330 THE NEW AGRICULTURE. 



the reason for its present popularity is plainly apparent, but 

 we are only at the beginning of its application in farm man- 

 agement and in farm life. There is no reason why the por- 

 table gasoline engine should not furnish its own portable 

 power that is, be driven as an- auto. There is no reason 

 and this is of much greater moment that an auto should not 

 be constructed which would do the work of horses in the 

 field, not only in drawing gang plows, harrows and seeders, 

 as is now done on the bonanza farms with 25 and 50 horse 

 power steam traction engines, but in drawing the two, four 

 and six horse plows, planters, cultivators and other imple- 

 ments' now used upon the average farm. These motors drag- 

 ging their implements over the field at a pace from two to 

 three times as fast as a horse walks, would double and treble 

 the efficiency of human labor. Such a motor being a possi- 

 bility and offering such inducements to inventors and manu- 

 facturers, we may rest assured will not be long in becoming 

 a reality. The auto farm wagon and family vehicle are as cer- 

 tain to find their place upon the farm as the auto truck, run- 

 about and touring car are to increase upon our city streets. 

 The fact that a gasoline engine consumes fuel only while 

 doing work is immensely in its favor. 



Attention is naturally directed in this connection to the cost 

 of gasoline and the probability of finding a practical substi- 

 tute. With slight modifications in the carbureters of out 

 present gasoline engines, alcohol may be substituted as fuel 

 for the volatile oil. But alcohol may be cheaply produced 

 from potatoes and this is now being done on a large scale in 

 Germany. It has not been determined as yet 'whether potato 

 alcohol can be made and profitably sold for motor purposes 

 in this country at a lower price than that now charged for 



