10 BULLETIN 174, IT. S. DEPAETMENT OE AGEICULTUKE. 
latter number, or 400, represents the number of present users who 
report unfavorably after one season of experience. If to this be 
added the 400 who have discontinued the use of the tractor in 
Montana, there appear to be 800 out of 1,017 who hold unfavorable 
opinions, or about 80 per cent. 
In analyzing the reports of users it early became apparent that 
opinions and estimates furnished by men who had used a tractor for 
only one season could not be accepted as representing average results, 
as their answers invariably gave more favorable averages than did 
those from men who had had experiences of two or more seasons. 
This is partly due in all probability to the fact that their machines 
were of better quality than those of previous years, but the differences 
between the averages are far greater than those existing between the 
tractors sold early in 1913 and those sold one year previous. The 
principal reason for these favorable answers is doubtless a natural 
enthusiasm resulting from the acquisition of new and interesting 
machines, of which great achievements are expected, but which 
have not been used for a sufficient time to demonstrate their actual 
value. The experience gained by the end of the second season, 
with the novelty gone, the outfit showing the effect of wear and not 
running so satisfactorily as when new, and the probability of more 
or less repairing having been necessary, makes the owner better 
qualified to express an opinion as to the tractor's actual value. 
The tractor's efficiency decreases with use, on account of wear. 
The reports show, however, that it is during the first year of its use, 
when it should be rendering its maximum amount of service and giv- 
ing a minimum amount of trouble, that the largest percentage of men 
change their opinions of the tractor from favorable to unfavorable. 
It is a reasonable supposition that every purchaser of a tractor 
believes he is making a good investment at the time of purchase. 
The data show that after one season's use only 62 per cent retain this 
opinion, so that it would seem that the results were such as to cause 
38 per cent to change their opinion on this point after one year. 
After two seasons' use more than 57 per cent of present tractor users 
believe the tractor is a poor investment, and with longer experience 
this percentage increases. 
REPORTS OF SATISFIED AND DISSATISFIED OWNERS. 
In order to ascertain whether the owners who expresssed favorable 
opinions regarding the tractor were actually obtaining better results 
than those holding opposite views, tabulations were made of the data 
furnished by these two classes of men, and the averages obtained are 
shown in Tables IV to VIII, inclusive. 
The data compiled from reports of tractor owners shown in Tables 
IV to VIII are separately given for North Dakota and for all other 
