cultivator costing about $15 each. Other
special equipment such as a mower will cost considerably more, depending
upon the type used.

If the members of the family are fond of animals and willing to assume the
responsibility for their daily care, the horse will be found an efficient
and useful source of power for tilling the land. In this connection it
should be pointed out that flies breed with great rapidity in the strawy
manure of the stable, and such wastes should be spread upon the land
almost daily or treated to prevent fly-breeding.

_Tractor Power._--Just as large tractors have supplanted horses and
horse-drawn equipment on thousands of farms in the United States, the
so-called garden tractor has become increasingly popular for the tilling
of small acreages. The tractor requires "feed" only when it is working, is
not subject to the ills that beset animals, and may be used for
twenty-four hours a day if necessary. It makes an appeal to the
mechanically minded members of the household and, if properly cared for,
will give economical and lasting service.

The usual type of garden tractor consists of two large wheels with lugs on
them to give traction and is driven by a one- or two-cylinder motor. A
plow, a cultivator, or mower may be attached to the drawbar, the operator
walking behind and regulating the speed and guiding the outfit by handles
provided for the purpose. Earlier types of these machines were not always
satisfactory owing to construction weaknesses and occasionally balky
motors. Those now on the market, however, are greatly improved, require
less attention, and rival their big brothers, the powerful farm tractors,
in dependability.

There are a number of types and makes of garden tractors now on the
market, ranging in price from $175 or less to $400, the cost depending
largely upon the size and capacity of the motor. In selecting a
satisfactory garden tractor attention should be directed to the simplicity
and power of the motor, the type of bearings, the method of lubrication of
all moving parts, the working speed and the economy of fuel. Bearings
ought to be of standard, long-wearing type since these are subject to hard
service. Two speeds are desirable, a slow one for heavy duty and a faster
one for lighter work. The tractor should operate all day on about 2
gallons of gasoline and a quart of oil. In addition to power applied at
the drawbar where special tools are attached, a pulley will be found