THE AGRIMOTOR IN WORCESTERSHIRE.
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Farmers Throughout the Country Give Their Opinions on the Value of the Agrimotor, Showing That Its Use is Growing in Favour.
THE EDITOR of The Worcester Herald has rendered a good service to those interested in the agrimotor by addressing a number of questions regarding the motor tractor or agrimotor to farmers in various parts of the county. Thirtytwo replies, including two from Herefordshire, appear in this week's issue of the paper ; some of the replies are worth quoting, and I have taken the trouble to analyse them to some extent with a view to arriving at a conclusion as to how the agrimotor is regarded generally by the farmers in Worcestershire, and to discover, if possible, the real grounds of any complaints that have been made. We will take first expressions of opinion that may be said to be against the tractor. The following ,are the principal reasons given in this category, and the figures indicate roughly the proportion : '---,'
Land too heavy ... ... . ... ... ... 6 Tractors too expensive in capital outlay and upkeep ... ... ... 3 Cases where farmers prefer steam .. ... 3 Failure to do good work ... Farms and fields too small ,.. The replies that speak of the tractor as being not suitable, for heavy land come from districts where the land really is heavy,' and all the preferences for steam come from extremely heavy land farmers. Complaints of bad work by the tractors also come from heavy land -districts, while the reason in respect of small farms, and small fields' holds good in market gardening .and lighter land areas. The complaints of. expense in outlay and upkeep also come from heavy land. I think one might easily and without prejudice assume that the reason for' this is that unsuitable tractors have been used on the heavy land and that, in most cases, the complaints would appear to be due to the fact that the tractor had not been sufficiently well handled in those districts.
From. Colwall, in Herefordshire, comes the following pertinent paragraph:— " Tractor ploughing by Government tractors was, in many eases, so badly done.that no doubt many farmers were prevented from wishing to continue it. "The value of trhctors to agriculture will be enormous, and out of the inefficiency and blunders of the past good tractors will evolve. When the cultivating tractor comes up to the level of that of the road tractor, farmers will have something of real value. In my opinion only one tractor approaches the level I desire, and that happens to be a foreign in,vention" There is no doubt that much of the work done by the Government did not . give satisfaction, owing mainly to two causes, one being that good machines were not always used, and that when they were, were mostly handled by inefficient and inexperienced operators. Another report from the Herefordshire district,from the village of Cradley, reads as follows:— "Tractors are used on the large farms, but where the fields are small and hilly they are not B24 suitable. Steam tackle is used in the neighbourhood still.
" The tractor, being faster, can do the work at the right moment; in other words, to "catch the weather " enables the farmer to be in time with his cultivations, instead of behind,and lessens the horse upkeep, a big item nowadays." The land both at Colwall and Cradley is heavy. From the parish of Dymock, in Gloucestershire, where the land is heavy, a report says :— "There are now about 12 tractors near here11 Fordsons and one Austin—and several more are on order.
" No doubt the tractor has come to stay. It must be a light machine or it-will do More harm than good, especially on the heavy land. It is most useful to help push on with the work at a busy time, btit will not replace the horse. I have a tractor myself."
From Eckington, Worcestershire, comes the following : — "Tractors have been in use on many holdings, and there is no doubt they have come to stay, but
the fact renfains that they are not suitable on the very heavy clays to take the place of Steam tackle for making good fallows; but, on lighter soil, farmers, from the point of view of quickness, commend them much. Undoubtedly, they are great labour savers."
The heavy land parish of Hanbury gives answers from three farmers as follow :— "There are only two or three in the parish. T prefer steam on heavy land such as this. Tractors, however, are useful for threshing, chaffcutting, etc." "Tractors are being used in some parts of the parish owing, in the past, to the shortake of horses and men.,
"On light land they will be a great advantage, as the work .can be done more quickly and at less cost, but on the strong, wet land they will shortly be a, failure; They do their work badly." . " The use of tractors is spreading in this • .neighbourhood very steadily, but only as a supplement to horses.
" They may save a quantity of land from reverting to grass, not because of economy in working, but as the land in this district requires four _horses, a man and a youth to plough one-half iacre' per day and must be planted in autumn. -Hours are too few and days too short to get any appreciable amount of grain in without tractors or steam tackle." • Two replies also come from Tardebigge, where heavy land prevails, as follow :—.
'There is a: steady progress, in the numberof .tractors owned by farmers here.
" The tractors ought to make, for cleaner farming, and should be a great help in working ,summer allows. If usedin summer, and kept 'off. the land in winter, they should be of great' assistance."
"Tractors are not used on many farms in this district, as few farms are large enough to stand the necessary capital expenditure.
