Notes. 801 



Cost of Maize Production. 



With the co-operation of the Maine Breeders', Growers', and 

 Judges' Association, and with the assistance of interested farmers, an 

 attempt is being made by the Department to ascertain the cost of 

 production of maize. 



The method, briefly, is to ask some representative growers in the 

 principal maize-growing areas to keep records of all labour and other 

 costs in producing a crop of maize on a selected area, on prepared 

 schedules supplied by the Department. It is recognized that this 

 method will possibly not produce such completely reliable results as 

 would a scheme whereby the full costs, over the whole farm, were 

 kept, inasmuch as it entails estimates of the value of ox labour and 

 other factors, but it is felt that to ask farmers to undertake the 

 labour involved in a complete account of the cost of production would 

 be unwarranted, since the partial or single crop method proposed will 

 give returns sufficiently accurate for the purpose in view. 



It is anticipated that the information furnished by the records as 

 to the cost of growing and marketing maize in representative areas 

 will benefit not only the maize industry in general, by indicating the 

 minimum cost per bag at which maize can be grown — a question on 

 which there is so much erroneous opinion among both producers and 

 consumers— but also to a very great extent the individual farmers 

 participating, by providing them with detailed information of the 

 costs involved in producing their maize, and indicating means of 

 avoiding some portion of this expenditure or of cheapening their 

 methods or otherAvise lowering the cost of production in succeeding 

 seasons. 



Mr, Parish, Technical Assistant to the Department, is in charge 

 of the work, and he is now engaged in visiting those farmers par- 

 ticipating in the scheme, in order to explain the methods of entering 

 up the schedules and labour record-sheets and any difficulties that 

 may arise, and further for the purpose of obtaining information on 

 the economics of maize production by inquiry amongst farmers. 



Up to the present about forty schedules have been distributed in 

 the following areas: — TransvaaJ: Pretoria, Pietersburg, Mokeetsi, 

 Malelane, Devon, Standerton, Balfour, Rustenburg, Marico, Yenters- 

 dorp, Lichtenburg, Potchefstroom, Klerksdorp. Wolmaransstad ; 

 Orange Free State : Vierfontein, Rendezvous, Heilbron, Frankfort, 

 Senekal, Clocolan ; Natal: Richmond, Ladysmitli, Elandslaagte, 

 Mid-Illovo, Ixopo. 



Progress and information of interest obtained as the work 

 proceeds will be reported month by month in the Journal. 



United States Maize Crop, 1920. 



According to the International Crop Report for September, 1920. 

 the maize crop of the United States, though 20 per cent, below normal 

 in condition, is estimated to jield 7.3 per cent, more than that of last 

 year and 13.4 per cent more than the average of the previous five 

 years. 



