——s 
repre 
eS ere en 
COST OF USING POWER ON WHEAT FARMS IN OREGON ee | 
On farms where tractors were owned the horse work equivalent 
ot the total home tractor drawbar work amounted to 1,034.6 horse 
days per farm, or to 54 per cent of the total home drawbar work. 
The work stock were used during the year for an average of 57.6 
days per head. Therefore, the average tractor did as much work 
as was done by 18 head of work stock on these farms (1,034.6-57.6). 
On farms where tractors were not owned in 1922 the work i: 
were used an average of 69.5 days per head. Therefore, the average 
tractor did approximately as much work as was done by 15 head 
of work stock on nontractor farms (1,034.6—69.5). 
CHOICE OF TRACTOR WITH REFERENCE TO SIZE AND TYPE 
The experience of some tractor owners has been that their tractors 
have proven unsatisfactory, because the size or type selected was not 
suited to their conditions. In deciding on the best size and type the 
experience of other tractor owners in the community, working under 
similar conditions, is a good guide to follow. The crawler, or track- 
laying type, is used almost univer sally in this region. This type is 
built low to the ground, does not overturn easily, and is well adapted 
for use on rolling slopes, such as are found on these farms. 
In selecting a tractor many factors are to be taken into considera- 
tion. Perhaps the most important item is to select a size that is 
suitable for the amount and character of work to be done. As a 
measure of best size of tractor to buy for farms of different sizes, 
data have been grouped in Table 7 on the basis of the sizes recom- 
mended by owners who had had experience in the operation of trac- 
tors. As might be expected, with an increase in the tillable acres 
per farm the percentage of owners recommending tractors of the 
smaller sizes decreased, while the percentage recommending those 
of the larger sizes increased. Tractors of the 40- horsepower size 
were the ones generally recommended. In only two instances were 
tractors of less than 40 horsepower recommended for farms of 781 
or more tillable acres. 
TABLE 7.—Sice of farm, size of present tractor, and size of be aclor recommended 
by 31 tractor owners if another were bought, 1922 
Tillable acres per farm 
Item | | 
780 and | 781to | 1,101to 1,421 and 
under _—1,100 1,420 | over 
| 
Maris Spudied £2 tates rs Peery ee aes SFE ere number _- 9 9 4 | 9 
Average tillable area per farm________._._____-_________- acres __ 655 | 924 1, 258 | , 807 
Owners having 10h. p. tractors______.-_.__._-_____- per cent__ 34 | il 0 | 
Owners*having 20:h} p= tractors=— = es Gos s= 33 | 22 0 | 11 
Ownershayane 2s Nop stracbors= = dosees 0) 11 25 | 11 
Owners having 402 ps LractoIse. 22 Ses doses 22 34 50 | 33 
Owaiers Raving 50 3k) AraAchers=- 29. ee doi = 11 | 22 25 | 45 
Owners who would buy another tractor________________- dons 56 33 100 | 89 
Owners who would buy another 10 h. p. tractor__--_____ de _-= 20 0 0 | 0 
Owners who would buy another 12 h. p. tractor_________ Ons 20 0 0 | 0 
Owners who would buy another 20 h. p. tractor_________ do____ 20 33 0 0 
Owners who would buy another 28 h. p. tractor__--____- dons 07 0 25 0 
Owners who would buy another 40 h. p. tractor_____ 5 ee 3. dout_- 40 33 50 88 
Owners who would buy another 50 h. p. tractor________- does 0 34 25 12 
