368 FARM MANAGEMENT 



A square field of one acre requires 50 rods of fence. A 

 square field of 10 acres requires 160 rods, or 16 rods for 

 each acre. A square field of 40 acres requires 320 rods, 

 or 8 rods per acre. A 620-acre field requires 1240 rods of 

 fence, or 2 rods per acre. 



The materials and labor for a woven wire fence cost 

 50 to 75 cents per rod. Interest and depreciation on 

 this cost will usually amount to 5 to 10 cents a rod per 

 year. This makes the annual cost of fencing about $2.50 

 per acre for one acre, 80 cents per acre for the 10-acre field, 

 40 cents per acre for the 40-acre field, and 10 cents per 

 acre for the 620-acre field. 



The value of farm land is determined by its earning 

 power. If interest rates are five per cent, then a change 

 in a field that makes it permanently earn $2 more per 

 acre every year increases the value of the land $40 per 

 acre. Or a change that permanently reduces the expense 

 by $2 per acre per year has the same effect. On this basis, 

 the 10-acre field would be worth $34 per acre more than the 

 one-acre field, if they both were to be kept fenced per- 

 manently. In other words, the $1.70 difference in fencing 

 cost is rent at 5 per cent on $34 worth of land. 



So far as possible, the main fields on the farm should be 

 of the same size. So far as possible, the farm should be 

 laid out so that the soil in a field is uniform. It is particu- 

 larly important that it be uniform in drainage, otherwise 

 the entire field must wait for the wet spots to dry up 

 before it is worked. Tile drainage for the wet places 

 will help in this matter. 



231. Distance to fields. The fields should be so ar- 

 ranged that they will come as near to the barn as possible. 



For any given condition, the relative value of fields near 

 the barn and far away may be determined. If a five-year 



