12 



BULLETIN 219, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



VALUATION OF THE CROP. 



The average farm price of corn on December 1 for 10 years is given 

 in Table III. These data were furnished by the Bureau of Crop Esti- 

 mates. The four States of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, 

 and Kansas were selected as representative of the most stable market 

 conditions within the area included in these investigations. This 

 table shows that the average farm price of corn on December 1 

 in the four States has been 51 cents per bushel for the period con- 

 sidered. 



Table III. — Average price of corn at the farm bin for 10 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.] 



Year. 



North 

 Dakota. 



South 

 Dakota. 



Ne- 

 braska. 



Kansas. 



Aver- 

 age. 



Year. 



North 

 Dakota. 



South 

 Dakota. 



Ne- 

 braska. 



Kansas. 



Aver- 

 age. 



1905 

 1906 

 1907 

 1908 

 1909 

 1910 



36 

 o9 

 60 

 60 



55 

 58 



31 



29 

 46 

 50 

 50 

 40 



32 

 29 

 41 

 51 

 50 

 36 



33 

 32 

 44 

 55 

 54 

 45 



33 

 32J 



47J 

 54 

 52J 

 441- 



1911 

 1912 

 1913 

 1914 



Average. 



60 

 43 

 52 



60 



53 

 37 

 56 

 56 



55 

 37 

 65 

 60 



63 



40 

 78 

 70 



57| 

 39* 

 62f 

 61£ 



52 



45 



46 



61 



51 



The value of corn fodder or stover is difficult to estimate. The 

 average farm price of hay in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, 

 and Kansas on December 1 for the 10 years ended 1913 has been 

 $6.22 per ton. Very few feeding experiments are available from 

 which to determine the relative values of corn fodder and hay. As 

 a matter of experience and observation and from the best evidence 

 obtainable, it is believed that corn stover of the quality produced in 

 the dry-farming sections is worth at least two-thirds as much as hay. 

 This is admittedly an estimate. The stover produced in the area 

 covered by this bulletin varies widely in quality. In some cases it is 

 either immature corn or corn that failed to produce ears. In those 

 localities where marketable corn has been produced it is that portion 

 of the crop remaining after the grain has been husked. For the sake 

 of uniformity in the tables the designation "Stover" is used in all 

 cases. 



Under the heading "Total cost of production," in Table IV, the 

 costs are computed as fixed charges per acre for the crop in the shock. 

 Values are computed on the basis of $4 per ton for the fodder or stover 

 and 40 cents per bushel for the corn in the shock. The average farm 

 price of corn for the past 10 years as shown in Table III has been 51 

 cents per bushel in the bin. The use of the price of 40 cents in the 

 shock allows 11 cents per bushel for husking, shelling, and putting 

 the corn in the bin. It is believed that this is a liberal allowance. 



