COST OF PRODUCING WHEAT. 25 



bushel costs. A number of such farms reported yields as high as 

 15 to 25 bushels per acre. The farms on which the cost per bushel 

 was exceptionally high reported yields ranging from less than 3 bushels 

 to 8 and 10 bushels per acre. A number of the farmers with the 

 higher costs abandoned a part of their wheat acreage because it was 

 totally destroyed or in such condition that it was not worth the 

 expense of harvesting. 



ANALYSIS OF ITEMS OF COST. 



The labor costs and other items of expense entering into the cost 

 of wheat production have been expressed in terms of hours of labor 

 and quantities of seed, twine, etc., wherever possible. This has been 

 done because requirements expressed in these terms are more valuable 

 for purposes of comparison than when expressed in the less stable 

 terms of dollars and cents. These cost factors have been treated 

 under the general headings, "Labor," "Material" "Thrashing," 

 "Use cost of land." and "Other costs." 



AVERAGE HOURS OF MAN AND HORSE LABOR PER ACRE. 



Table XII shows the average number of hours per acre devoted to 

 wheat production in the various regions studied. 



The figures shown are averages for only those farms operated with 

 horses, all farms on which the tractor or motor truck was used having 

 been omitted in this tabulation. 



The average hours per acre of man and horse labor for each dis- 

 trict are representative, with the exception of any variation caused 

 by different practices followed in providing labor for thrashing. In 

 the spring-wheat areas the farmers furnished the thrashing crews 

 in Morton, Clay, and Traverse Counties, and the total man and horse 

 hours include all labor for hauling and pitching bundles in these 

 counties. But in Grand Forks and Spink Counties the owner of the 

 thrashing machine furnished the men and teams for thrashing, and 

 this labor, which would amount to about 1 \ man and 2\ horse hours 

 per acre, is not included in the averages shown in Table XII. 



In the Kansas areas and Saline County, Mo., the crew was furnished 

 by both farmers and thrashermen. Had the farmer furnished the 

 entire crew the average hours of production would have been increased 

 by about 1 man-hour per acre. 



In all other winter-wheat areas, excepting Saline County, Mo., the 

 thrashing crews, and therefore the thrashing labor, are included in 

 the averages for these areas. 



In the spring-wheat areas the average man-hours varied from nearly 

 six hours per acre in Grand Forks County, N. Dak., to about nine hours 

 26218°— 21 4 



