Amanuensis Monday - Sumner County Leads in Tractors on Farms!

SUMNER LEADS IN TRACTORS ON FARMS

9 November 1921 - p. 1 - Wellington Daily News

Topeka, Kans., Nov. 9 -- "That Kansas farmers are coming to a fuller realization of the labor saving and time conserving qualities of the tractor is suggested by the returns of assessors to the State Board of Agriculture," says a report issued today by J. C. Mohler, secretary.

On March 1, 1921, 19,347 tractors were reported on Kansas farms, an increase of 4,977 during the year.  Tractors have sprung into use almost over night, increasing in numbers almost 800 percent in Kansas since 1915.  The following table shows how tractors have grown in popularity in this state:

                                    On Hand        Increase in Year

1921                            19,347             4,977

1920                            14,370             5,681

1919                            8,689              3,274

1918                            5,415                911

1917                            4,504                572

1916                            3,932              1,439

1915                            2,493             

"While the increase was slightly less in numbers during the past year and amounts to 35.3 percent compared with 65.5 percent increase in the year 1920 over 1919, the figures indicate that the tractor continues to gain in popularity," said Secretary Mohler.

This year Sumner County leads in the number of tractors on farms, reporting a total of 701, closely followed by McPherson with 697.  Dickinson is third with 643 and Sedgwick fourth with 517.  Each of these counties, as well as six others, made a gain during the year of more than 100.  Nine of the ten counties showing  gains of more than 100 each are located in the central third of Kansas, while one, Graham, with a gain of 101 is in the northwest where wheat growing has made large strides in late years.  All counties except one having more than 300 tractors on farms are also in the central third of the state and in fact every county but one in the so-called wheat belt has more than 100 tractors each.

Twenty-four of the 105 counties report less than 100 tractors, fourteen of these being a block of counties in the south and central west.  Only three counties report decreases, Haskell in the southwest with fourteen less, Doniphan in the northwest with five less, and Reno, a central wheat county with three less tractors reported than in 1920.