UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
In Cooperation with 
The Agricultural Even Station 
an 
The Ec Service of the Oregon Agricultural College 
DEPARTMENT BULLETIN No. 1447 
COST OF USING HORSES, TRACTORS AND COMBINES ON WHEA 
emcee 
FARMS IN SHERMAN COUNTY, OREG:! ~~~ 
By R. S. WASHBURN, Assistant Agricultural Economist, Division .of Farm 
Management and Costs, Bureau of Agricultural Economics, and H.._D. Scup- 
DER, Chief in Farm Management, Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station 
i 2 
CONTENTS 
Page Page 
Area and extent of study____--_~_~_ Z| “Ey pes or Combines S22")... ==. Seeieeee 30 
SizepOf--tractorss=—= eee 3 | Choice of combines with reference 
Kinds and amounts of tractor work CORSIZO LISS Sees a a 30 
| OPEB 94 50) B08 see a a es a ee eee 4 | Opinions of combine owners as to 
Kinds and amounts of horse work their advantages and disadvan- 
FO Cees Ht og 00 ee we me eet ee a ee 7 Cag CSpeeck set ae 2 ee 32 
Horse work equivalent of tractor Cost of using combines_o—2-2-) = = 33 
drawbar work on tractor farms__ 10 Cost of harvesting and threshing 
Choice of tractors with reference to wheat where horse-drawn and 
SPUD COG EN OS a ee 11 where’ tractor-drawn combines 
Relability: Of tLactOrs: 22 = Se 12 Wie ISCG msec ae Le ee) See 39 
Opinions of tractor owners as to their Comparative cost cf harvesting and 
advantages and disadvantages____ 13 marketing bulked and _ sacked 
Costzob using <ractors===2 === = 14 wheat when cut with combines 
Cost of keeping work stock________ 20 = drawn -by 2tractors== 23) — 40 
Relative economy and efficiency in Comparative cost of harvesting, 
the use of horses and tractors___ ap threshing, and marketing wheat 
Seasonal distribution of horse and where combines and where head- 
ER ACLO Te WOE mee ee ences A eA 26 ers and stationary threshers were 
Work done per day with horses and MISCO lsbte a iS eee 42 
Wah epteti CEOL S22 ts ee ee 29 
Shortage of farm labor and the higher cost of keeping work stock 
were factors in the greater use of tractors on wheat Tarms in Sher- 
man County, Oreg., during and immediately following the World 
War. The number and size of combines also increased materially. 
The term “ combine,” as used in this bulletin, refers to the combined 
harvester-thresher. 
The purpose of this study is to show what present owners and 
prospective purchasers of combines and tractors can reasonably ex- 
pect in the way of costs of using combines, horses, and tractors, and 
to present some of the important points which should be considered 
1 Acknowledgment is due to R. V. Gunn, formerly farm management demonstrator, 
Oregon Agricultural College Extension Service; Clair Wilkes, Oregon Agricultural Col- 
lege, and P, C. Newman, Bureau of Agricultural Economics, U. 8. Department of Agri- 
culture, for valuable assistance in collecting the field data presented in this bulletin. 
Thanks are extended to the many farmers through whose courtesies the securing of the 
field data was made possible, 
16386°—26——-1 i 
