COST OF PRODUCTION 805 



acre to produce crops on large farms than it does on small ones. The 

 same is true in the cost of producing livestock and livestock products. 

 The larger farms are enabled to make a fuller use of the labor of men 

 and horses, as well as equipment. It costs nearly as much to equ p an 

 80-acre farm as it does a 160-acre farm, so that the equipment cost per acre 

 is little more than half as much for the larger size as it is for the smaller. 

 The buildings on an 80-acre farm will cost nearly as much as on a 160-acre 

 farm, so that the cost of housing per animal is relatively less in case of 

 the larger farm. Larger farms make for the use of large teams and large 

 implements, thus reducing the cost for labor. They also offer better 

 opportunities for more continuous employment and greater diversity than 

 do small farms. They reduce the waste of time that is encountered in 

 the cultivation of small fields. 



An agricultural survey of 586 farms in Tompkins County, N Y., 

 showed that the labor cost per acre of producing crops ranged from $3.33 

 for farms averaging 261 acres to $19.90 for farms averaging 21 acres in 

 size. In other words, the area farmed with $100 worth of labor ranged 

 from only 5 acres in the case of small farms to as much as 30 acres in case 

 of the largest farms. It is true that the receipts per acre on the smaller 

 farms were somewhat larger than on the larger farms, but the difference 

 was nowhere in proportion to the difference in labor cost. On the larger 

 farms there was a profit, while on the smaller farms there was a decided loss. 



On 578 farms in Livingston County, N. Y., $100 worth of labor 

 farmed only 4.4 acres in case of farms of 30 acres or less, and 21.8 acres 

 in case of farms of over 200 acres in size. The acres per horse ranged 

 from 15 in case of small farms to as much as 49 in case of the large farms. 

 Size of business or size of farms, therefore, is rather important in keeping 

 down the cost of production. 



Character of Feed. — In the production of animals and animal products 

 the character of feed that can be most economically used should be care- 

 fully considered. While balanced rations are desirable, the value of the 

 different classes of feed must be considered, and those selected that will 

 give good results at the minimum cost. When concentrates are high 

 and roughages low, the amount of roughage may be increased and a small 

 sacrifice made on the production side with enough saving in the cost of 

 feed to make the profits greater than they would be by using large amounts 

 of concentrates at high cost in order to secure high production. When 

 concentrates are cheap and roughages relatively high, the reverse may 

 be advisable. 



In general, young stock should be fed largely on cheap feeds, much 

 of which will be roughage. Feeds that are not marketable at good prices 

 can generally be used for some kind of livestock production. 



Class of Labor. — The skill of the labor employed should correspond 

 with the character of work to be done. Skilled labor at high cost would 

 very materially increase the cost of production of most intensive crops 



