THE MOTOR ON THE FARM

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13871, 24 October 1910, Page 6

THE MOTOR ON THE FARM

The motor 13 driving the horse off the streets of the cities and, to a lesser degree, from the country roads. Beyond this the uso of the horse in New Zea-

land has not been restricted a great denl. On the farms, where the bora* is mostly used, it stiil holds ik> own. Even in England, where agricultural motors havo for several years been upon ihf market, they have made little advance in superseding the horse. It has yet to he demonstrated to the farmer's satisfaction that they are as economical and as efficient as the horse, and then there i.s tho question of managing them, I a matter of export knowledge. The first requisite of an agricultural motor th.it w to command popularity is simplicity in working. An interesting series of trials was recently carried out by the Koyal Agricultural Society of England, but it is reported that the work accomplished did not indicate that the breeder* of draught horses have any cause for alarm. Tho trials extended over a full week, and comprised ploughing, reaping, road hauling, and a brake test. They attracted considerables attention, and were witn&ssed by farmers i from Australia. New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa. The competitors represented five firms, with nine tractors, fiv-? of theso being oil motors, catalogued at £175 to £450, and the other four l>oing steam motors, priced at £410 to £530. The last figure- was the price of tho winning motor, which is said to l>o practically the same as a traction engine that we know. It was i significant that in theso trials the oil motors could not hold their own with the steam-propelled machines. It would J seem, therefore, from the results of those trials that no real advance has i yet. been made upon tho traction engine I ;i:> regards the use of mechanical power for agricultural ivork. From the strides that have, been made in the improvement of the motor during the last ten years, it may yet take- its place on tho farm, but it has not apparently reached the stage when it can to any extent supersede the farm hor&e.