434 FARM MOTORS 



engines. It is possible to figure just what the running 

 expense will be if the cost of the two different kinds of 

 fuel be at hand. Under ordinary conditions and for very 

 small units the gasoline engine will without question be 

 the cheapest. In dairy work, steam direct from the boiler 

 or from the exhaust is used to heat water for washing 

 purposes, and this is a great advantage for the steam 

 plant. However, the jacket water heated with the ex- 

 haust of a gasoline engine might be used in the same 

 way. 



The steam engine as built for farm use is capable, at 

 the expense of economy, of carrying a very heavy over- 

 load. This is extremely advantageous in traction engines 

 in case of emergencies. A 25-horse steam traction engine 

 is often able to develop 60 brake horse power. Gasoline 

 engines are rated very nearly their maximum power, and 

 are not able to carry a large overload. 



The troubles with steam engines usually come on grad- 

 ually, and the attendant is able to observe what is wrong 

 before the engine is stopped. With the gasoline engine, 

 if anything goes wrong the engine stops at once. All con- 

 ditions must be right in the gasoline engine or it will 

 not run. 



579. The future of the gasoline engine. Gasoline en- 

 gines will no doubt be used more and more as time goes 

 on, as they are especially adapted to the farmer's needs. 

 The gasoline engine is a power plant within itself. It 

 can be manufactured in almost any sized unit, and a suit- 

 able size can be produced for all manner of farm work 

 from the light work of running grain separators to a 

 motor large enough to run a threshing separator. If 

 gasoline as a fuel becomes too expensive, there is a possi- 

 bility of a substitution of other liquid fuels in this type of 

 engine. 



