TRACTORS AND HORSES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18946, 18 February 1925, Page 14

TRACTORS AND HORSES.

The Commonwealth Clydesdale Horse Society in its latest circular says:--Investigations in the United States show that on farms which use tractors for part of the work, the horse does 75 per cent, of the work. The average number of days the tractors were worked was 39 while their life was about five years. Horses were worked on an average 100 days per annum, and their period of use was reckoned at twelve years. Costs of both forms of power resulted in the horse's favour. The investigations were made on farms where climatic conditions necessitate housing and hand feeding throughout winter months, consequently the cost of keeping a horse under such conditions would be much higher than is the case in Australia. Our climate is' such that horses are reared and maintained under better and cheaper conditions than in any other country. The position is strongly in favour of the horse for this reason. In America costs of horse keep are high while tractors and motors are considerably (about 50 per cent.) below the Australian price. Consequently at the price one has to pay for motor power here, (tyres, spirit, oils, etc., are all at least 50 per cent above American prices), coupled with the short life of the farm motor it is hard to see bow it can be said that they are a profitable investment for the farmer.