90 



MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 240 



Materials Used. 



The materials used in this area differ from those in Concord. Rye is seeded 

 as a cover crop, practically no Bordeaux is used, almost no manure is spread, 

 and slightly more fertilizer is applied. 



From 10 to 13 bushels of certified seed were planted per acre. Ten bushels 

 were the most common rate. The range was also less than in other areas. 



Fertilizer applications ranged from 800 pounds on farm 48 to 4000 pounds 

 per acre on farm 46. All the fertilizer was 5-8-7 except on farms 53 and 54, 

 which used 4-8-4 and 4-6-10, respectively. 



About two bushels of rye is the usual rate of seeding for the cover crop, 

 to be turned under the following spring. 



Further Suggestions for Reducing Costs and Increasing Returns 



Potato Machinery. 



Farmers are interested in knowing the acreage of potatoes which will 

 justify investment in machinery. Tables 10 and 11 will be of assistance in 

 solving this problem on particular farms. Rates for depreciation and repairs 

 ba.sed on estimates secured from 69 farmers in 1925 are applied to current 

 retail prices of potato machines and the annual cost per acre for different 

 acreages per farm are calculated. This is based on the assumption that the 

 life of the machines will not vary greatly with small differences in acreage. 



Table 10. — Estimated Machine Costs of Special Potato Machinery. a 



Estimated Years Life 



Retail Price, New, Feb. 1, 1927 



Annual Depreciation 

 Estimated Annual Repairs 

 5% Interest on Investment 



Annual Cost per Machine 



Annual Cost per Acre for 



Different Acreages (b) 



2 Acres — 



3 Acres — 



4 Acres — 



5 Acres — 

 10 Acres — 



a Table based on estimates from 69 growers for the crop year 1925. 

 b Based on the assumption that small changes in acreage do not materially affect 

 the years life of the machines. 



The average differences in hours of man labor used on 120 farms in 1924 

 and 1925 in planting and harvesting by machine and hand methods are shown 

 in Table 11. Assuming that the difference is the average amount of labor that 

 could be saved by the use of machinery and applying a cost rate to this labor, 

 a partial solution is obtained for the problem of when to buy machinery. For 

 example, if labor is worth 40 cents per hour and a planter will save 9 hours 

 of man labor, the saving will amount to $3.60 annually. At this rate it 

 would be necessary to grow nearly 5 acres to pay for the planter by the 

 savino- in man labor. There are, of course, other things to consider. If labor 

 is scarce and cannot be hired, the machine may be indispensable; on the other 

 hand, if there is plenty of cheap labor available, the use of machinery may 

 not be economical. Quite frequently several farmers own a planter, sprayer. 



