34 



BULLETIN 910, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



0.480 ton; for f-ton trucks the load is 0.926 ton; for the 1-ton 

 trucks, 1.196 tons; for lj-ton and 1^-ton trucks, 1.734 tons; and 

 for the 2-ton trucks, 2.464 tons. The costs per mile of haul for the 

 trucks of different sizes divided by these figures give the costs per 

 ton-mile. 



Table XXI. — Cost of hauling with trucks of different sizes. 



Size of truck. 



|-ton. 



1-ton. 



1-ton. 



H-and 

 lj-ton. 



2-ton. 





SO. 082 

 .070 



$0. 127 

 .070 



SO. 119 

 .075 



$0. 190 

 .075 



SO 9 03 





075 







Total 



.152 

 .241 



.502 



.197 

 .313 

 .338 



.194 

 .308 

 .258 



.265 

 .421 

 .242 



278 



Cost per mile of haul (37 per cent idle running) 



.441 

 .179 







SAVING OF HIRED HELP. 



The saving of time is given by these men as the greatest advantage 

 in the use of a motor truck, but the saving of time will not be of any 

 financial benefit to a farmer unless he uses the time thus saved on 

 other work, or unless it enables him to reduce the expense for hired 

 help. 



These men were asked whether or not their trucks reduce the 

 expense for hired help, either man or horse, and, if so, to estimate 

 the amount thus saved per year. Of 711 men who answered the 

 question as to whether the truck reduces the expense for hired help, 

 562, or 79 per cent, said that it does, and the remaining 149 that 

 it does not. 



Three hmidred and fifty of the 562 estimated the amount thus 

 annually saved, and the average of these estimates is $324. This 

 figure can scarcely be taken to represent the actual amount which 

 the labor bills of these men have been reduced since purchasing their 

 trucks, but rather as their estimates of the amounts by which their 

 bills would be increased if they did not now own trucks, and if they 

 were doing the same amount of work they are now doing. 



Eighty-four ]>er cent of the operators of fruit farms think that their 

 trucks reduce the expense for hired help. This is a slightly higher 

 percentage than is reported for any other type of farming. The 

 average of the estimates of those of this 84 per cent who attempted 

 to place a value on the amount of help saved is $364. 



The owners of the larger trucks make higher estimates of the 

 amount that their trucks reduce expenses than do owners of the 

 smaller ones. The averages of the estimates of the owners of the \- 

 ton, f-ton, and 1-ton trucks, who report that their trucks reduce the 

 bill for hired help, were all between $250 and $300, the average of 

 the estimates of the owners of the lj-ton and 14- ton trucks was 



