45 



Cost of shredding corn. 



Use of engine and shredder and repairs, per day $1. 00 



Five men, at $1.50 each 7. 50 



Two teams, at $3 each (i. 00 



Power, 6 gallons of gasoline, at 15 cents per gallon ' .90 



Total cost per day 15. 40 



From experiments conducted by the author with the above outfit, 

 it was found that the number of bushels husked per hour varied 

 considerably with conditions, but that the average was 18 bushels, 

 or 180 bushels per day. This, at the average yield of corn per acre 

 previously derived, would be equal to 4 acres per day. To husk 180 

 bushels by hand and put it in the crib would cost SI 0.96. This would 

 leave a cost of $4.44 for 4 acres of corn fodder shredded and delivered 

 in the mow. The average yield of shredded fodder is 2 tons per acre. 

 This would give a cost of 55 cents per ton for hauling the fodder from 

 the field, shredding it, and placing it in the barn ready to feed. When 

 corn "has been husked in the field and the farmer wishes the fodder 

 shredded, it costs him about $1.50 per acre for shredding the fodder 

 by machine. 



With large machines the work of husking and shredding corn is 

 usually custom work. The owner of the machine furnishes the 

 shredder and engine, with two men, charging the farmer from 4 to 5 

 cents per bushel for this work. The farmer will have to furnish the 

 fuel and the teams, as well as the balance of the help to run the 

 machine. These large machines require from 6 to 8 teams alid 20 to 

 25 men for full operation. The large -machine, while it does the 

 work quickly, has the disadvantage of recjuiring a large crew of men 

 and teams, and if anything goes wrong with either engine or shredder, 

 this force is idle at the expense of the farmer until the machine is 

 repaired. 



From some investigations conducted by sending out letters of 

 inquiry from the Iowa Experiment Station to all parts of the State, 

 the following rei?ults were obtained: 



From the entire number of reports received , the average cost of machines for shred- 

 ding was $1.55 per acre; the cost of fuel was 31.4 cents; and the total cost of shredding, 

 per acre, varied from $2.45 to $6.65. This is a wide range, but the conditions under 

 which the shredding was done varied correspondingly according to the distance hauled, 

 yield of stover per acre, kind and size of machine used, and work required in moving 

 the ouffit; also as to physical conditions of the fodder and accidents with machine. 



The average cost of shredding 1,600 acres was found to be .$4.41 per acre, and this is 

 believed to be a fair average under ordinary condition?!. 



The estimate of yield of corn per acre in the above case was 57.25 

 bushels, which is rather high even for Iowa; the yield of fodder, 2 tons 

 per acre, and the cost of husking in the field, 5 cen<!s per bushel. 

 At these figures the cost of shredding the fodder would be 77 cents 

 per ton. 



