FARM MANAGEMENT STUD'S OF COTTON FARMS. 47 



purpose, the cost was charged directly against the enterprise, on 

 which the labor was performed. These items were totaled to make 

 up the total cost of horse labor. 



The equipment cost includes depreciation, repairs, interest, and 

 insurance. The items of interest, taxes, anl insurance together were 

 found to be approximately 10 per cent of the value of the machinery, 

 and this figure was therefore used in all calculations involving equip- 

 ment cost. These items were totaled to determine the equipment or 

 machinery cost per farm. 



A certain amount of cash is required to run the business of each 

 farm. In each case this amount was ascertained and interest at the 

 rate of 8 per cent was charged on this figure. 



The amount and value of seed required per acre were arrived at 

 for each crop and the value was charged directly against the respec- 

 tive enterprises. 



The cost of ginning cotton per bale was learned for each farm 

 and was charged directly against this crop. 



Various special costs, such as those for harvesting and thrashing 

 grain, binder twine, baling hay, etc., were determined and charged 

 directly against the respective enterprises. The number of days of 

 productive labor was ascertained for each farm. This was learned 

 by determining the acreage of each enterprise, the crew duty for each 

 operation, and thus the number of days of productive man and horse 

 labor for each crop. From the number of days of work utilized in 

 the handling of productive stock, as well as in other minor enter- 

 prises, and the number of productive days of work outside of the 

 farm, such as road work, outside hauling, etc., the total number of 

 days of man-labor and of horse labor were arrived at for each farm. 



Having ascertained the number of productive man days and horse 

 days, the costs were prorated to the respective enterprises as follows : 

 Costs of man labor and interest on cash to run the farm were dis- 

 tributed according to the number of productive man days required 

 for the respective enterprises ; the cost of horse labor and equipment 

 cost were distributed to the enterprises according to the number of 

 horse days required for each enterprise. 



In this manner the costs were charged against the crops on the 

 acre, basis; these distributed costs, together with the separately ap- 

 portioned special costs, were totaled, thus arriving at the acre cost of 

 each crop. The yield per acre of each crop being known, the unit 

 cost was calculated. 



In the case of cotton two products are obtained from the gin, 

 namely lint and seed. The total acre cost of cotton was distributed 

 between the lint and seed according to the acre value of each product, 

 on the basis of the net weight per bale of cotton, and the amount of 

 seed produced per bale of lint. 



