COST OF PRODUCTION 



801 



each, were 27 per cent better than the average. Increased yields are not 

 difficult to secure, but increased profits are a different matter. It requires 

 very careful study to know just what degree of intensity will bring the best 

 results. It is granted that weather conditions, insect enemies and plant 

 diseases are factors that may materially modify what would be otherwise 

 normal yields. 



Product per Animal. — The difference in the cost of rearing and main- 

 taining animals is less than the difference in the value of their products. 

 It costs nearly as much to feed and care for an unproductive cow as it does 

 for one that is highly productive. A man spends as much time in driving a 

 little horse or a small team as he does in driving a large horse or a team 

 consisting of several horses. The one will do much more work than the 

 other, and hence increases the efficiency of the unit of man labor. The 

 small horse usually occupies a stall in the stable equally as large as the 

 larger one, and requires the same amount of labor in his care, although he 

 may not consume as much feed. The cost of producing a quart of milk or 

 a pound of butter is, therefore, determined to a considerable extent by 

 the natural productivity of the animal. Productive cows are generally 

 profitable, but there are many in nearly every herd that do not pay for 

 their feed and labor. The problem becomes one of eliminating the unpro- 

 ductive cows. 



The following table, taken from "Farm Management," by Warren, 

 shows the relation of size of cows to value of product above food cost : 



Weight of Cows, 

 pounds. 



900 and under 

 901-1000... 

 1001-1100... 

 1101-1200... 

 1201-1300... 

 1301-1400... 

 Over 1400... 



Value of 



Product 



Above Cost 



of Feed. 



$54.20 

 61.36 

 66.28 

 72.21 

 72.01 

 79.64 

 88.01 



Data furnished by F. W. Woll, for cows whose records are reported in Wisconsin Bulletin No. 226. 



The cost of producing dairy products varies greatly with location, and 

 is dependent upon cost of feed, price of labor and cost of housing, as well as 

 upon the character and efficiency of the animals. The cost of producing 

 dairy products under different conditions has been worked out at a number 

 of experiment stations, as well as by farm surveys for farm conditions. 

 In general, feed constitutes just about 50 per cent of the cost of producing 

 milk or butter. Labor constitutes about 25 per cent, and the other items, 

 such as interest, depreciation and housing make up the other] 25 per cent. 



Labor of Men and Teams. — In the production of most crops, the largest 



51 



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