FARM MACHINERY 51 



is restricted. On the other hand, farmers having their capital in 

 the form of machinery devoted to the production of some partic- 

 ular crop will continue to produce somewhat of that crop rather 

 than to have their capital lie idle or to suffer a greater loss from 

 an attempt to change. This influence operates towards maintaining 

 the former supply. 



As a consequence of these two dissimilar forces, the supply of 

 any product is more constant, and the resulting fluctuations in 

 price less violent than they otherwise would be. 



The Quality of Agricultural Products 



The use of machinery is not without some influence on the 

 quality of the product. Corn which, by reason of too early or too 

 late planting, as was necessarily frequent under hand methods of 

 production, does not mature properly is unwholesome ; and grain 

 cut, as formerly, under hand methods, before it is thoroughly 

 ripened, becomes shrunken and of less value. 



In the matter of preparing grain for use the advantages of 

 machinery are equally evident. The present generation of Ameri- 

 cans would be slow to eat bread made of flour from wheat threshed 

 by the treading of horses or cattle. 



PART III 

 Machinery and Labor 



Saving of Labor 



The quantity of labor which, by the use of machine power, is 

 saved for other uses may be determined, in the case of any par- 

 ticular crop, by finding the difference between the number of days' 

 work requisite for producing it by hand and by machine methods. 

 In the table on the next page there is shown the quantity of man- 

 labor requisite for producing the nine principal farm crops by hand 

 and by machine methods ; the quantity of labor saved in each case 

 by the use of machinery ; and the per cent which the quantity of 

 saved labor is of the quantity requisite for producing the several 

 crops by hand method. 



