COST OF PEODUCTION. 205 



sound principles, and with good judgment. In other 

 words, the farmer who adopts the best methods of cul- 

 ture will discover that, as a general rule, and up to a 

 certain limit, the more he pays out per acre for extra 

 culture and fertilization, the more grain he will get 

 back, and the less will be the cost per bushel. 



There is a certain amount of work that must be 

 done upon each acre of ground, before any grain 

 whatever can be produced. A certain amount of ex- 

 pense is inevitable for even the lowest rate of produc- 

 tion. Let us, then, endeavor to ascertain this lowest 

 limit of expense per acre. 



No farmer attempts to raise a crop of maize with- 

 out ploughing the ground, at least once. His land 

 has then to be marked out and planted, and when the 

 grain is ripe, the crop is harvested and stored. This 

 may be considered the lowest stage of corn-culture in 

 which there is no manure employed and no after- 

 tillage. The items of expense, in this case, would 

 probably be, on an average, as follows : 



Ploughing $2 00 



Marking, planting, and seed 2 00 



Harvesting 3 00 



Kent 5 00 



$12 00 



These figures are of course variable, according to 

 locality and other circumstances, but will be found on 

 an average very nearly as stated. 



The yield of the above acre must, of necessity, be 

 very low, and cannot safely be estimated at more than 



