INTRODUCTION 5 



9. Increase in production. Notwithstanding this de- 

 crease in the per cent of the people upon the farms, there 

 has been, since the introduction of machinery, a great in- 

 crease in production per capita. In 1800 it is estimated 

 that 5.50 bushels of wheat were produced per capita; in 

 1850, according to the Division of Statistics of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture, production had decreased to 

 4.43 bushels. This was before the effect of harvesting 

 machinery had begun to be felt. People were leaving the 

 farms and the production of wheat per capita was falling 

 off. The limit with hand methods had been reached. 

 Economists were alarmed lest a time should come when 

 the production would not supply the needs of the people. 

 Through the aid of machinery the production increased 

 to 9.16 bushels per capita in 1880, 7.48 bushels in 1890, 

 and 8.66 bushels in 1900. Perhaps this also shows that 

 the maximum production of wheat per capita with present 

 machinery has been reached. The production of corn 

 has also increased, but the increase is not so marked. 

 The production of corn per capita in 1850 was 25.53 

 bushels ; in 1900 it was 34.94 bushels. 



10. Cost of production. Although the cost of farm 

 labor has doubled or trebled, the cost of production has 

 decreased. According to the Thirteenth Annual Report 

 of the Department of Labor, the amount of labor required 

 to produce a bushel of wheat by hand was 3 hours and 

 3 minutes, and now it is only 9 minutes and 58 seconds. 

 The cost of production, as compiled by Quaintance,* was 

 20 cents by hand (1829-30) and 10 cents by machinery 

 (1895-96). It is also stated in the Year Book of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture for 1899 that it formerly required 

 II hours of man labor to cut and cure I ton of hay. Now 



*The Influence of Farm Machinery on Production and Labor. 

 Publications of the American Economic Association. Vol. V., 

 No. 4. 



