FARM EXPERIENCE WITH THE TRACTOR. 21 



The means for meeting the demand are in sight. * * * In the first place, recent 

 developments in knowledge of the resources of the United States make it probable 

 that there will be no great decline in oil production in the future; therefore no decline 

 in gasoline supply is likely. As to the necessary increase, this will come from 

 synthetic gasoline obtained from petroleum itself. 



Several years ago I found that if these oils are distilled under pressure the yield 

 of gasoline is still greater, and that the unpleasant odor, due to deficiency in hydrogen 

 in the composition of the oils, can be remedied by actually combining hydrogen 

 with the oil in the still under the influence of a catalytic agent. Recently the 

 demand for any kind of gasoline has waived the requirement of good odor, and other 

 processes are producing much synthetic gasoline. 



By such means, low-grade residues have been made to yield from 20 to perhaps 

 70 per cent of their weight in material which will serve as gasoline. 



The " low-grade residues " of which Dr. Day speaks in the last 

 paragraph quoted are the oils from which the regular amount of 

 gasoline has been distilled under the old processes. Under the new 

 process probably 75 per cent of nearly all of the crude oils may be 

 converted into gasoline. 



It is therefore safe to assume that the price of gasoline will not 

 advance in the next few years because of scarcity, for sufficient 

 gasoline can be readily produced to meet all requirements. In other 

 words, the oil-refining industry has reached a stage where the quan- 

 tity of any petroleum product may be increased or diminished at will, 

 to meet the requirements of the trade; that is, if the demand for 

 gasoline increases and that for kerosene decreases, part of the raw 

 product which in the past has been distilled into kerosene will be 

 converted into gasoline instead. 



The heavier oils possess more heat units per gallon, but practically 

 the same per pound as the lighter ones. The more heat units a 

 given quantity of fuel contains, the more power it should develop; 

 therefore, if the heavier products could be as readily burned as the 

 lighter ones they should command a higher price per gallon. The 

 heavier fuels present difficulties in starting the engine when cold, 

 however, usually requiring it to be run for a short time on a lighter 

 fuel until it becomes hot enough to handle the heavier one satisfac- 

 tory. Recent improvements in design promise to overcome this 

 objection. 



FUEL CONSUMPTION. 



The consumption of fuel per hour by tractors of different ratings 

 is shown in Table XL According to these figures, the amount of 

 fuel consumed per hour varies from about 3^ gallons for the 20- 

 horsepower tractor to 5f gallons for the 30-horsepower outfit during 

 the first year. For the 2-year-old tractors the range is from 3^ to 

 about 6J gallons per hour. In five out of the seven groups the 

 amount is greater for the second year than for the first, which would 

 seem natural, as after wear has commenced in the motor the fuel 

 consumption will not be so economical. 



