When tractors drove out horses . . .

In 1917, the cost of running a farm tractor for a year in Pennsylvania was $495 and each tractor did the work of almost 2 horses. The tractor also did the work much faster so there was less labour cost for the farmer. Horses cost about $200 a year to keep and between that and the reduced labour needed the savings were $580 from each tractor so horse use on farms started to reduce.

The tractor in the photo is a Fordson Model F from 1917 and here in Ireland Henry Ford established a factory in Cork to manufacture tractors in July 1919, employing about 1800 by 1926. When the demand for tractors fell the factory manufactured components for Ford cars.