THE BONANZA FARMS. 37 



This estimate makes the cost of an acre of wheat, 

 yielding 20 bushels, placed in Chicago, with an allow- 

 ance of 10 per cent, interest on the whole investment 

 for land, improvements, machinery, tools, and stock,' 

 and also of 25 per cent, for wear and tear of stock, 

 tools, and machinery, and also of allowance for inci- 

 dentals, to be $8 69 6, not including seed. Allow- 

 ing $1 00 for seed will make the cost of one acre of 

 wheat, yielding 20 bushels, laid down in Chicago, and 

 paying an interest, or profit, of 10 per cent, on the en- 

 tire investment, and 25 per cent, for wear and tear, 

 etc., to be $9 70, or 48 cents a bushel. Wheat at 85 

 cents a bushel would give an additional or extraordi- 

 nary profit of 37 cents a bushel, or $7 40 per acre, 

 over and above the 10 per cent, included in the $9 70 

 of ordinary cost as shown in the above statement. At 

 this rate the extraordinary profit of $7 40 per acre on 

 the 1,600 acres of wheat on the farm, over and above 

 the ordinary profit of 10 per cent, on the entire in- 

 vestment, would be $11,840. 



But given the entire outfit of farm, stock, and tools, 

 and putting the cost for wages and board for all work, 

 except thrashing, at $20 a month, and thrashing at 

 $2 a day, the cost of plowing, per acre was 31 cents ; 

 sowing, 3 cents ; harvesting, 65 cents ; and thrashing, 

 $1 25 : total, $2 24 per acre. Adding seed at $1 per 

 acre would give the total cost of wheat growing at 

 $3 24 per acre, or a little less than 21 cents per bush- 

 el, on 16 bushels to the acre, which is the general av- 

 erage for that State. Valuing the wheat at 70 cents 

 a bushel, on the farm, would give a profit of 49 cents 

 a bushel or $7 84 an acre, or $12,544 for the 1,600 



