398 



THE IRKIGATION AGE. 



THE TRACTOR FOR DEEP TILLAGE. 

 By Raymond Olney. 



Power is the prime requisite in the practice of deep 

 tillage. Large teams of horses are awkward and decidedly 

 inefficient. In order to break up the soil to a depth of 

 12 to 16 inches, the teams must necessarily be large and 

 difficult to manage. 



The power problem for deep tilling has been solved 

 by the use of mechanical power. It is but a few years 

 ago that the farm tractor was merely an experiment. To- 

 day it is a necessity in some sections of this country, and 

 is coming to be more and more so in others. In order to 

 practice deeper tillage, the farmers must have more avail- 

 able power. Where horses are used, there is a decided 

 deficiency in this respect. The inevitable result is that the 



Another View of Oil-Pull Tractor Hauling Deep Tilling Machines, 

 Roller and Smoothing Harrows in Colorado. 



farmer must turn to mechanical power as the most prac- 

 tical and economical to use. 



The M. Rumely Company, 1771 Main street, LaPorte, 

 Indiana, have, in their oil pull Tractor, an engine, which 

 is especially adapted for deep tillage purposes. It is ex- 

 ceptionally strong and durable in construction, and is cap- 

 able of withstanding the most severe service. It is now 

 built in three different sizes which are adapted to the 

 needs of the small as well as the large farmer. 



This tractor burns the cheaper grades of kerosene, 

 and any crude oil which does not have an asphaltic base. 

 It is the only internal combustion tractor, at the present 

 time, which burns the cheaper fuels economically at no 

 load as well as full load, and under all conditions of tem- 

 perature and atmosphere. 



The importance of deep tillage is well known by al- 

 most every farmer. Plants feed in the soil which is turned 

 up by the plow. The extent of this feeding ground or 

 seed bed depends upon the amount of soil which is turned. 

 The deeper we plow, so much larger space do we give the 

 plant roots to work in and render more plant food avail- 

 able. 



Deep plowing allows more moisture to enter the soil, 

 and because it improves the capillary action in the soil, it 

 holds the moisture better, and thus makes it available for 

 the plants. The crops do not suffer as much from hot 

 winds as in the case of shallow plowing. 



The illustrations show this tractor hauling deep tilling 

 machines. These machines, at a single operation, plow, 

 pulverize and thoroughly mix the top and bottom soils to- 

 gether, and make it possible for the farmer to plow to a 

 much greater depth than he usually does. It results in 

 preparing a perfect seed bed which will conserve the mois- 

 ture, improve the physical condition of the soil, increase 

 crop yields, and consequently increase the la~bor returns 

 of the farmer. 



These machines, however, require a great deal of 

 power. If this power is to be furnished by horses, it 

 means large teams, which are, at the best, very inefficient 

 and uneconomical. Horses are slow, and if they are used 

 for this purpose the work must naturally extend over a 



considerable length of time. It is possible to plow deep 

 with horses, but most farmers find it impractical. 



The tractor has the advantage of having a large power 

 capacity and endurance. It will not only do the work 

 faster, but it will also do it better. It travels at a higher 

 rate of speed than horses, which insures better pulveriza- 

 tion, and a more thorough mixing of the top and bottom 

 soils. It will work longer hours per day and never be- 

 comes tired out. 



This tractor has the further advantage of being less 

 expensive than horsepower. It will usually average about 

 1,000 hours of work per year. During this time, the 15- 

 horsepower oil pull Tractor, capable of replacing 15 

 horses for continues work day after day, would use about 

 3,000 gallons of kerosene. This can be obtained at from 

 5 to 7 cents per gallon. At the latter figure, the fuel cost 

 would be $210 per year. This, together with lubricating 

 oil, minor repairs, etc., ought not to exceed $300 per year. 



An Indiana farmer has estimated that a team of two 

 horses requires 4 tons of hay, and about 131 bushels of 

 corn in one year. At the present price of $22 per ton 

 for hay, and 65 cents per bushel for corn, the feed cost per 

 year will be $173. The cost of feeding 4 horses would 

 then be $346. 



Therefore, the tractor, which has a power capacity 

 equivalent to 15 average horses pulling on the same load 

 day after day, has a fuel cost less than the feed cost for 

 four horses. Even if the price of feed is cut in two, the 

 tractor will still have a fuel expense less than the feed for 

 half the number of horses that equal it in power. 



If properly taken care of, the repair expense of this 

 tractor will be comparatively small. A farmer, who takes 

 care of his tractor as well as he does his horses, will find 

 this true. 



According to government statistics, an average of 27 

 minutes per day is spent in caring for one horse the year 

 round. For four horses, this would amount to 657 hours 

 per year. The tractor working 1,000 Tiours per year, can 



Oil-Pi.Jl Tractor, Type "B," Hauling Deep Tilling Machine, Roller and 

 Smoothing Harrows in Colorado. 



be kept in first-class operating condition, including repairs 

 and all, on much less time than this. 



The amount of labor required to operate a traction 

 outfit is no small item of consideration. One man operat- 

 ing the 15-horsepower tractor is able to do the work for- 

 merly done by 3 to 5 men where horses are used. At 

 the present time, when farm help is very hard to get, the 

 labor-saving feature of the tractor will appeal to any far- 

 mer. Every year the problem of labor becomes more 

 difficult, and for this reason many farmers are turning 

 their attention to the tractor and other labor-saving ma- 

 chinery to overcome this difficulty. 



Send $1.00 for 1 year's subscription to the IRRIGA- 

 TION AGE and bound copy of THE PRIMER OF IRRIGA- , 

 TION. If you desire a copy of The Primer of Hy- 

 draulics add $2.50 to above price. 



