16 



BULLETIX 641, U. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



condition of the roads has a decided influence on the cost, as bad 

 roads make it impossible to haul a full load and necessitate a longer 

 time per trip. 



From the report of 25 farmers in the New York area it was found 

 that the average distance to market was 3 miles and the cost of 

 hauling 70 cents per ton. 



Table XX. — Labor cost per ton when the yield varies. (52 farms in Steuben 



County, N. Y.) 



O peration. 



Labor cost per ton ■when 

 yield is — 



j 3 tons per 1.50 tons 1 ton per 

 acre. ; per acre. acre. 



Seeding ' SO. 021 



Mowing | .192 



Tedding I .116 



Raking j .084 



Loading, hauling, and unloading i . 692 



Total 1.105 



SO. 042 

 .385 

 .233 

 .168 



.692 



1.520 



SO. 063 

 .577 

 .349 

 .252 

 .692 



1.933 



Fig. 3. — A good stand of timothy and clover, yielding over two tons per acre. The cost of production 

 decreases and profits increase as the yield per acre increases. 



EFFECT OF YIELD ON THE COST OF LABOR PER TON. 



The cost of labor per ton is directly affected by yield in seeding, 

 mowing, tedding, and raking, since the amount of work accomplished 

 per hour in these operations is nearly the same for a light yield as 

 for a heavy one. Even the cost of loading by hand, hauling, and 

 putting into the barn is but slightly affected by variation in yield. 



For the purpose of illustrating the effect of yield upon labor cost 

 per ton Table XX has been prepared, based on the cost in the Xew 

 York area, where the yield is 1 .50 tons per acre. It will be seen that 

 the labor cost per ton decreases as the yield increases, the cost with 

 a 1-ton vield being almost double the cost with a 3-ton vield. (See 

 fig. 3.) * 



WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PKINTIXG OFFICE : 1918 



