Subsidies for French Agritnotors.
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The French Government,in order to afford the utmost encouragement and assistance to homefarming interests during the period of the War, has instituted a series of subsidies for the purchase of agrimotors by farmers in co-operation. The recent trials at Guigny, ittustrated on the opposite page, were of unusual interest in the circumstances.
Subsidies towards the purchase of agrimotors have been instituted by the Ministry of Agriculture m France. The scheme,which will have far-reaching effects, is remarkably simple. Co-operative farmers, recognized groups of farmers comprising not fewer than seven memPers, and, for the period of the war only, any French commune, can make an application through the district Prefect for a subsidy tow ards the purchase of " motor appliances intended to be used for mechanical agriculture "—to use the official language.
One-third of Purchase Pre.
Each application must be accompanied by the recommendation of t lie Prefect, description, price, and mode of payment of the proposed agrimotor, a technical report On the nature of the land, and particulars the persons seeking the aid of the State. If the application be considered favourably, the subsidy may equal one-third the purchasing price of the machine ; in the case of districts having suffered by reason of the war the amount may be equal to half the purchase price. When the subsidy has been accorded, it is paid immediately proof has been given of the delivery of the machine and payment of the purchaser's share of the cost. The subsidy agrimotors must be used by the persons to whom they are granted ; they must not be loaned to other parties. The district Government agricultural inspector is entrusted with the duty of presenting to the Minister of Agriculture each year a report on the results obtained by the use of subsidy agrimotors in his district. This scheme will go into effect immediately.
French Farmer Appreciates A g rimotor.
It is certain that manufacturers of agrirootors will benefit almost immediately by this subsidy scheme. For several years past important missionary work has been done in every agricultural district of Prance, with the result that the French farmer class is hilly converted to the use of the agrimotor. Petrol motors are used very extensively on all classes of farms and a certain number of petrol tractors are to be found on the best managed lands. The inherent conservatism of the French farmer, however, has prevented him snaking any great outlay on agrimotors, although he was theoretically convinced of their utility. The subsidy scheme, coming into existence at a time when labour is veryscarce, will remove all
hesitation, and should be the means of hundreds of agrimotors going into use during the next few months.
This subsidy scheme is intimately connected with the still greater scheme for the monopolization of alcohol. As already announced in Tar CON1MERCIAL MOTOR, denaturized alcohol will become a Government monopoly on 1st January, 1917, and steps will be taken to popularize its use in internal-combustion motors. • The high price of petrol, and also of benzole and paraffin, will have a restrictive influence on the ace of motors for agricultural purposes. It is easy to see that after the institution of the agrimotor subsidies, the first action of the Government will be to encourage the use of alcohol for these machines. The various objections Which can be brought against alcohol as a motor fuel apply far less to agrimotors than to internal-combustion engines employed for any other purpose. Further, as cost is a prime consideration, the promised cheap alcohol will be accepted. in all agricultural circles in preference to petrol or benzoic.
The Trials at Guigny.
The announcement of the definite adoption of the subsidy scheme, and the Chancellor of the, Exchequer's statements regarding denaturized alcohol gave additional interest to the agrimotor trials which have been carried out during the past week at Guigny, a few miles to the south of Paris, in the intensiveculture area. The -demonstrations were privately organized, but received Government support, the Minister of Agriculture being present and the use of soldiers being granted.
France, America, and Italy were represented among the machines. There were no English demonstrators. Although no new machines were brought before the public, the trials were nevertheless interesting. The American entries comprised the huge Aultman and Taylor 100 la.p. tractor, the Case tractor, a couple of Bull tractors, and the Bijou, this latter being a small machine with a twin-cylinder motor, much more recently imported than the others.
There were three French ma
chines. The Lefebvre caterpillar tractor is a very familiar figure and has undergone no recent change. The Tousand-Derguesse, of. the rotary plough type, has been seen in previous 'French exhibitions and on demonstration grounds, but'-'is the latest of its type produced in France. It differs from the others by reason of a very modern motor construction. Instead of the 1907 type of motor seen on some of the machines; it has an engine which can unhesitatingly be accepted as 1915 design. La Motoculture maeldne has not been much heard of, although the company behind it is well known to those interested in this branch of motors. The machine is of the rotary plough type, lout is small and remarkably compact. The driver sits astride a bonnet covering a small, modern, four-cylinder monobloc motor driving the road wheels through two gears and the rotary -plough by means of a propeller shaft.