182 ELEMENTS OF FARM PRACTICE 



ance. Washing may be desirable at times, but is likely to 

 spoil the lustre of the hair and may cause chill unless prompt- 

 ly dried. The best time to groom the horses is in the even- 

 ing after the work is done. 



Shoeing. — Horses at work need to be shod to prevent 

 the hoof from wearing away and becoming sore and, in 

 winter, to prevent their slipping. Careful attention to 

 shoeing adds much to the comfort and safety of a horse as 

 well as to the convenience of the owner. 



The cost of horse labor has been determined by the 

 Minnesota Experiment Station, in co-operation with the 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture, by keeping accurate 

 records on twenty-four Minnesota farms for six years. 

 These records show that the total cost of keeping a farm 

 work-horse for a year averages about $84.00, and that the 

 average number of hours of work done by each horse is about 

 1,000 per year, making the cost per hour of work 8.4 cents. 



To one who has given the matter little thought, the 

 above figures seem high, but, when one considers that the 

 cost of a horse for a year includes several items, it becomes 

 plain that the figures are not far wrong. The following 

 items are the important ones in the cost of keeping a horse: 

 feed, labor for caring for him, depreciation, interest on in- 

 vestment, shelter, shoeing, and depreciation and repair of 

 harnesses. While it is not easy to figure all these items 

 without having kept accurate records for a considerable 

 time, yet a fairly accurate estimate may be made by noting 

 about the amount of hay and grain fed per day in winter 

 and in summer, and its value, the amount of time spent each 

 day in caring for the horses, the value of the horses and on 

 this value figuring the interest and depreciation, and then 

 adding to these items a fairly liberal estimate of the cost 

 of shelter, harnesses and shoeing. The total amount will 

 no doubt be a surprise. 



The cost of horse labor on the farm may be reduced 

 by raising more horses on the farm, by keeping fewer work 

 horses, by economical feeding and by better planning of 

 the work. 



Raising More Horses. — By raising more horses on the 

 farm, most of the farm work may be done with mares that 



