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tractor displaced approximately two horses. The 
power cost of these two horses was nearly as large 
a direct cost as the tractor, but the farm organiza¬ 
tion where tractors were used showed that less live 
stock was kept per 10 crop acres, that the quality 
of the live stock was not so good and the crop yields 
not. so high as on farms using horses exclusively. 
“Was the tractor responsible in any large way for 
the difference in profits in the two groups? The 
farms were approximately of the same size in each 
group, and the land per acre was approximately the 
same valuation. All the farms were taken in the 
same community. If farmers of equal ability and 
espial opportunity were operating both groups of 
farms, then the difference in profits is truly signi¬ 
ficant.” 
REQUIREMENTS OF THE WORK HORSE.— 
Figures from the Illinois Station show that 25.3 
bushels of corn, 37.8 bushels of oats, 1.7 tons of hay 
and 1.96 acres of pasture will keep a work horse in 
good shape for a year. Surveys by the United States 
Department of Agriculture for the year ending No¬ 
vember 1, 1920, on 280 farms in Ohio, Indiana and 
Illinois, showed average yearly consumption of feed 
for a work horse as follows: 38.7 bushels of corn, 
23.3 bushels of oats, 1.3 tons of hay and 1.2 tons of 
straw, two acres of cut clover, besides grass and 
stalk pasture, The same survey showed that the 
average amount of fuel and oil used in draw-bar 
Avork (excluding that used for belt power) was 050 
gallons of fuel and 30 gallons of lubricating oil per 
tractor per year, Add to this tbe cost of repairs, 
interest on investment and depreciation, and you will 
have your annual tractor cost for field Avork. 
LIFE OF HORSE AND TRACTOR.—Rut there is 
another important side to this question. Horses or 
mules put to work Avhen three years 
old, will last 12 years on the average. 
Tractors are done for in five years or 
less. Even if the original cost, is the 
same, and if repairs, gas, oil. etc., cost 
no more than feed and extras for a 
team, tractors 
idea of saving all this labor and letting tbe animals 
do their Own harvesting. There is an old story of 
tbe debate between a practical farmer and a college 
professor over the question of feeding ear corn to 
hogs. The farmer would throw the ears or even the 
stalks right to the bogs and let them husk, shell and 
grind. The professor argued for ground feed. 
Among his arguments was the statement that it took 
tbe hogs longer to husk, shell and crush the grain. 
Then the fanner countered with this: 
"What is the value of a hoy's time?" 
That's about what it comes to. The hog’s time 
lias little value, while the average hired man costs 
50 cents an hour, more or less, if you include his 
board. And so arises the plan of “hogging down” 
fields of grain with no cost of harvesting. In some 
cases the cornnvill he well cultivated as usual, and 
at the last working a mixture of rape and clover is 
thrown in. This makes a good growth, and when 
the corn is about ripe the hogs are turned in to eat 
it all down. They do a remarkably clean job, and 
leave the field in good shape for another crop. The 
rye crop is often handled in much the same Avay. 
The picture shows a pig in a field of small grain. 
He and his companions will clean up all the grain, 
consume most of the straw and smash the rest down 
so that it can be easily worked into the ground. 
There is no cost of harvesting or thrashing, and 
after seeding one man will care for ‘many acres. 
Most Eastern farmers will regard this as a lazy or 
wasteful plan. They think it pays better to harvest 
and handle all the grain and then feed it out to 
cattle or hogs in a house or small pen. In many 
cases if they figured the actual cost of labor they 
would ha.ve a better cash result from letting the hogs 
or cattle help themselves. The fact that thousands 
and one branch is much more likely to he properly 
equipped than two or more branches, as we often 
see where a man tries to do too much something is 
neglected. There are exceptions to this rule in loca¬ 
tions where it is possible to hire the crops planted 
and cared for at a reasonable price by local 
help, who furnish their own horses and machinery, 
or if the farm is large enough, to maintain two 01 - 
more departments, with at least two men in each. 
