206 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



COST OF RAISING CORN IN KANSAS. 



KANSAS is certainly a great corn State. 

 Statistics show that the average 

 annual yield for all the thirty-four years, 

 bad seasons and good, since 1861 has 

 been twenty- seven bushels per acre for 

 the entire State, ranging in different years 

 from 9 to 48 f- bushels. The product for 

 twenty-five years ending with 1895 has 

 had an annual home value averaging more 

 than $31,000,000 and a total value in that 

 time exceeding $776,000,000. 



Secretary Coburn, in the March quarterly 

 report of the State Board of Agriculture, 

 presents a detailed showing from 68 long- 

 time extensive growers, in 45 counties 

 which last year produced 140,000,000 

 bushels, giving from the-ir experience "on 

 such a basis as others can safely accept" 

 each principal item of cost in growing and 

 cribbing an acre of corn, estimating the 

 yield at 40 bushels. About two-thirds of 

 those reporting prefer planting with listers 

 and the others use the better known check- 

 row method, after the land has been 

 plowed and harrowed. 



The statements of all the growers 

 summed up, averaged and itemized show 

 as follows: 



Seed $0.07 



Plowing 1.03 



Harrowing 24 



Planting 25 



Cultivating 98 



Husking and putting in crib 1.18 



Wear and tear and interest on cost of 



tools 80 



Rent of land (or interest on its value) 2.35 



Total cost $6.40 



Cost per bushel 16 



Commenting on these figures Secretary 

 Coburn says: "In none of these calcu- 

 lations has there been made any allowance 

 for the value of the corn-stalks, which 

 ordinarily, under the crudest management, 

 should offset the cost of harvesting the 

 grain, and under proper conditions should 

 have a forage value much in excess of 

 such cost. Taking these into every esti- 

 mate, as should rightly be done, the show- 

 ing of cost per bushel would be very 

 sensibly diminished. In the results of 

 this investigation it will likewise be noted 

 that the rental for these Kansas corn 

 lands, or the interest figured by their 

 owners on the investment represented, 

 averages more than 8^ per cent, or a net 

 rate higher than the capitalist, general 

 banker or money-lender dreams of realiz- 



COST OP RAISING AN ACRE OF CORN. 



a d "Further, it should be understood that 



Planting (with' lister,' or' with check-row the thrifty Kansas farmer does not measure 



planter including cost of previous the profit of his crop by the narrow 



plowing and harrowing) 77 margin shown in such statistics between 



the items of ' cost ' and ' value. ' He does 



Husking and putting in crib 1.18 -. ... . ,. 



Wear and tear and interest on cost of not as a rule > anticipate selling his corn 



tools 25 by the bushel at the figures given as 



Rent of land (or interest on its value). . 2.41 'value,' nor expect more if he did so than 



m t i t - _ a moderate return, one year with another, 



Cost per bushel." !l4i ^ or his labor and investment; it is the 



Average value of corn land per conversion of it, on his farm, into beef, 



acre $29.25 pork, poultry, dairy and similar products 



The condensed showing made by the 43 from which comes the surplus to make 



growers who plant with listers, or have th e comfortable homes and build the 



found that method preferable, is thus: school-houses, colleges and churches that 



g ee( j $0 07 are 8UC h common objects on his hori- 



Listiug 44 zon and so largely the measure of his 



Cultivating 1.06 ambition." 



Husking and putting in crib 1.16 



Wear and tear and interest on cost of CALIFORNIA LEMON GROWING. 



tools 25 



Rent of land (or interest on its value) 2.44 THE Azusa Pomotropic has the follow- 



1 ing interesting and instructive article 



Total cost.. $5.42 O n lemon culture: 



Cost per bushel 13i c j 



"A large number of our readers are 



Statements of cost, where the land is engaged in lemon culture, therefore 



plowed, well harrowed, and planted will read with interest anything that 



with the ordinary check-row machine, bears upon that industry in this lo- 



summarize for each item as follows: cality. It seems strange that the forecasts 



