Comparison of taxes on livestock with yearly January 1st values as estimated 

 by farmers themselves is available from the following table: 



AVERAGE VALUES ON JANUARY Ist IN EACH YEAR 



1926 1925 1924 1920 1919 1918 



Per Per Per Per Per Per 



Head Head Head Head Head Head 



All Cattle 32.00 30.00 31.00 53.00 59.00 53.00 



All Sheep 11.40 10.40 8.70 10.40 11.80 12.60 



IMPORTS OF FARM IMPLEMENTS 



No complete figures are available as to the sale of farm implements, 

 although from records of the state railroad commission, it is possible to compare 

 the yearly total car shipments of all farm implements. 



Year Farm Implement Shipments 



(June to Dec.) Cars 



1918 593 



1919 671 



1920 542 



1924 249 



1925 196 



1926* 266* 



*Complete only to December. 



From this data, is evident a downward trend in the sales of farm implements 

 from the high point of 1919 to a relatively low point in 1925. Ni'neteen twenty- 

 six, however, records a gain over both 1925 and 1924. 



On the other hand there has been a relatively large increase in certain types 

 of farm machinery since 1920 according to surveys of the state agricultural 

 college, which show substantial gains for medium size tractors, combine-harvester- 

 threshers and field cultivators. Horses are still cheap in Montana despite the 

 downward trend in breeding and numbers since 1920. Total number of tractors 

 in the state as reported by the Federal census dropped from 7,647 in 1920 to 

 6,602 in 1925. 



REPORTED AVERAGE YEARLY WAGES OF FARM LABOR IN MONTANA 



Wages by the Month Wages by the Day 



With Without With Without 



Year Board Board Board Board 



1918 $59.50 $ 83.00 $3.80 $4.75 



1919 62.50 89.00 4.00 4.95 



1920 75.40 105.00 5.20 6.20 



1924 48.70 69.10 2.51 3.60 



1925 49.10 69.30 2.70 3.52 



1926 50.10 70.60 2.75 3.50 



TREND OF FARM LABOR WAGES 



Average farm wages are reported quar- 

 terly by crop correspondents in Montana, in 

 the months of January, April, July and Oc- 

 tober. Comparison of the yearly averages 

 of these reports is made in the table above 

 from which is evident the downward trend in 

 labor costs from the high point of 1920 to 

 the low point of 1924. During the past two 

 years wages have tended to stabilize 

 slightly above the 1924 low point. In Oc- 

 tober, 1926, the average farm wage per 

 month, with board, in Montana was $52.50, 

 compared with the average of $53.61 for 

 eleven western states, $47.75 for nine north- 

 Atlantic states and $36.00 the average for 

 the United States. 



