This brief account is reprinted from The Vermont Pioneer, the
newspaper of the Vermont School of Agriculture, issue dated June
17, 1921. The article was submitted by Larry B. Clark, R.D. 2, Box
920, Middlebury, Vermont 05753, whose father was a member of the
Class of 1922 at the school.
Considerable interest has been shown recently in the actual
working of tractors at Vermont School of Agriculture, as many of
the boys had never seen one in operation. There was considerable
excitement when the 8-16 IHC arrived. This tractor was loaned for
demonstration purposes. It was immediately put into action
harrowing. The boys all having a chance to drive it.
Tuesday, a Fordson was sent here. It arrived at about fifteen
miles an hour, which is rather fast for a tractor. They hitched on
to some harrows that had been brought here to try out and surprised
many of the onlookers with the speed which it would harrow.
Naturally many of the boys took sides trying to argue which was
the best, so after supper the two tractors were lined up with a
chain hitched to each tractor. When the signal was given both
tractors started only to stop and dig holes anywhere from 8-18
inches deep. The IHC had a little advantage as its wheels were
about six inches wider than the other, thus giving more traction
surface, but for all this the two were pretty evenly matched. The
next day the Fordson was hitched on to the manure spreader, where
it proved very efficient, as it does not take long to return to the
barn.
