Saving Labor in Land Cultivation 



FRANK E. GOODWIN 



Missouri 



TRACTORS FOR GARDEN USE, THEIR POSSIBILITIES AND LIMITATIONS FOR GENERAL CROPS WHEN LABOR 



IS SCARCE 



THE urgent ap- 

 peal of the Ad- 

 ministration 

 for largely in- 

 creased acreages of 

 food crops was won- 

 derfully responded to 

 by a vastly greater 

 army of volunteers 

 than will be called to 

 the colors. Within a 

 few days after the 

 Call to the Farms, 

 millions of acres 

 hitherto used for 

 parks, lawns and or- 

 namental gardens 

 were scarred deep 

 with the plow, and 

 the deep scars were 

 smoothed with har- 

 rows, and dedicated 

 to the production of 

 "things to eat." 



The successful pro- 

 duction of food crops 

 requires fertile soil, a 

 properly prepared 

 seed bed, seed en- 

 dowed with strong 

 vitality, and work. 

 Once the young vege- 

 tables have pushed 



their tender leaves above their earthy bed, 

 they must have constant care to bring them 

 to maturity in profitable quantities to re- 

 pay the gardener for his outlay of time and 

 effort. The most perfect seed bed, planted 

 with carefully selected seed of greatest pos- 

 sible vitality, and started under ideal growing 

 conditions will repay only with losses if fre- 

 quent weeding, cultivation, and spraying are 

 overlooked. 



When the crops have ripened they must be 

 harvested at the proper time — neither too early 

 nor too late; in weather that is neither too 

 damp nor too cold. 



Summed up in a word, the successful, profit- 

 able growing of food crops depends most 

 largely upon labor. 



The urban dweller, depending upon his own 

 individual efforts, may bring a quarter acre 

 garden to maturity by devoting an hour 

 morning and evening, and all of Saturday 

 afternoons to his task. If he is the father 

 of a couple of half-grown boys he may in- 

 crease this to half or three quarters of an 

 acre. One man steadily employed as care- 

 taker of a small estate may, with the owner's 



For hauling loads around the grounds. The engine-driven 

 machine is always ready and needs but little attention when 

 not in use 



The old way and the new. The small gasolene driven machine designed to surplant the horse in cultivating moderate-sized 



areas 



assistance, make an acre garden. But above 

 an acre competent labor must be employed. 



Where is labor, skilled in crop growing for 

 pleasure and profit, to be obtained? A million 

 able-bodied men are called to arms. The farms 

 require an army of laborers to make and mar- 

 ket the commercial crops. The speeding up of 

 factories furnish employment for all who will 

 work. Competent help is scarce and will grow 

 to greater demand when the Government is 

 well started in filling its requirements. Where, 

 then, shall the grower of food crops look for 

 relief? 



The small farm tractor — humble brother to 

 the pleasure automobile. 



Necessity, mother of invention, gave birth 

 to the farm tractor for general use but a few 

 years ago. True steam tractors came into 

 limited use shortly following the Civil War, 

 but these we will pass over with this brief 

 mention. 



The internal combustion engine, fed with 

 gasolene, which made the automobile, the 

 motor boat, and the aeroplane possible, also 

 became the heart of the farm tractor. And 

 while to-day gasolene flows through the main 

 arteries to the heart of this powerful machine, 

 kerosene is fast replacing_gasolene as fuel, and 

 distillates are used in very limited quantities. 



The power of the motor is directed to 

 wheels or "crawlers" by reducing gears. The 

 wheels furnish support for the mechanism and 

 give traction to the machine so that it becomes 

 the motive power which draws the plow, 

 harrow, cultivator, and harvester upon the 

 land. A separate gear engaging at the will of 

 the operator, supplies power for belt-operated 

 machinery while the tractor stands at "parade 

 rest." 



While more than 160 firms are building farm 

 tractors in considerable or small numbers, one 

 can count upon the fingers of one hand the 

 tractors which are adaptable for the farm of 50 

 acres or less. A great majority of tractors are 



21 



designed to serve 

 farm owners whose 

 acres number from 

 120 acres to as many 

 thousands. The 

 choice of tractors 

 which may relieve the 

 burdens of the man 

 with few acres is re- 

 stricted to three or 

 four makes of ma- 

 chines, each of which 

 is vastly different 

 from the other. 



Up to this time, 

 and probably for 

 some years to come, it 

 has been necessary to 

 build tractors of 

 heavy weight to pro- 

 vide tractive power 

 sufficient to pull the 

 implement or tool for 

 work in the field. In 

 almost every case it 

 has required half of 

 the motor's power to 

 move the weight of 

 the tractor itself. 

 Thus it is that a 

 tractor, operated with 

 a motor of ten rated 

 mechanical horse- 

 power, will only provide five rated horsepower 

 at the drawbar — the mechanical term of de- 

 noting the pulling power of the tractor. 



But it must be distinctly understood that 

 rated horsepower is not the same as animal 

 horsepower. A tractor rated at five horse- 



Eower at the drawbar and ten at the pulley or 

 elt, will not perform the same work that five 

 horses will, for the reason that the tractor's 

 rating is its maximum, while the horse itself 

 has great reserve strength. 



Thus the 10-5 tractor will perform about the 

 same work that two average horses will under 

 most conditions. Its cost will be about the 

 same. 



Owing to the very limited number of tractors 

 which will attract the attention of owners of 

 small tracts of 50 acres and under, the reader 

 need not consume much time in looking over 

 the market if he decides he can 'use a tractor 

 with profit to his "farming" operations. His 

 only concern need be which of the few he can 

 most profitably add to his equipment. At the 



Rocks can be moved, stumps pulled, and ground cleared 

 by a machine of this type. Useful for heavy construction 

 work 



