16 
BULLETIN 174, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Table VII. — Custom work done by tractor owners on farms in North Dakota and other 
States west of the Mississippi River. 
[Arranged according to the opinions of owners as to the tractor's desirability as an investment.] 
In- the State of Nobth Dakota. 
Result of investment as reported by owners. 
Number 
report- 
ing. 
Doing custom work 
Number. Per cent 
Finding" custom 
work profitable. 
Number. Per cent 
Men having one season's experience: 
Profitable 
Unprofitable 
Men having two seasons' experience: 
Profitable 
Unprofitable 
Men having three seasons' experience: 
Profitable 
Unprofitable 
Men having four seasons' experience: 
Profitable 
Unprofitable 
104 
103 
72 
149 
56 
73.1 
54.4 
84.0 
61.2 
56.7 
rs.i 
87.7 
43.7 
87.3 
27.8 
95.0 
27.7 
39.1 
In All States West of the Mississippi Riveb except NoRTn Dakota. 
Men bavin? one season's experience: 
Profitable 
Unprofitable 
Men having two seasons' experience: 
Profitable 
Unprofitable 
Men having three seasons' experience: 
Profitable 
Unprofitable 
Men having four seasons' experience: 
Profitable 
Unprofitable 
341 
172 
237 
120 
69.5 
69.8 
199 
60 
170 
177 
130 
115 
76.5 
65.0 
102 
43 
7s 
67 
59 
16 
75.6 
68.7 
50 
14 
34 
48 
29 
28 
85.3 
58. 3 
22 
13 
54.5 
87.9 
41.0 
89.3 
34.1 
81.5 
50.0 
In Table VIII is a comparison of the annual repairs reported by 
the two classes of owners under consideration, together with the total 
repairs. In this connection it should be noted that a number of the 
men who reported the total amount of repairs for their tractors did 
not report the repairs by years. The total repairs, therefore, do not 
agree exactly with the sum of the annual repairs. 
Considering Tables IV to VIII as a whole, it is seen that the greatest 
differences existing between the averages for the two classes of 
owners represented are those between the estimated life of the tractor 
in years, the average amount of time lost per day, and the repairs. 
These items show that decidedly better results are being obtained 
by the men who state that the tractor is a profitable investment, as 
they lost considerably less time per day on account of engine trouble, 
had much lower repair charges, and, in their opinion, they will 
obtain approximately one more year's service from their tractors 
than the men who believe the tractor is unprofitable. 
