FAEM EXPEEIEITCS WITH THE TEACTOR. 7 



OBSERVATIONS OF BUSINESS MEN. 



Most of the inquiries to business men were addressed to bankers. 

 It is believed that bankers have a more intimate knowledge of the 

 financial standing of the farmers of their community than most other 

 classes of business men and are also more likely to furnish an unbiased 

 and unprejudiced opinion, based on their knowledge of the financial 

 success of the men who are farming with horses and those who are 

 using tractors. The prosperity of the bankers of a community 

 depends largely upon the prosperity of their patrons, and they naturally 

 keep well informed on all factors influencing the welfare of the com- 

 munity. It appears from many of the answers that the writers had 

 been carefully observing the effect of farm tractors for several years, 

 and their conclusions were based on actual knowledge of the general 

 prosperity of the men who farmed with horses and those who used 

 tractors. 



The replies received from all classes of business men showed that 

 where tractors had been used to any great extent or for a considerable 

 length of time the business interests have become prejudiced against 

 them and believe they have had an injurious effect on the farming 

 community and general prosperity of the country. Hundreds of 

 facts and arguments were furnished in support of these opinions, 

 which were not in a form permitting tabulation. The principal 

 reason advanced seems to be the fact that a great many men who 

 have purchased tractors have failed to make them pay, and a large 

 percentage, having bought expensive outfits on time, lost their entire 

 property through foreclosure proceedings and judgments on notes. 



It is unfair, however, to ascribe all of these failures to the ineffi- 

 ciency of the tractor, as faulty operation had its share. A very 

 important contributing cause has been the poor business management 

 and judgment of the farmer in incurring an obligation nearly or 

 quite equal to the entire value of his property with no means of meet- 

 ing it except the production of a good crop or the possible performance 

 of a large amount of lucrative custom work. While a good crop 

 might save him from bankruptcy, he would be more properly termed 

 "lucky" than a good manager. The failure of a crop the first year 

 after the purchase of the tractor has often been sufficient to ruin the 

 owner, while serious breaks or other accidents have frequently 

 accomplished the same result. 



Without referring further to the reasons for their opinions, most of 

 the business men consulted do not consider the tractor a good invest- 

 ment for the average farmer. The opinions of bankers as to the 

 effect the tractors have had on the farming industry and their desira- 

 bility as an investment for the average farmer are shown in Table II. 

 In this table the States are arranged according to the number of 



81435°— Bull. 174—15 2 



