FARM MACHINERY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19828, 30 April 1927, Page 21 (Supplement)

FARM MACHINERY

AVERAGE COSTS. In order to obtain information re- . garding the average investment and operating cost of farm machinery the ■ Canadian Department of Agriculture ; recently forwarded a questionnaire to a large number of representative farmers in the Dominion. The replies have l»een dissected ami average.} and the results published. In the Prairie Provinces it was found the average ranged iron! 8.9 years for motor trucks to 20.1 years for a wagon. but it must be re- | membered that there farm machinery is j nearly always kept under cover when i not in use. The following is the reasonable expectation of lifu of some of th'* implements:—Walking plough. 19.4 years; disc barrow. 15.(5; cultivator, ; 15.3; spike tooth harrow, IS; grain drill 15: mower, 14.3: roller, 20; wagon, 20.1; tractor. 11.4; motor truck. 8.9. The annual cO<t of general farm machinery per acre of cultivated land, the average area being 204 acres, is | shown to be 5s Sd in the Prairie Pro- | vinces, the calculation, including de- ’ preciation, interest. repairs, and housing. Seeing that the eost of producing an average crop of wheat is approxim- i ately Olis 8d per acre, the outlay and upkeep of machinery does not play a very important part in the total, so far as Canada is concerned. CREAM GRADING CONTINUITY ADVOCATED. Recently the Manawatu and West Coast Dairy Companies’ Association discussed the question of compulsory cream grading not being made applicable to certain winter months, ami re;erred the point to the Dairy Di- s : -m. In the course of a reply receive.! at a recent meeting of the association, Air W. M. Singleton, director of the Dairy Division, stated that the n :;t? -r h: I received a deal of attention prior u. !»•<* gazetting of the regulations. Experience had shown that, when the u?ual system of grading cream was inter rupted daring the winter, it created difficulty when recommencement was made in the spring. It had been found preferable to continue cream grading right through the year, even though there be little “finest” during the winter months. It really meant that dairy companies would be able to pay

for first grade in the winter than would b« the case were a considerable proportion of the cream classed finest. ” The director feit convinced that, if the companies tried the interruption for a winter, the results would be displeasing, and he advocated a trial of continuous grading before seeking any alteration. After a brief discussion it was decided to inquire* of the North Auckland Dairy Companies’ Association what line of action that body had adopted.