The Tractor Position.
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E FIND OURSELVES in the &line position, as regards the recent Tractor Trials, as those gentlemen who attended them on behalf of the Russian Flax Growers' Association. They visited Lincoln in the lope of being able as a result to select the best tractor for work in Russia. At the very least they hoped to be able to reduce their direct interest to two, or three machines, from which a, final selection would be made from consideration of, say, price and delivery. Actually, of such a high class were the performances of the machines, they found themselves to use a North Country expression, "Mazed wi' choice."
Our object in visiting the Trials was not precisely or even nearly the same as these representatives. We and. many others, with a broad interest in the trade, had, however, hoped that one result of the Trials would be to indicate for the benefit alike of ma.kers and users the direction which design was likely to take in future. Hesitating makers would then with greeter speed. be able to settle down to production with some feeling of security. Users, with their ideas of tractor design directed upon right lines, as suggested by the conduct of machines at the Trials, would, with gseater satisfaction, be able to place their orders, and they would be wishful of acquiring just those types of machines which manufacturers had decided to, make.
The general standard of performance was so high, however, that any such discrimination is at present impossible. With. one or two exceptions, which will suggest themselves to readers who were present, the farmer will be Rale in buying any one of the machines competing.
If his fields are generally large he will most likely select a high-powered. heavy engine capable of pulling four bottoms in heavy soil. A smaller man with short furrows to plough and perhaps void of the need for a large capacity tractor, will be equally well served, according to his needs, by a smaller machine. Nor can any distinction be made between types. The " caterpillar " tractor perfocined as -well as wheel machines. Three wheels compared equally with four, self-contained were as usefully employed as generalpurpose tractors. The steamer made as good a show as the paraffin engined machine, so that as regards fixation of design we are as we were before.
However, for some things perhaps it is as well. Far better to be a little late than a little early with the crystallization of our tractor ideas. The former makes in the long run for a much better-formed industry. The latter results in one likely to cause internal stresses as a result of half-formed conolua sions.