\\X UNlVf gy 
Vol. LXXII. No. 4187 
NEW YORK, JANUARY 25, 1913 
WEEKLY. $1.00 PER YEAR 
GASOLINE TRUCKS FOR FRUIT GROWERS. 
More Power is Needed. 
From every side come calls for information about 
hauling larger farm loads. Fruit growers in par¬ 
ticular want to solve the transportation problem. 
What they want is a tractor that does not require 
smooth stone roads, but will do fair work on such 
roads as are found in country neighborhoods. The 
outfit shown at Fig. 29 on this' page is worked by 
miles of the distance up and down the mountain, good 
grade, but rather rough ; some places stony. It gave 
good results and did well; made with care two trips per 
diem. 
Thus the theory of using this power to haul large 
loads is correct, but in practice farmers are still look¬ 
ing for the best motor. The picture of the ox team 
hauling apples is used to show the other extreme of 
transportation. 
Improve the Roads. 
On page 1270 of The R. N.-Y. for December 21 
what any ordinary community can meet. Our Massa¬ 
chusetts State road engineers try, usually with suc¬ 
cess, to make all our roads come within a six per 
cent, grade. Now, it is possible to haul about twice 
as large a load on a six per cent, grade as on a 12 
per cent., even supposing the roads are equally well 
surfaced. On a clay road with a 12 per cent, grade 
it is just about possible to handle an empty wagon 
successfully, leaving a man no margin for carrying 
a load. Road improvement is a mighty important 
HAULING 202 BARRLES OF APPLES AT ONE LOAD OVER VIRGINIA ROADS. Fig. 29 
THE SLOW BUT SURE OX POWER TRANSPORTATION TO STORAGE. Fig. 30. 
Mr. T. W. Steck, of Frederick Co., Virginia. Mr. 
Steck says: 
My experience lias been confined to the ordinary trac- 
lion engine in hauling barrelled apples to the railroad 
station, as represented on card enclosed. Our roads here 
are stone macadam and very solid. I have never used a 
larm tractor for cultivation, etc. I should be interested 
to know of a successful outfit of this kind. 
Thus they are all after information. Mr. J. Coles 
I erry, of Roanoke County, Va., also writes his ex¬ 
perience with an auto truck: 
1 have hauled a good deal over mountain ordinary clay 
roads, up a mountain, distance to station, 14 miles; three 
your Virginia correspondent, J. R., says that he is 
hauling 3,000 barrels of apples 11 miles to the station 
over clay roads which have maximum grades of 10 
to 12 per cent. He is looking for a motor truck to 
help on this work, but I respectfully suggest that the 
first thing to do is to improve those roads. Grades 
of 10 and 12 per cent, are not justifiable anywhere in 
the country. In any section where such roads exist 
they should be wholly relocated. This has been done 
in many parts of the country with great success. It 
would involve some little expense, but nothing but 
thing everywhere, and there ought to be no let-up in 
this line. If the farmers are going to use motor 
trucks for handling their crops, the desirability of 
good roads will become even more apparent, f. a. w. 
Motor Trucks. 
J. R., page 1270, wants truck (motor) advice on 
“common or worse clay roads of Virginia.” After 
eight years, nearly, experience in driving my own 
automobile, I say emphatically and honestly the motor 
truck will not give satisfaction on poor roads; by 
