470 FARM MANAGEMENT 



horse labor. There was also a loss of a $15 service fee and 

 of the risk, feed, and time lost by a mare that gave birth 

 to a dead eolt. The farmer decided to raise no more colts 

 except such as would be worth high prices when grown, 

 because feed in this region is too expensive for anything 

 but high-priced colts. 



281. Equipment cost $239 for the year. This is a cost 

 of $1.99 for each acre of crops harvested, or a cost of 3 T 9 

 cents for each hour of horse labor. Both of these are 

 reasonable costs, probably much below the average for the 

 state. The cost of equipment was 21 per cent of the value 

 of equipment on hand at the beginning of the year or pur- 

 chased during the year. This, again, is a moderate figure, 

 but one should strive to reduce these costs. On some farms 

 in Minnesota, the machinery costs are about half as much, 

 but the costs of housing machinery and of oil do not seem 

 to be included. (See page 357.) 



The chief reason for the difference is the greater area of 

 each kind of crops grown on the Minnesota farms so that 

 the machinery is used more. 



282. Other uses of accounts. By keeping the work 

 report, as shown on page 442, it is possible to find the time 

 required for each operation and the cost of operation. 

 Such information is of very frequent use in planning 

 farm work. It is often desirable to know how long to 

 allow for a certain kind of work. By comparing different 

 years, one can see where he is improving in the use of labor. 

 Often the cost of an operation is an aid in business transac- 

 tions. For instance, this farmer had occasion to use the 

 cost of baling hay in determining at what price to sell it 

 unbaled. Twice he had occasion to use the cost of har- 

 vesting wheat in making purchases of growing wheat. 

 The time at which different operations were done on pre- 



