Tractors

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

the name applied to motor vehicles employed as drawing power and is thus to be distinguished from vehicles used for carrying. The "tanks" that played such a notable part in the World War were developed by adapting to them a principle already in use on the larger farm tractors-the caterpillar wheel tread. This enabled them to drive over obstacles, rough ground and trenches and gave great drawing power. Of necessity, the engine employed in tractors must be more than ordinarily powerful. The perfection of a comparatively cheap tractor by Henry Ford, and its manufacture on a large scale, has placed it in wide use. It is employed largely in agricultural work where tractors perform all the heavy drawing tasks from plowing the ground to reaping the product. It is widely used also in industrial plants where the transportation of heavy loads is necessary. Indeed, the application of the tractor is practically limitless and its use adds infinitely to the efficiency of industry of all kinds, where the drawing of heavy loads is a necessity. TRACT SOCIETY. In the 17th century several traces are found of associations for printing and promoting the sale of religious works, but none of them seems to have existed long. The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, founded in 1701, had for one of its objects "the dispersion, both at home and abroad, of Bibles and tracts of religion." In 1750 was formed The Society for Promoting Religious Knowledge among the Poor, not, like the former, confined to the Church of England, but embracing Christians of all denominations. cions. The Religious Tract Society (1799) originated with the Rev. George Burder. Its beginnings were humble, but it soon expanded, translating the Bible and tracts into over 200 languages. In 1825 the American Tract Society was founded and since then it has been publishing books, tracts, and periodicals, representing the best Christian literature approved by all Evangelical Christians, and is the almoner of their gifts to the destitute. Its total issues at home, in 20 languages, number 479,400,000 copies. It has helped foreign missions, in 100 languages, to many millions of copies. copies. Its colporteurs have visited 14,985,116 families.