96 



BULLETIN 341, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The rate is largely determined by the practice of farmers in dis- 

 posing of horses while they are still salable at a fairly satisfactorj^ 

 price. If all farm horses were kept until their usefulness was at 

 an end, the depreciation on them would undoubtedly be much greater 

 than the results here found. The death rate would also be much 

 greater. As it is, the percentage of deaths among the farm horses 

 in the Pennsylvania area was 3.58 per cent annually, and in the 

 Michigan area 3.31 per cent. This is not the average annual death 

 rate among horses generally ; if it were, it would indicate an average 

 lifetime of nearly 30 years. But it is the average annual death rate 

 of horses during the period they are kept on these farms. 



On the average, the farmers of the Michigan locality keep a horse 

 8.5 years, and sell him then for $18.68 less than they paid for him. 

 The Pennsylvania farmer, on the other hand, keeps his horses an 

 average of 12.1 years, and then sells them for $29.34 less than they 

 cost originally. 



Table LVIII. — Table showing depreciation of horses on 300 owner farms, 



Lewanee County, Mich. 





Total 

 number. 



Value 

 per head. 



Total 

 value. 





1,027 

 90 

 37 



$126. 50 

 161.31 

 161. 31 



$129,912.00 

 14, 518. 00 







5,968.00 





Total 







150, 398. 00 













1,033 



87 



132. 91 

 142. 63 



137, 299. 00 





12, 409. 00 







Total 







149, 708. 00 

















690. 00 







6.41 



6, 621. 00 









Total loss 







7,311.00 



Average investment 







150, 053. 00 

 4.87 

















o Does not include 3 stallions valued at $1,100 apiece. 

 VALUE OF FARM MANURE PER ANIMAL UNIT. 



The data obtained in the usual farm-management survey make it 

 possible to estimate at least roughly the money value of the manure 

 of farm animals on the basis of the actual increase in crops yield on 

 farms having large complements of live stock as compared with 

 those having few animals. The results obtained by the method out- 

 lined in Tables LIX and LX will depend on the character of the 

 soil, the character of the crops grown, the value of these crops per 

 unit of product, and on the methods practiced by farmers in the 

 management of manure, 



