May, 1929] Potato Production Costs in New Hampshire 



d 



TABLE VI. 



Relation of Distance from Market to Labor and Cost per Acre and per Bushel, 



1926-1927. 



This influence of size is felt in several other ways than in labor 

 required. (See Table V.) 



While yield per acre on some of our farms is important because 

 of the limited amount of suitable land available for potatoes, most 

 growers can better afford to use a larger area to obtain the greater 

 total yield, and do it at a much less cost per bushel in labor and 

 money than is possible on the smaller area. Where it is possible to 

 reduce the labor cost per bushel nearly a half by increasing the area 

 from two to eight acres it is advisable to get a larger total yield by 

 expanding rather than by using more fertilizer, seed, and other 

 elements of production. 



Decreases in labor of 24 hours, i. e., from 157 to 133 hours, per 

 acre and of 7.2 minutes, i. e., from 36 to 28.8 minutes, per bushel, 

 have been made in Coos and Grafton Counties on an average by in- 

 creasing the area from 2.1 to 3.8 acres. These changes in area 

 were accompanied by the use of more machinery and more efficient 

 methods. 



In the southern part of the state decreases in man labor of 83 

 hours, i. e., from 156 to 123 hours, per acre, and 10.8 minutes, i. e., 

 from 52.8 to 42 minutes, per bushel in the other counties for 1.7 

 acres and 3.8 acres respectively are comparable to decreases in the 

 north. In Merrimack and Rockingham Counties labor cost per 

 lacre remains the same but, because of differences in yield, labor is 

 reduced 12.6 minutes, i. e., from 50.4 to 37.8 minutes per bushel. 



A further increase in area to approximately 7.5 acres de- 

 creased labor about 10 per cent. 



This reduction in labor per bushel is reflected in a lower cost 

 per bushel. Large decreases in cost per bushel resulted in every 

 case except one as the acreage was increased. In the group of 



