10 May, 1916.] Cost of Production of Field Crops. 301 



Threshing, baling straw, and loading pressed straw on trucks at 

 Werribe© railway station, was let to contractors; and this season, 

 because of the high rates of labour, and increased prices of material 

 through the war, the cost for this contract work has advanced 20 

 per cent. 



However, the total cost of the whole of the harvesting operations 

 of the 309 acres, from the time the crop was cut until the wheat was 

 delivered into the barn, and the baled straw loaded on the trucks, 

 inclusive of sacks and twine, was £699 3s. 9d., or £2 5s. 3d. per acre. 

 Add to this the cost last season of all operations up to and including 

 seeding, £1 10s. 2;|d. per acre; rent of land, 12s. per acre; and tem- 

 porarv improvements, which worked out at, approximately. 3d. per acre 

 (see Table No. 1), it will be found that the total cost of production was 

 £4 7s. 8|d. per acre. The profit on the venture will be seen in the 

 balance-sheet below. 



Stripping and Winnowing. 



Harvesting wheat by th.is means is not favoured locally, as previously 

 mentioned; but it was found necessary to sti'ip 24 acres, because the 

 three varieties of grain grown, viz.. Dart's Imperial, Commonwealth, and 

 Warden, were in plots which were considered too small to be efficiently 

 handled without loss or chance of mixing the grain by means of the 

 thresher. 



On 17th to 23rd December, 1915, stripping of this area was under- 

 taken, and winnowing completed on the 31st. Fortunately, good weather 

 conditions were experienced, and the cost of this method of harvesting 

 will be seen in Table No. 2. 



The total, including the cost of sacks, twine, cartage of wheat to tlie 

 barn of the 24 acres, amount to £18 lis. 4^d., or 15s. 5 Ad. per acre. 

 Add to this the cost of all operations up to and including seeding, 

 £1 10s. 2^d., per acre; 12s. per acre, rent of land: 3d. per acre, tem- 

 porary improvements; and the total is £2 17s. 10-,'d. per acre. The 

 profit on this method cf ])roducing and harvesting wheat will ])e noticed 

 in the balance-sheet. 



Cost of Production. 

 The total cost of harvesting the hay, grain, and straw from this 

 345-acre field was £727 13s. Ikl., or £2 2s. 2|d. per acre. Add «o 

 tliis the expense incurred in all operations up to and including seeding, 

 together with cost of seed wheat and manure, as detailed in Table No. i. 

 amounting to £520 13s. lOAd. ; also rent of the land, £207; temporary 

 improvements, £4 lis. 6d. ; and the grand total amounts to 

 £1,459 18s. 6d., or £4 4s. 7id. per acre. The balance-sheet below 

 will show the gross returns, and tlie profit realized from this field. 



Items of Interest in the Balance-Sheet. 

 The ])alance-sheet has been prepared with a view of showing: — 



(1) The net profit which has lieen made this year from a fiehl of 



345 acres of wheat . 



(2) The individual j)rofits which liave been realized from tlu* 



three series of ojx'rations necessary in the practical 

 harvesting of the field. 

 The \wl profit from the 315 a< res was £1,222 l.'^. 7d.. or r3 10s. lOjd. 

 [>er acre. 



