COST AND UTILIZATION OF POWER ON FARMS. 51 



Table 38. — Average cost per day and per acre of using tractors for various operations. 



Operation. 



2-plow tractors. 



Number 



of 

 tractors. 



Cost per 

 day. 



Cost per 

 acre. 



3-plow tractors. 



Number 



of 

 tractors. 



Cost per 

 day. 



Cost per 

 acre. 



Spring plowing 



Fall plowing 



Disking 



Disking in combination 

 Harrowing, etc 



Drawing hay loader — 

 Drawing grain binder . . 



164 



129 

 95 



101 

 53 

 24 



101 



$12. 78 

 12.86 

 13.35 

 12.55 

 11.97 

 10.02 

 11.60 



$2.01 

 2.06 

 .71 

 .70 

 .35 

 1.14 

 .64 



$18. 07 

 18.69 

 17.13 

 16.82 

 19.14 

 14.18 

 16.45 



$2.15 

 2.22 

 .59 

 .76 

 .49 

 1.05 

 .76 



Much of the variation in these average costs, however, is due to the 

 fact that the machines were not all used for the same operations. 

 For instance, 95 2-plow tractors were used to pull disks alone, and 

 the average cost per day for these 95 was $13.35. One hundred and 

 one tractors were used for disking in combination with harrows or 

 other light implements, and the average cost per day was $12.55. 

 This does not mean that for any particular tractor the cost per day 

 was less when it was used for pulling both a disk and a harrow than 

 when it was used for pulling a disk alone. It simply indicates that 

 the daily charges for depreciation, repairs, interest, fuel, and oil for 

 the 95 used for pulling disks alone was greater than for the 101 used 

 for pulling both disks and harrows. Similarly the high cost of $19.14 

 per day shown for harrowing with the 3-plow tractors was due simply 

 to the fact that the charges mentioned above were high for the 7 

 tractors which were used for this work. When these variations in 

 the cost of operating individual tractors are taken into account, there 

 is little significance in the differences shown between 2-plow and 

 3-plow tractors in the cost of power for the different operations. 



The average cost per day of using the 2-plow tractors for drawbar 

 work was $12.67, the 3-plow tractors $17.73, and all tractors $14.51. 

 Except for possible differences in the amounts of fuel and oil used, 

 the costs per day of using the tractors for belt and custom work 

 would be approximately the same as the costs for drawbar work. 



The marked decline in the prices of gasoline, kerosene, and lubri- 

 cating oil since the investigation was made has resulted in a con- 

 siderable decrease in the cost of operating tractors. At present 

 (September, 1921) the average price of gasoline to farmers in the areas 

 studied is about 19 cents, kerosene 10 cents, and lubricating oil 40 

 cents. The cost of fuel and oil for the tractors as computed on 

 these prices is 57 per cent of the cost as based on the 1920 prices. 

 Assuming no change in depreciation, interest, and repair costs, the 

 present cost per day and per acre of operating the tractors would 

 be 82 per cent of the 1920 costs given above. (See Table 42.) 



