°26 BULLETIN 1202, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
WORK STOCK NEEDED IN ADDITION TO TRACTOR. 
Each tractor owner visited was asked for a statement of the number 
of work stock which he considered necessary in addition to the 
tractor for the proper operation of his farm, and it was found that 
a great many of them were keeping surplus horses. Table 27 shows 
the average number of work stock kept and the number of cro 
acres per horse at the time of the investigation on the farms of dif. 
ferent sizes, together with the average number of work stock needed 
and crop acres per necessary horse. For the entire 354 farms an 
average of 8.3 head of work stock per farm—one for each 42 crop 
acres—was being kept at the time of the investigation. Operators 
considered that they needed only 6.5 head, one for each 54 crop acres. 
TABLE 27.—Work stock owned and work stock needed in addition to tractor. 
Size of farm (crop acres). 
oe Less} 160 | 240 | 320 , 400 | 480 640 | 800 | ,y 
than | to to to to to to | and far 
| 160. | 239. | 319. | 399. | 479. | 639. | 799. | over. | “7™S- 
| 
Southern area: | 
Number of work stock owned............ J Pm Yu! pea | a a 6S A 2 a a) Fa 7.5 
Crap sexes per horse-- <= *o os ecee cee 27 29 36 36 A Nama i ape 35 
Number of work stock needed. .......... 20) 4d BU) 26> 0B. Bi ae cree | 5.7 
Crop acres per necessary horse. .......... 37 43 | 46 47 | 47 GAVeree | 46 
Western area: | 
Number of work stock owned...-........|...... G4) 7. 82 | 726" | eae) 2a tas diners 10.2 
Cropiacres;per horse =~. <0. see eee ee 34 36 46 62 45.| 57 59 51 
Number of work stock needed. .......-..|...-.. AND | DsDy) 6os9. \) Dilole Sabai asa: lone: 7.4 
Crop acres per necessary horse. ..........|.....- 49; 51); 59 85 65 80 79 70 
Northern area: | 
Number of work stock... ...4..22h-2ss.- 4.1 LY Yolk CUM) Via < ice (0) ft WA Lg ee |g 7.4 
Crop acres perhorse: -2...54552440- 555-058 33 Sia) 39 A ee? fel aa: = mae ie 40 
Number of work stock needed. .........- ra ae OW es ok i i al a Be 6.5 
Crop acres per necessary horse. -........- titod 43) 47 46 50 AQ (rc seals foe 46 
The number of work stock which a man considered necessary de- 
pended not only on the size of his farm but upon the size and type 
of his tractor and the particular operations for whicn he considered 
his tractor satisfactory. Consequently there was considerable vari- 
ation in the statements as to the number of work stock needed in 
addition to the tractors on farms of similar sizes. In general the men 
with smaller farms considered that they needed a proportionally 
greater number of work stock than did the men with larger farms. 
The men on the smaller farms, however, were not keeping a greater 
number of surplus work stock than were the men on larger farms. 
Of the 56 men in the Southern area with less than 240 acres in crops, 
26 considered that they needed 4 horses in addition to their tractors 
and 12 considered that they needed 2, but only 15 of the 56 were 
keeping 4 head or less. Likewise, of the 52 men in this area with 240 
to 399 acres in crops, 32 considered that they needed 6 head or less, 
but only 15 were keeping 6 head or less. Of the 22 men in the west- 
ern area with less than 320 acres in crops, 11 considered that they 
needed 4 head and 2 considered that 2 horses were sufficient for their 
needs. However, all but 3 of the 22 were keeping more than 4 head. 
Of the 37 with 320 to 479 crop acres, 27 considered that they needed 
6 head or less, but only 18 were keeping 6 head or less. Of the 37 men 