" I believe there is abig future for tractors in the county, and that they will be the means of producing earlier and better crops." So it will be seen that the opinions and facts of farmers in the same parish vary, 'which w:-..;uld prove that it is largely a matter of past experience as to what the actual user has to say about the agrimotor. It also goes to show that in a degree the farmer clings to his first experiences in giving an opinion. . A very interesting reply comes from Welland, near Malvern, another heavy land district, where the writer states that :— " There are a lot ef -tractors about here, but they do not do their work very well, and never will until they use a good plough instead of a • . digger, and plough it all one way, to save beginnings and finishings..
"I think in the near future all farm work will be done by machinery. Electricity will be the power that will be used, as Wires. will be less weight than motors."
• Of all the replies there only .pea-rs one out-andouter against the tractor, which is from Stoulton,.as follows:— " A good portion has been ploughed by tractor (many preferring to hire); but in my opinion the • work is not comparable (on heavy land) to horse ploughing. Give me horses and the steam plough for heavy land. "We shall see too many of them and other broken-down machinery in our rickyards, instead of the well-built and tidy ricks of years ago." -Rather a curious reply comes from the light land parish of HartIebury • " Tractors are very little used here at present. I think they have come to stay. By their quick ness they will prevent much land going back to grass." • Mr. W. J. Dorrellp of Holt, writes "Only on a few large, and arable farms are tractors used here. On large arable farms, -where the land, is fairly level and the fields sufficiently extensive, tractors will no doubt tend to -reduce the cost of cultivating (as compared.with. .horse labour), but whether to such an extent as to make corn growing profitable in this ceu,ntry, in existing circumstances, is extremely doubtfuL Taking, now, the reasons expressed in favour of the agrimotor, it might be stated that the whole of the replies admit-that the tractor is quite successful on suitable land, and that it is a great help on big farms.
• A farmer at Chaddesley Corbett thinks that the agrimotor will be useful in: conjunction with the horse, bu-6-will not.oust him. From Claines comes. the report that farmers ale looking -to machinery to pull them through ,the troublous times ahead.
. A report from Groom's states that teacters make cheaper work possible on large. farms. From Doverdale it is stated that tractors will have to be used to get the work done. Speed, usefulness, and cheapness on lightland appear to be the main qualities of the tractor, according to: Worcestershire. farmers. A report from Ornbersley, a light land parish, says that the tractor is a great asset ea clean and successful farming, while from the heavy land district -of Shelsley Beauchamp • we are told that the tractor keeps seasonal operations more in place and pro• duces better cultivations. The following being the full report:— " Their use is now general. Some of the effects: Seasonable operations more in place. Development of mechanical knowledge. •Tendency for small arable pieces to be either laid down to grass or run together into large fields.; hence disappearance of a good many hedges. Better cultivation,because in good -weather. fuller use can be in.ade."
. Some other reports .which speak highly of the tractor may be given:— Elmley Castle.—" Practically all arable-.farmersnow own a tractor. The use of tractors means to the arable farmer•the difference between carrying on and giving up!'
Lindridge.—" T'4 use of tractors, is spreading very rapidly. It will have far-reaching effects. The elimination of the perpetual care of horses is allimportant in the shorter hours now demanded by labourers, and no Sunday attention is a great boon. The great influence will be in that the work of the farm can be carried out more promptly than with horses: When conditions are favourable work may be pushed by a tractor in. a way quite impossible with .horses."
Malvern Wells.—" The use of tractors is not spreading as much . as would be expected. The • rapidity witti. which -Work can be done when oppor--tunity-presents itself suggests a great future for trac. Ors. They are, however, expensive in upkeep. They, should result in cleaner land and crops planted in season, owing to the speed, with whiCh work can be done when circumstances are favourable."
• Tenbury.—" The majority of the large farmers now run a tractor. As implements become better adapted fel: tractor use, and as men become more • experienced in management, they are Proving of the greatest assistance in dealing with tillage work." Throckmorton.—" The use of -tractors is steadily increasing. Your question opens fields too wide to -be covered in a paragraph. I believe.light tractors will eventually, as they improve, replace horses for all the main -work of the farm, and prove the salvation of the •English arable farm. Without tractors the arable acreage would certainly decrease ; with them, it. should hold its own or increase. Present implements, rotations,and the whole system of farming• are founded on, and bound up with, the use and limitations of horses. The substitution of tractors for horses as the main source of Power on the farm must have a profound influence on present farming practices, not all of which may prove to be .either necessary or expedient under altered conditions," • Upton-on-Severn.—" There is a steady increase in numbers, and most large tillage farmers either own. or hire one. -Tractors will overcome many tillage difficulties, more especially the imnortant problem of rapid ploughing of stubbles after harvest."