THE MOTOR

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 31, 6 February 1913, Page 4

THE MOTOR

USE IN THE COUNTRY

(By " Autos.")

There has been some outcry by business people about the money spent on motor-cars — particularly by farmers. It is a sort of minor echo of the stories that went through the United States some year ago of farmers in The Middle West mortgaging to motor. Perhaps it may be true in some minor instances, but certainly very rarely among the farming community. There is no farmer in the world to-day more prosperous than the American farmer— unless it is the New Zealand farmer — and certainly the American farmer is up-to-date. It is interesting to note what a representative body of American farmers thinks of the motor. The quotation is from a despatch to The Motor Age. : —"Motor-cars hereafter will be used exclusively by the North Dakota Better Farming Association to carry education in scientific farming methods direct to the farmer on his land. An exhaustive test extending over two years has just been completed by Secretary Thomas Cooper, who announces the adoption of the motor-car by the association. _ As a result the field men of the association stationed in nearly every county of the State will be provided with motor-cars and will use them in visiting the farmers at home and carrying to them the latest discoveries in agricultural science. The North Dakota Better Farming Association under the direction of Secretary Cooper is the first organisation to adopt the plan of carrying agricultural education to the farmer at work in his fields and the motor-car has been selected as the best mediuijp for the transmission of the scientific knowledge. For two years the association has carried on experimentation to determine the relative cost of horses, motor-cycles and motor-cars with the result that the car proved itself capable of doing more work at a smaller comparative cost of upkeep than either of the other means of transportation. Tlie field agents of the association stationed in more than twenty counties of North Dakota work in cooperation with the men on the farms to secure better agricultural results in the State. Their work calls for a vast amount of travelling as they are called upon to cover their entire territory weekly. During the last season ono car travelled a total of 5280 miles at an upkeep cost of Bs. 'With depreciation added the cost per 'nile was slightly less than 2d. In several other counties ipcords nearly as good were made. In two counties motor-cycles showed a smaller cost per mile but the user was unable to cover the same amount of territory that could be covered by motor-car Motor-cycles probably will be used for another year in one or two of the newer counties. In the counties where horses were used for covering the territory it was found that the distance covered was smaller while the cost of upkeep was in some cases double the cost of motor-car upkeep." More than fifty motor-cars were employed one day recently in transporting prospective land-buyers over a large ranch tract in South Texas that is being opened for settlement (writes W. D. Hornaday in the same issue). The use of motor-cars in the sparselysettled portions of the country is doing more perhaps to bring about the colonisation of ranch lands by farmers than any other one factor. In the days before this modern vehicle came into use it was impracticable to convey land prospectors to properties situated many "i if- i rom - V 1 ?. .""froad, ,and t as ,a result ot that condition the farm development had its beginning close to tho railways. It is now possible, by tho use of motorcars, to convey prospective settlers any. where from ten to fifty miles from railway points and babk again within a few hours. All of the larger land-selling agencies now keep in constant service anywhere from one-half dozen to as many as twenty-five motor-cars for the special purpose of handling the crowds .of land prospectors that desire to be shown over the properties. In case of an unusually large number of prospective buyers arriving on the' same day the land men press into service extra motor-cars, which aro loaned them by their neighbours. It was on such a day as this that 'the colonisers of a large tract of ranch land in the lower gulf coast region of the Stato recently found it necessary to provide cars for nearly 200 homeBeekers. Tho roads in nearly. all the ranch region of the State are'exceptionally good. While little work has been done upon many of them, they naturally aro in fine shape except in periods of

i rainy weather. So important has tho use of motor-cars become in the country districts of Texas that one of the first improvements that is made by many of the colonisation people when they propare a tract of land for settlement is the construction of pood highways through all portions of it. One of these concerns that is rapidly converting a ranch of about 100.000 acres into farming tracts has constructed more than 500 miles of good roads through the property. These roads are not only used to advantage in showing the land to prospective purcha-sers, but they are of great benefit to the new settlers themselves. Many of tho men who are establishing themselves in these new homes aro comfortably well off in worldly possessions, and nearly all of then! own one or more motor-cam. They are a different type of immigrants from the element that invaded the West in tho earlier days. There is mtthing of the boom type about them. In most cases they are the sons of well-to-do farmers of Middle Western States who have gone to Texas for the r-urpoee of reaping the benefits of obtaining land at low prices, with the assurance that it vill increase rapidly in value, and that it is capable of producing profitable crops of various kinds. It is in what is known as the plains country of Texae. which embraces all of the panhandle, region, that the motor-car is put to piobubly its greatest practical uee by land o\vn«rs, not only by the farmers but the ranchmen. Nearly every man in that part of Texas owns a motor-car. Through their every-day uso they havo wrought a transformation in the method of conducting the 6tock-raifiing and agricultural industry. Jnstead of living in little sharks on their ranches ac formerly, most of the big land owners now have their own comfortable homes in town, and make daily trips to and from their ranches. It,cnablee the peoplo to carry on their business with far greater despatch than the old way of living. The ranchman keeps in cloeo daily touch with tho markets and the affaiiß of tho outside world through his reeideuce in town, and at tho same timo is just as closely associated with hie work upon tho ranch as when he lived there The cars aro used quite generally during tho round-up eeaeon, hot in actually rounding up the cattle but in transporting the owners and cowboys from place to place upon the ranches, and carrying in supplies, and for a variety of oilier practical purposes Farmers in the plains country use the motor-car to carry to market butter, eggs, and vegetables, and to haul homo groceries and supplies at a great saving of time and labour. Another important reeult which eomee from the uso of motor-care in the region' of magnificent distances all through tho South-Weat and West is the creation of a more social spirit and friendliness on the part of the inhabitants towards each other. It is now possible for families to visit their distant neighbours at frequent' intervals. It is not imcommon for young people to ride 70 to 75 miles across the plains in a motorcar_ to attend a danco or some other social gathering and return home the same night. The social sphere of the community has been vastly widened by the use of this conveyance in the Lone Star State. Chasing coyotes in motorcars- is a favourite amusement in the plains region. This sport can only be carried on in large pastures whero there aife no wire fences to interfere with tho chase. It is comparatively easy to run down a coyote in a motor-car. The animals are short-winded, and can keep up tho speed for only a few miles.