92 



FIELD CROPS 



the bushel cost was 37.9 cents. The items which went to 

 make up this cost of $12.27 to the acre were: Fertihzers, 

 82 cents; preparation of land, $2.11; seed, 24 cents; planting, 

 44 cents; cultivation, $2.24; gathering $2.20; miscellaneous, 

 47 cents; land rental or interest, $3.75. The relative impor- 

 tance of these items naturally varies somewhat in different 

 sections of the United States, the fertilizer cost being high 

 in the East and South and little or nothing in the Central 

 and Western states, while other items show some differences. 

 The cost, value, and difference between value and cost 

 for the different sections are shown in Table V. At the 

 present time (1918), on account of general economic as well 

 as war conditions, all production costs are at least 50 per 

 higher than those shown here. 



Table V. Acre cost of production of corn, acre valuey and difference 

 between value and cost for the United States and for the different 

 sections of the country in the year 1909. 



As the table shows, there was not a wide range between 

 the different sections in the matter of difference between 

 cost and value, the extremes being $5.85 to the acre in the 

 South Central and $9.73 in the North Atlantic states. 

 Where the cost of production was highest, in the North 

 Atlantic states, the difference between value and cost was 

 also highest, due to high yield and high price to the bushel. 

 In Illinois and Iowa, the two states of largest production, the 

 respective figures were: Acre cost, $13.25 and $12.39; 

 bushel cost, 31 and 30 cents; value less cost, $9.38 and $8.43. 



