FARM EXPEEIENCE WITH THE TRACTOR. 



31 



for the farms of more than 640 acres, although it will also be observed 

 that these men show a rather high percentage of kerosene tractors, 

 which may be partly responsible for this, as well as other favorable 

 averages for the larger farms. 



While the estimated life of the tractor is slightly higher for the 

 small farms, it should be borne in mind that these farms for the most 

 part have comparatively small tractors, especially the 15-horsepower 

 size, and this tractor shows a high average life in Table XVIII. 



There is no appreciable difference in the number of days used per 

 year, which would indicate that the smaller farms not only have a 

 greater percentage of owners who do custom work, but that the 

 amount of custom work per farm is also greater. 



Table XIX. — Relation of the size of the farm to the results obtained with tractors. 



Item of comparison. 



Size of farms (acres). 



161 to 



320. 



321 to 

 480. 



481 to 

 040. 



641 to 

 1,000. 



1,001 to 

 2,000. 



Number of farms reported 



Average size of farms acres. 



Owners stating that tractor is a good investment, 



per cent 



Drawbar rating of engine horsepower. 



Cost of engine dollars. 



Cost of special equipments do . . . 



Cost of repairs required: 



First season do. . . 



Second season do. . . 



Horses now kept: 



Number 



Value dollars. 



Life of tractor (estimated) years. 



Used per year days. 



Time spent in the field per day hours. 



Time lost in the field per day do... 



Fuel used in engines: 



Gasoline - .per cent. 



Kerosene do. . . 



Motor spirits do. . . 



Reporting night work per cent. 



Average nights used by men reporting night work. . 



Owners doing custom work per cent. 



Men doing custom work who find it profitable, 

 per cent 



25 

 300.2 



10.0 

 20.0 

 2,286.19 

 624. 98 



30.89 

 106. 74 



5.7 

 957. 73 



7.3 

 80.8 

 13.2 



2.4 



' 47.8 

 47.8 

 4.4 

 15.8 

 13.0 

 79.2 



56.2 



33 



424.2 



30.8 



22.5 



2, 497. 72 



641. 18 



20.47 

 82.28 



6.9 

 1,135.88 



7.1 

 78.3 

 12.3 



2.1 



71.9 

 25.0 

 3.1 

 14.3 

 12.8 

 84.8 



4S.1 



58 

 583.2 



22.2 



22.8 



2,416.49 



635. 04 



50.49 

 90.01 



9.0 

 1, 427. 59 



6.0 

 79.1 

 12.9 



2.0 



58.7 

 39.1 

 2.2 

 14.0 

 13.0 

 64.9 



36.7 



83 

 846.4 



39.7 

 25.0 



2,579.45 

 766.59 



58.01 



82.84 



11.6 

 2,004.75 



6.3 

 86.8 

 13.3 



2.3 



49.2 

 45.9 

 4.9 

 11.9 

 14.1 

 78.5 



67.9 



55 

 1,411.5 



40.0 

 27.4 



2. 730. 56 

 799.37 



59.62 



177.04 



19.2 



3. 100. 57 

 6.6 



77.1 

 12.7 

 2.2 



44.2 

 55.8 

 

 19.6 

 33.2 

 46.4 



61.9 



The percentage of owners who use their tractor at night is greatest 

 for the farms of 1,000 to 2,000 acres, and these men likewise use their 

 tractors for the greatest number of nights per year. From this fact it 

 would appear that only on the larger farms is there sufficient work to 

 utilize the full capacity of the tractor during the busy season, and even 

 on these large farms more than 46 per cent of the owners do custom 

 work. 



As would be expected, the cost of the tractor increases with the size 

 of the farm, owing, of course, to the increase in the size of the outfit. 

 The repair charges and value of special equipment likewise increase 

 with the size of the farm for the same reason. But while the cost of 

 special equipment undoubtedly bears a close relation to the size of the 



