8 BULLETIN 595, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
item for the remainder of the equipment. The above-mentioned 
items are fixed charges per acre—that is, they do not vary greatly 
with the yield per acre except for the item of twime—but this varia- 
tion is not sufficient to affect materially the relative total cost of 
production under the several methods. 
Table II shows the cost per acre, based upon what is considered 
an average day’s work for each of the farm operations involved at 
the above-mentioned wage. As before stated, the type of soil and 
seasonal conditions will determine to a certain extent the labor 
requirement and the consequent cost per acre. 
TABLE II.—Average cost per acre of the farm operations involved in growing winter 
wheat in the Great Plains area. 
[The wage scale assumed is $2 per day for each man and $1 per day for each horse.]} 
Force employed. el, - c 
. ay’s tem ost per 
Operation. work. cost. Sone, 
Men. Horses. 
: Acres 
PIO WIN G2 sects oes ote sicinc 1 4 34 $1.71 
DISKIN Ges Sse e as AS Ne 1 4 8 a7) 
Harrowing ee 5 UE oe 36 1 4 35 auld 
SUDSoOUNe STOEL Ie a Ea pew NE ed Ff he Epes 1 3 OPA se he Bine 1. 43 
Dra llit pee eS Co SC Metape ye ae ye). hae Lee 1 4 a ea | eset haa ah - 40 
Gultivaitin pb seg ess I EE ane Sill = dee OE eA 1 4 16) oS bees . 38 
SIS GIN DE eters eterna Sate eee ene eee ee 1 4 HOD i ee emceece . 60 
Harvesting: - 
Cutiingjandibinding == eee ee eee 1 4 15 $0. 40 
Shocking soy See eA ER EVE ARE Lk ee DE YS | ee: Ese 13 93 
AEN ARATE See SS AS INS EIS Ie NS er a EN cen | | iy | ee ey | Lele eee 25 
iBinderwear andbrepain 55. 025 EN as ee ee eae EO aes 15 
1 The cost of thrashing is not included in the cost per acre, but it is estimated at 10 cents per bushel and 
deducted from the price of 80 cents in the granary, thus giving a value of 70 cents per bushel in the shock. 
The average farm price of wheat used in these computations is 
based on the data given in Table III, furnished by the Bureau of 
Crop Estimates of the United States Department of Agriculture. 
The four States of Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South 
Dakota were selected, because their extensive wheat production has 
given them established market prices which are not greatly influenced 
by local conditions. 
TABLE III.—Average price! of wheat at the farm granary for ten years in four States of the 
Great Plains area. 
[The quotations are given in cents per bushel. Those for the year 1914 are for the date of Nov. 1; in other 
years Dec. 1 is taken as the date.] 
North | South | Ne- |; Aver- North | South | Ne- Aver- 
Year. |Dakota.|Dakota.| braska.|*22525-) “age. Year. | Dakota.|Dakota.| braska.|*2254S-| “age. 
1905....- 69 67 66 71 68h || 1911...-- 89 91 87 91 893 
1906... -- 63 61 57 58 59% || 1912....- 69 69 69 74 704 
1907...-.- 87 89 79 82 844 || 1913_.... 7 71 71 79 73% 
1908... -.- 92 92 84 88 &9 1914....- 97 90 92 94 944 
1909..... 92 90 89 96 913 
NO) coo 90 89 80 84 852 || Average. 82 81 77 82 804 
1 The figures in this table are the same as those used in Bulletin No. 214, “Spring Wheat in the Great 
Plains Area,’”’ published by the Office of Dry-Land Agriculture in 1915. The table has not been revised 
to include 1915 and 1916 because the prices during these two years have been largely determined by the 
abnormal conditions occasioned by the European war. 
