22 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



The oat crop in the West will cost about the same as the 

 corn crop. In the East we add to the value of the grain the 

 market price of the straw, which materially reduces the 

 cost. It must also be borne in mind that the labor 

 charges in the East are over-estimated, since most of us 

 would use labor employed for stock and general farm work ; 

 whereas in the West labor is employed primarily for grain 

 growing. 



Again, while it is shown that the cost of growing the corn 

 is about 25 cents per bushel, the bulk of the crop is sold at 

 18 cents, or below cost ; unless we treat the stover as gain. 

 It is estimated that 7 bushels are sold at the minimum price 

 of 18 cents, against 3 bushels at 42 cents, or the maximum 

 market quotations. While in reality the average return to 

 the former is about 25|^ cents, the average of the two 

 extremes is 30 cents. The increased appreciation of grain 

 feeding in the West has already increased the cost of bought 

 grain and millstuffs in the north-western States ; and their 

 farmers are growing more peas and oats. It is doubtful 

 whether we shall again be able to buy corn and millstuffs 

 as cheaply as during the last ten years. Wherever other 

 circumstances render it possible, every Eastern farmer should 

 try to replace part of his corn meal and millstuffs by home- 

 grown crops. 



If we attempt to compare the value of the corn ensilage 

 crop, let me offer you a comparison obtained from the most 

 costly acres I have experience of. In the county of 

 Worcester 7 acres of ensilage corn cost in the season of 1890 

 $515.50, or $73.64 per acre in the silo. Figuring the dry 

 matter at only 25 per cent, the cost of the ton of dry food 

 material was $11.78, on a yield of 25 tons per acre ; or $2.94^ 

 per ton of ensilage. Inasmuch as the dry matter of the 

 ensilage was nearly all digestible, it would be hardly 

 fair to take the dry matter in the corn meal at the same 

 value. Let us give the corn meal the benefit of the differ- 

 ence, and call the values the same. Corn meal at $22.50 a 

 ton contains about one-seventh its weight in water, or, in 

 other words, its dry matter costs about $25.60, — just 

 about double the cost of the dry food material in our 

 expensively grown ensilage crop. 



