COST GV PRODUCING WHEAT. 



35 



and the transient character of labor employed, practically all labor 

 was hired on a day basis at a much higher wage. For this reason 

 different rates have been used for seed-bed preparation and seeding 

 and for harvesting and marketing. The wage paid was mainly 

 governed by the competition for farm labor at the time the work 

 was done; it will be noted that there is considerable variation in 

 the rates used in the several districts visited. 



Horse-labor rate. — The horse-labor rates, as shown in Table XX, are 

 based partially on the prevailing charge for team work in the regions 

 visited, and partially on the cost of horse labor as obtained from 

 detailed cost records which were available for some of the States in 

 which this investigation was made. It will be noted that the horse- 

 labor rate in Ford County, Kans., was higher than in other districts 

 visited; this was due to partial crop failures in 1918 and 1919, which 

 resulted in a relatively high cost of grain and roughage. 



Table XX. — Man and horse labor rates per hour, spring and winter ivheat, 1919 (481 



farms). 



State and county. 



Seed-bed preparation 

 and seeding. 



Man rate. Horse rate. 



Harvesting and 

 marketing. 



Man rate. Horse rate. 



SPRING-WHEAT AREAS. 



North Dakota: 



Grand Forks County 



Morton County 



South Dakota: 



Spink County 



Minnesota: 



Clay County 



Traverse County 



WINTER-WHEAT AREAS. 



Kansas: 



Ford County 



Pawnee County 



McPherson County 



Missouri: 



Saline County 



Jasper County 



St. Charles County 



Nebraska: 



Phelps County 



Saline County 



Keith County 



1.35 

 .35 



.40 



.35 

 .30 

 .35 



.30 

 .30 

 .25 



.35 



.35 

 .35 



SO. 60 

 .60 



. 65 



.60 



.60 



.75 

 .60 

 .75 



.60 

 .50 

 .55 



.65 

 .70 

 .80 



$0.20 

 .20 



.20 



■ 25 

 .18 



• 20 



.18 



• 18 

 .18 



.20 

 .20 

 .20 



AVERAGE LABOR COST PER ACRE. 



The labor cost, as shown in Table XXI, includes all man-and- 

 horse labor expended by the farmer and any contract labor hired. 

 All work hi which the farmer's men and horses had no part has 

 been recorded as contract labor. This includes a small amount of 

 plowing for which the farmer paid a stipulated sum per acre for 

 man and horses or tractor and plows; a small amount of cleaning 

 seed wheat; a nominal amount of cutting wheat with the grain 

 binder; and some marketing grain, which was usually hauled with 

 a truck at a fixed charge per bushel per mile hauled. The relatively 