Provided the owner is a competent business man it 
is possible to make this combination of poultry and 
grain successful in favorably located places, hut for 
the ordinary one or two-man farm I believe that it 
is a great mistake to try to raise anything except 
green feed, some fruit and a garden in 
SaE KETOB l connection with the poultry. 
This is an age of specialists, and to 
he successful with poultry during the 
next few years will require the best 
undivided efforts and attention of all 
Avho enter this occupation. 
will still cost twice as 
much for motive power, because they 
last only one-half as long. It is true 
that the price war in the tractor in¬ 
dustry has brought them down to a 
very attractive figure, but suppose they 
should drop to as low as $300. which 
is the average price for a good pair of 
g horses or mules today. The 
youn 
tractor people themselves do not claim H 
that they can displace more than two 
Avork animals on an eight-horse farm, 
and still less on smaller farms. Where 
the farmer has plenty of belt work for 
his tractor during the idle season a 
medium-priced machine might be pro- \wm 
Stable, lint from the data presented it 
can be readily seen that the horse 
breeder need not fear that good draft 
horses will he driven from the farm by median: 
power, at least for some time to come. 
[PROF.] RUSSELL W. pUCI- 
Syracuse University. N. Y. 
of Western farmers continue this plan of “hogging 
down" grain shows that it is economical under some 
conditions. 
The Hog His Own Harvester 
1 high cost of farm labor 
and the war taught 
-i- many Western farmers a new line in training 
the hired man. The ultimate end of most corn and 
rye has ever been to the feed trough or feed lot, 
[There has been some discussion as to whether a 
poultry-keeper in the Eastern States shall buy and raise 
the needed grain for his birds. Will it be cheaper in 
the end for him to buy? There are various opinions.] 
A S to growing grain on a poultry farm, my ex¬ 
perience has been decidedly against this com¬ 
bination, The trouble seems to lie that the heaviest 
part of the work on a poultry farm comes during 
the Spring months, when flic Avork of hatching and 
rearing chicks is in order, and it is at this same 
time that ground must be prepared for grain crops 
and the planting done. As a rule a farmer must 
take charge of the poultry himself, or at least some 
member of his family, as he is not usually able or 
Avilling to pay the price necessary to get competent 
help for this work ; therefore lie must hire practi¬ 
cally all of Ids field work done. If lie uses horses 
for plowing, etc., this requires keeping a team a 
year for only a few months’ work, as most road work 
is now done with autos. Then in order to grow 
grain crops successfully in competition Avith others 
who make a business of it requires considerable 
machinery, Avitlumt which it is absolutely useless b> 
try to raise any crop, profitably at this time. When 
a man starts to equip a poultry farm he usually 
finds that it costs more than lie expected, and lie 
must have modern machines, houses and tools to 
work with, or lie simply cannot compete Avith others 
who use up-to-date methods, so it is much easier to 
start one branch of farming, either poultry or grain, 
broadcast the lime on the surface for the seeding, 
which is practically always good after Winter grain. 
The “State corn." as we call it in contradistinction 
to Western, is certainly Avorth more for feeding, 
chemical analysis to the contrary notwithstanding. 
Ileus like it better, will eat more of it. and do better 
Avhen they get it. We feed all that we raise on the 
ear, breaking them into lengths 3 or 4 in. long, and 
the hens get a lot of exercise and sport picking it 
off. I have never been aide to see that in normal 
times we could compete Avith the West in growing 
grain even Avith the freight added. I raised over 
700 baskets of ears last year, but I am sure that r 
could have purchased that amount of grain for less 
than it cost me. fred u. skinner. 
Chenango Co., N. Y. 
Belgian Gelding , Four Years Old; Weight 1.695 
Owned by Syracuse University. Fig. 557 
Profitable Co-operatoa 
T.he question you have asked has given n 
nights of thought and study. The cost of 
