204 



Standardisation of Machinery. 



[JUNE, 



5. Determination by Field Studies of the Mechanical Efficiency 

 of Horses as Power Units. — This can be best determined by 

 the apphcation under field conditions of the principles worked 

 out under heads 2 and 4. 



6. Increasing the Economic Efficiency of Horse and Tractor 

 Power by the Re-adjustment of the Size of the Farm and the 

 Combination of Enterprises. — This head covers the use 

 of the farm data gathered by survey and cost-accounting 

 methods to show the relation of the various forms of farm power 

 to :— 



(a) Total farm profits ; 



(b) Utilisation and distribution of man labour ; 



(c) Peak-load and slack labour demand periods on the farm ; 

 {d) Utilisation of the farm area by various combinations 



of crops ; 



(e) The increase and decrease of the total farm area due to 



the use of farm power ; 

 (/) The establishment and maintenance of live-stock 



enterprises on the farm. 



7. The Compilation of Accurate Data concerning Farm Power 

 Demands, and the relative Cost of Meeting these by the various 

 Kinds of Power. — This work will be concerned with power 

 requirements at various seasons for different types of faming. 

 The data collected will show the amount and kind of power 

 used throughout the year, and the cost of performing specific 

 operations by the different forms of power. The cost has a 

 direct influence on the total farm profits, which is the economic 

 basis for the choice of power. 



»ic 4: * 



The importance of standardisation in agricultural machinery 

 and implements was urged by a number of witnesses who gave 



evidence before the Departmental Com- 

 Standardisation of mittee on Agricultural Machinery. It was 

 Machinery agreed that a reduction in the diversity of 



parts and their interchangeability between 

 implements of the same type are much to be desired. The 

 present bewildering variety of ploughs, for example, produced 

 by individual makers, all in turn differing from those of other 

 manufacturers, and with relatively few fittings common to 

 any of them, increases the difficulties of the users and must 

 necessarily add to the cost of production. Progress in the 

 adoption of standardised methods has been made in America, 

 and tractor manufacturers in this country are also devoting 

 attention to the question. 



