WINTER WHEAT IN THE GREAT PLAINS AREA. 7 
cultivation or cropping of a single season. After a careful study of 
the data, it seemed advisable two years ago to prepare a series of 
bulletins covering the results relating to a single crop as determined 
by the treatment of the land in only the one year immediately pre- 
ceding the growth of that crop. Such a series of bulletins was pub- 
lished, but owing to the comparatively small amount of data on 
winter wheat available at that time, this crop was not included. 
The addition of the results of the two years that have since elapsed 
now warrants a publication of the same character relating to winter 
wheat. 
COMPARISON OF CULTURAL METHODS. 
The methods under study vary a great deal in the labor involved 
and in the consequent cost of production by each method. Table IV 
has therefore been compiled in order to show the average cost by 
each of the methods under study. These data have been prepared 
from the records of 10 representative stations, and an average of the 
records of 6.7 years at each station has been used in preparing it. 
This is equivalent to a record of 67 years at one station. An accurate 
record has been kept of all the farm operations performed in the 
various methods under trial. These have been averaged for the 10 
stations. The amount of work required for some methods of treat- 
ment varies with the season and with the soil, and the expense of 
some operations varies with the sou. The amount of labor per- 
formed under each of the methods was neither more nor less than 
that which the man in charge believed to be necessary to bring about 
the results sought. ‘ 
In computing the cost of the various operations a fixed wage of 
$2 a day for a man and $1 a day for a horse was adopted. This may 
be above or below the actual labor cost in any particular locality, 
but it is believed to be a fair average and one that will afford a profit- 
able market to the farmer for his labor. The time required of men 
and teams to cover a given acreage in each of the several farm opera- 
tions obviously varies with soil and other conditions. The average 
shown in Table IT has been determined from the actual experience of 
a large number of men connected with these investigations, experi- 
ence that has extended over a wide range of conditions and many 
years of time. 
The factors included in the cost of production are calculated on 
an acre basis for each of the separate operations performed, beginning 
with the preparation of the land and ending with the harvesting and 
shocking of the grain. To these items are added the cost of seed at 
75 cents per acre, interest and taxes on the land investment, calcu- - 
lated at 8 per cent on a valuation of $20 per acre, and the deteriora- 
tion and repairs of the binder at 15 cents per acre. No allowance is 
made for the deterioration of other farm equipment, as it is believed 
that the wages allowed for men and teams are sufficient to cover this 
