At the end of the First World War and in the immediately following years there were a number of trials of tractors and implements at work. These included national ones by the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland as well as the Royal Agricultural Society of England. There were others by regional societies as well as county and more local ones. Some local ploughing matches held a demonstration on one of the rigs. This provided an instructive element to the match.
Other trials were held by agricultural implement makers and agents. The agricultural colleges also played their role as did leading farmers. Former agricultural students who had become leading farmers also had a role. One such former student was G. Bertram Shields of Dolphingstone, Tranent, East Lothian.
The Scotsman provided an extensive account of a trial of the “Glasgow tractor” at work with various ploughs on 6 November 1920. It was well-attended by local farmers and agriculturists, as well as agricultural students. It is worth quoting at length:
“Tractor ploughing
Demonstration in East Lothian
The demand for shorter hours of labour, coupled with large increases of wages, has affected the farming community probably more acutely than any other section of the nation. Faced with these problems, framers are beginning to consider carefully what assistance the engineer can bring to them to increase the production of their farms, and particularly to decrease the cost of working their land. There is not the least doubt that ahead of us lies an era when farming will be an operation as greatly assisted by machinery as other industries. Especially is this the case in the matter of tractor ploughing. The interest shown at the various public demonstrations has indicated that literally thousands of farmers are seriously considering the use of tractors for this purpose. Hitherto American firms have practically had the monopoly of the tractor business, but within recent years British firms have placed on the market tractors which have stood the test of experience.
One of these machines is a Scottish invention. It is named the Glasgow tractor, and is manufactured by Wallace (Glasgow) Ltd; at their factory at Cardonald. A two days’ demonstration was concluded on Friday at Dolphingstone, Tranent, on the farm of Mr G. Bertram Shields. In the afternoon there was a large attendance of farmers and agricultural students, about 160 of the latter being in charge of Professor Wallace and Mr William Bruce, of Edinburgh University Agricultural Department. They had the unique opportunity of seeing three “Glasgow” tractors at work on flat and hilly land, attached to two, three, and four furrow Oliver ploughs. The trials were conducted under favourable weather conditions, and the demonstration was voted a great success. Each of the machines was driven by one man, and each was easy to handle and good at turning at headlands.
The Glasgow tractor is fitted with a four-cylinder engine, running on paraffin. The strength is rated at 27.2 horse power. It is a compact machine of medium weight, and works at a useful speed in a strikingly silent manner. The feature of the machine is its three-wheel drive. Pulling with two front wheels and one rear wheel, the driving torque causes the wheels to press into the ground as the strain increases, equally and evenly, insuring them against the common fault of slipping and skidding, or a possibility of overturning. The merits of the machine as a “hill climber” were fully demonstrated.
A thirty-acre barley stubble field was laid out for ploughing, so that two tractors could operate at one time. The field is of grey soi on sandstone, with not more than about 7 inches of soil on the base of the hill. The steepest gradient was 1 in 5. Attached to a two-furrow plough, the tractor negotiated the hill in a remarkable manner, and had no difficulty in working the plough seven inches deep. It went up and down the hill with the greatest ease, and gave no trouble whatever.
At the other end of the field an original model of the “Glasgow” tractor was seen at work drawing a four-furrow plough downhill. This machine was built in 1918, and with it Mr Shields has cut his grain crops, ploughed two fields for potatoes, and about 15 acres of stubble without a hitch. Yesterday the four furrows were cut to a depth of about seven inches, and the job was regarded as highly satisfactory.
In a level lea field of 38 acres, which is being prepared for oats, a fine exhibition was given by the tractor drawing a three-furrow plough with mould boards suitable for Scottish ploughing conditions. The furrows were level on the top, and it was impossible to tell where the one set of three furrows began and the next set finished. The quality of the work was acknowledged by farmer experts to be championship work.
At the end rig this tractor was stopped, and Mr Wm. Guthrie, Motherwell, the designer of the tractor, explained to the students the technical points in its construction. Replying to questions, he said that two gallons of oil were consumed per acre; and that six acres could be ploughed in eight hours. The spuds were the smallest that were on any tractor, and did not cut up the soil.
Professor Wallace, at the close of the demonstration, moved a vote of thanks to Mr Shields, who, he said, was an old student of the Agricultural Department, for the privilege of allowing them to see that magnificent mechanical display.
Mr Shields, in acknowledging, said that was an ocular demonstration to the agriculturists of the country that power on the farm had come to stay. There was no doubt they could do the operations of general farming a very great deal cheaper with mechanical means than with horse labour.”
