BULLETIN OF THE 



mHOFAfflCOlHl 



No. 174 



Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry, Wm. A. Taylor, Chief 

 April 15, 1915. 



FARM EXPERIENCE WITH THE TRACTOR. 



By Arnold P. Yerkes, Scientific Assistant, and H. H. Mowry, Assistant Agricul- 

 turist, Office of Farm Management. 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction 1 



Designation of tractors 2 



Steam and gas tractors 3 



The gas tractor and the horse 4 



Tractor ratings 5 



Source of data 6 



Observations of business men 7 



Opinions of tractor owners 8 



Reports of satisfied and dissatisfied owners. . 10 



Gasoline and kerosene tractors 18 



Fuel supply 20 



Fuel consumption 21 



Lubricating oil 23 



Cross section of plows drawn and area plowed 



by tractors 23 



24 



Combination work 25 



Depth of plowing 26 



Packing soil by tractors 27 



Comparison of different sizes of tractors 2S 



Size of farm 30 



Use of tractors at night 33 



Custom work 34 



Repairs 35 



Displacement of horses by tractors 37 



Conditions essential to success with the 



tractor 39 



Summary 41 



INTRODUCTION. 



Modern agriculture requires an enormous amount of power to per- 

 form the annual farm operations, and there is a continuous, potential 

 demand for any device that will afford cheaper and more convenient 

 power on the farm. This situation has stimulated the production 

 of many types of mechanical substitutes for the farm horse. 



Although mechanical power outfits for farm operations have been 

 used in large and increasing numbers for several years, there have 

 been very few reliable data available to the public on the perform- 

 ance of these outfits under ordinary service conditions. Much of the 

 information which has been offered has originated from sources which 

 would indicate that the presentation of the subject would be a biased 

 one or has been furnished by men who were obtaining good, perhaps 



Note.— This bulletin is intended to make available to farmers who contemplate buying a tractor the 

 experience of many other farmers who have already used one; it is suitable for distribution west of the 

 Mississippi River. 



