252 COST OF PRODUCTION AND FARM ACCOUNTING 



at 5 per cent. Some Experiment Stations give the item of rent to 

 correspond as nearly as possible to actual cash rent paid by tenants. 

 Cost of Growing Grains. Wisconsin Experiment Station at 

 Madison carries on cost accounting work. Figures in that State 

 in the year 1917, based on a six-years study, give the following 

 data on cost of growing grains: 



Other Cost Accounting. These costs are seen to run very close 

 to the Iowa costs, found in Appendix to this chapter. 



Referring again to the Minnesota studies (1908 to 1912, bulle- 

 tin 145), we find the following summary of costs: 



Average monthly cash wages paid farm laborers during the 

 8 crop season months, April to November, 



Rice County $28.19 



Lyon County 26.45 



Norman County 28.86 



During the 4 winter months, these counties ran as follows, respec- 

 tively, $17.85; $21.20; $17.27. 



The average monthly cost of board per man, same years, same 

 counties, was $15.43; $14,17; $12.36. 



Reduced to an hour basis, the average rate of wages per hour 

 for monthly man-labor, same years, same counties, was 14.9 cents; 

 13.9 cents; 13.5 cents. 



The average annual cost of maintaining a horse, same years, 

 same counties, was respectively, $103.41; $99.67; $84.16. The 

 hours worked annually by a horse averaged 1038; 1106; 976; or, 

 on a daily basis, the average hours worked by a horse was, 3.46; 

 3.68; 3.25. This made the average cost of horse-labor per hour 

 10.1 cents, 9.01 cents, 8.63 cents, respectively. 



The annual depreciation on farm machinery was estimated, and 

 likewise the " annual value consumed" for farm machinery. Sta- 

 tistics were carefully gathered to determine the average deprecia- 

 tion. The inventory value of a machine was based on the following 

 considerations : Number of years used, manner cared for, amount 

 of work done, repairs during the year, present condition, and appar- 

 ent future usefulness; also possible auction or exchange value of 

 the machine. In order to charge properly machinery values con- 



