26 



American Economic Association 



[82 4 



The data requisite for a similar showing with respect 

 to all farm crops and for any certain period are, I think, 

 not to be had ; but we can apply the data presented in 

 the foregoing table to the principal crops of the year 

 1899, as reported by the Twelfth Census. 1 The results 

 are as follows : 



THE COST OF PRODUCING CERTAIN CROPS OF THE YEAR 1899, BY 

 HAND AND BY MACHINE METHODS. 



Cost of Production 



Hand Method Machine Meth . 



Name 1 



Quantity produced 



Barley (3) (bu. 



Broomcorn (5). . . (Ibs. 



Corn (9) (bu 



Cotton ( 10) . . . . (bales 



Hay (12) (tons) 



Oats (13) (bu. 



Onions (14) .... (bu.) 



Peas (15) (bu. 



Potatoes (16) ... (bu. 



Rice (17) (Ibs. 



Rye (18) (bu.) 



Sugar cane (20) . . (tons 

 Sweet potatoes (21) (bu.) 

 Tobacco (22). . . . (Ibs.) 

 Wheat (26) (bu.) 



Total 1880,019,105 1472,719,019 



The estimated cost of producing these crops by 

 machine method is only 53.7 per cent of the estimated 

 cost of producing the same crops by hand method. 

 In other words, the saving in cost of production amounts 

 to 46.3 per cent. The average date of the hand method 

 investigations made use of in this presentation is 1850 ; 

 the average date for the machine method investigations 



1 Twelfth Census : Agriculture I, p. cxxi. 



2 The figures in parentheses are the unit numbers used by the De- 

 partment of Labor and indicate what set of reports was used as the 

 basis of the estimated cost of production as here presented. The 

 dates of the investigations for hand and for machine methods may be 

 found by reference to the preceding table. 



