66 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LII. No. 1333 



could be done most economically by the use of 

 horses. "Animal power is to-day our chief reli- 

 ance in saving labor on farms, and so far as we 

 can judge always will be. The more effective 

 utiliza/tion of animal motive power units, and the 

 application of labor saving methods therewith, 

 should therefore receive especial consideration 

 from our colleges, experiment stations and agri- 

 cultural engineers." 



The increasing of labor efl6.eienoy on the farm 

 through the use of animal power involves the study 

 of four leading factors: namely, the use of a 

 greater number of horses per man; the application 

 of more efSoient methods in the use of animal 

 power; the employment of more ef&cient types of 

 horses; and the devising of new applications in 

 utilizing animal power. It is worth while to note 

 that the light two-horse teams used in New Eng- 

 land plow scarcely more than one acre per day. 

 In Pennsylvania and Ohio three-horse teams are 

 often used and the acreage plowed by them will 

 average two to two and a half per day. In Iowa 

 and Illinois most farmers use four and five horse 

 teams and plow four and a half to five acres per 

 day; while in the PaLouse Country in Oregon, 

 ■Washington and Idaho eight and ten horse teams 

 are common and their performance is equivalent 

 to eight to eight and a half acres per day. "To 

 put the matter in another way, the men in the West 

 were doing their work with half as much labor as 

 Illinois' farmers and one eighth as much labor as 

 New England farmers. ' ' 



Dean Pottter referred in his remarks to the part 

 played by large scale production methods in the 

 development of the American industries. These 

 mctihods are, however, possible only where mechan- 

 ical power and devices operated by mechanical 

 power are availaible. In the use of horse power 

 one man can control at most five or six power 

 units, whereas in the use of mechanical power he 

 can control many more units. A questionnaire sent 

 out to Kansas farmers disclosed many interesting 

 facts as to the cost of eparation, depreciation, 

 efficiency of smaller and larger tractors, etc. 



Considerable stress was laid by Mr. Lee on the 

 opportunities that exist for using on the farm 

 small electric motors of one half to three quarter 

 horse power. Numerous tasks in the farm out- 

 bmldings and in the farm home could be per- 

 formed by means of such motors, as for instance 

 the operation of cream separators, sewing ma- 

 chines, pumps, vacuum cleaners, clippers, etc. Mr. 

 Lee also referred to the need for investigation and 

 training as bearing on the more effective use of 



labor-saving devices in the farm home, as well as in 

 the outbuildings and on the land. 



The last topic on the program, "Future Needs 

 and Developments," was discussed by Mr. E. A. 

 White, of the Holt Manufacturing Company, 

 Peoria, 111. Mr. White estimated that there are in 

 use on the farms of the United States about 30 

 million horse power units made up of 16 million 

 animal units, 5 million gasoline and kerosene 

 tractor units, 4 million steam engine units and more 

 than 3 million windmill and electric motor units. 

 On the other hand, the manufacturing establish- 

 ments of the United States control only about 18i 

 millions of mechanical Ihorso power units. If noth- 

 ing else, the magnitude of the agricultural in- 

 dustry demands the expansion in the use of animal 

 and mechanical power where this would be war- 

 ranted by economic conditions. It also demands a 

 more intimate knowledge of the need for power, 

 the efficient use of power and the improvement in 

 the devices employed, as well as the training of 

 the human agents to Whom, in the last analysis, 

 we must look for the effeotive use of both power 

 and machinery. 



At the business meeting Dr. E. W. Allen, chief 

 of the Office of Experiment Stations, was nomi- 

 nated vice-president. The General Committee of 

 the Association later confirmed this nomination. 

 The other officers for the ensuing year are: Dr. A, 

 F. Woods, retiring vice-president; Dr. A. C. True, 

 menuber of council; Mr. George M. Rommel, mem- 

 ber of general committee ; Sectional Committee, Dr. 

 0. P. Gillette (four years) ; Dr. John Lee Coulter 

 (three years) ; Dr. A. F. Woods (two years) ; 

 Dean Alfred Vivian (one year) ; Dr. Kenyon L. 

 Butterfield (one year) ; Dr. J. G. Lipman, secre- 

 tary (four years). 



Jacob G. Lipman, 

 Secretary 



SCIENCE 



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