The Many-purpose Cultivator
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MHE capabilities of the majority of agricul tural tractors are beyond the requirements of the small farmer who cultivates perhaps only a few acres of land. Yet there is much work that he could do more profitably by machinery than by the methods that, in the past, he has had no choice but to adopt. To him the implement, usually described as a cultivator or garden tractor, should make a strong appeal, for its scope, as its name suggests, is wide and it is• cheap, economical and easy to use.
Virtually small two-wheeled tractors, these B17 machines can do practically all the kinds of work of which their bigger confreres are capable, and, in some cases, more. Their equipment includes attachments for ploughing, harrowing, ridging, hoeing, seed-sowing, mowing, spraying and other purposes. A power take-off is usually provided, and In some cases there are eccentrics for driving agitators or pumps.
In the nursery garden, orchard or plantation, for the sugar-beet grower or bulb farmer, these little machines have almost innumerable uses. Furthermore, the owner of the large farm should not disregard them as complementary to his full-size tractors.
Road Vehicles Prove to be Unrivalled . for Public Works Transport
AMONGST the activities of the railway companies in their efforts to attract traffic is the circularizing of users, examples of work which they consider should be transferred front roadhaulage concerns to their lines being cited.
One such appeal was made recently to the various local authorities of South Wales, this quoting tarmacadam, macadam and publicworks materials (such as concrete pipes, etc.) as being particularly suitable for carriage by rail, whereas, at present, they are almost wholly carried by road concerns, who are considered by the railways to have no special interest in the welfare of the localities and not large ratepayers.
An important fact, which has apparently been overlooked, is that the greater part of such supplies is obtained by tender which, for their own convenience, the local authorities insist shall include supply and delivery when and where wanted. In this way a council can, in one contract, arrange the supply of material and the whole of the haulage to the actual works sites, whereas at least three contracts would be entailed by an insistence upon the railways sharing in the carrying of such loads. There would be transport from the factory to the railhead, carriage by truck, and delivery to the works sites from the arrival station.
At present, suppliers either employ hauliers for this purpose or carry the materials in their own vehicles. The multiplication of contracts, the increase of the work of the tenders committees and the extra expense and supervision would, of course, still apply to the sharing of this work with the railways, even where the authorities might make contracts only for the supply and arrange their own road transport.
As roads and public works involve some 90 per cent. of the haulage work of local authorities, it will be appreciated that the choice of this example by the railway companies is somewhat unfortunate, because from the points of view of economy and convenience road transport is logically the correct means to employ.