FARM EXPERIENCE WITH THE TRACTOR. 43 



The necessity for the operator of a gas tractor being thoroughly 

 trained for his work, if a tractor is to prove a success, is obvious. 

 Failure to comply with this requirement has been the cause of many 

 failures. 



The tractors which have been operated by kerosene show, as a 

 whole, slightly better average results than those operated by gaso- 

 line, indicating that the heavier fuels can be burned at least as satis- 

 factorily as the lighter ones. The amount of kerosene used per unit 

 of work, however, is usually slightly more than for gasoline, which 

 would appear to indicate that the combustion of the kerosene is gen- 

 erally not as perfect as that of the gasoline. This is partly due to 

 the fact that many owners are burning kerosene in tractors equipped 

 with ordinary gasoline carburetors. 



The necessity of a tractor being equipped to operate on either heavy 

 or light fuels is not so great as it was a few years ago. Modern proc- 

 esses of refining make it possible to convert approximately 75 per cent 

 of any crude oil into gasoline or heavier fuels, as desired, and it is 

 stated by an excellent authority that the supply of crude oil available 

 is ample for several generations. Therefore, the question of fuel 

 supply need give the tractor owner no concern. 



The data apparently show that the tractors with drawbar ratings 

 of 15 horsepower are giving slightly better results than either the 

 larger or smaller sizes. 



The tractor has not, as a rule, displaced its equivalent in work 

 horses, as regards either power or value. Its purchase, therefore, 

 usually increased the investment in power, as well as in certain kinds 

 of equipment. The necessity for a large acreage, if the invested 

 capital per acre is to be kept within a safe limit, is very apparent, 

 although in many farming communities a tractor may prove profit- 

 able on a small acreage, provided the owner can obtain some lucrative 

 custom work for the tractor when it is not required on the home farm. 

 A great deal of the custom work which has been done with tractors 

 has proved unprofitable to the tractor owner, however. 



The modern gas tractor of 10 or more horsepower has thus far, 

 within its limited area of use, proved to be an auxiliary of the farm 

 horse rather than a substitute. When properly handled, it is often of 

 great value in permitting one or two men to perform a large amount 

 of work within a limited length of time. With further development, 

 a lower first cost, and in the hands of a conservative class of farmers 

 who have been carefully trained in their operation, tractors will 

 undoubtedly continue to grow in number and efficiency, extending their 

 field of work into new territory. The heavy demands for power to 

 break new land are practically over, and the growth of the tractor will 

 hereafter be due more to its merit than in the past. 



