow, harvest and 

 shell a bushel of corn ; it now requires less than forty min- 

 utes. The greater part of this saving has come through the 

 use of improved farm machinery drawn by horses or mules. 



Where the peasants of European countries use shovels, 

 hoes, scythes or other primitive implements, we employ 

 gang-plows, disk harrows and self-binders. The great sav- 

 ing in human energy and time growing out of this dif- 

 ference is seen when it is remembered that one horse hitched 

 to modern machinery can do the work of at least ten men 

 with hand tools. Many an American boy with his four- 

 horse team is therefore accomplishing the labor of forty 

 European peasants with their hand work and poor tools ! 



The animals used for work. Among the various ani- 

 mals that men have trained to work for them are horses, 

 cattle, mules, buffalo, reindeer, camels, dogs and elephants. 

 No animals, except horses, mules and cattle, have ever been 

 extensively used for farm work in this country. The use of 

 oxen for work has now been almost wholly discontinued. 



