COST OF KEEPING FARM HORSES. 



15 



net loss of $3.92 per horse on the colt account, and in the low-cost 

 group a net profit of $3.38 per horse. This makes a difference 

 between the two groups of $7.30 per horse. The greater part of this 

 is due to the death of four colts valued at $300. It will be seen that 

 in addition to the loss of the colts themselves, there was the loss of 

 all feed and attention furnished them. There was a slight difference 

 of 39 cents in the manure credits in favor of the high-cost group. 



Table 10. — Ohio farms — Itemized average costs and credits for records showing a net 

 cost per horse above the average for the State, and for those showing a net cost per horse 

 below the average l (7 farms, 12 horses). 



Range of cost. 



Feed 

 (cost). 



Labor 

 (cost). 



Depre- 

 ciation 

 (cost). 



Appre- 

 ciation 

 (credit). 



Colt 



loss 



(cost). 



Colt 



profit 



(credit). 



All 

 other 



(costs). 



Manure 

 (credit). 





$92. 12 

 60.01 



$31.09 

 23.50 



$0.07 



$4.50 



$2.86 



$0.34 



$27. 35 

 22.57 



S7. 16 





9.35 









32.11 



7.59 



.07 



4.50 



2.86 



.34 



J. 78 



2.19 







, 



1 Average net cost per horse for the State, $120.37. 



Variations in costs between the two groups on the Ohio farms were 

 found to be similar to those in Illinois. One-half of the 16 yearly 

 farm records showed a net cost greater than the average for all 

 records. The average net cost per horse for this group was $146.33, 

 while the average net cost per horse for the low-cost group of eight 

 records was $91.89. The difference in cost between the two groups 

 was $54.44, which is $20.69 greater than the difference in Illinois. 

 Feed and labor made up $39.70, or 73 per cent of this difference. 

 Here, as in Illinois, it will be seen that these two items are the princi- 

 pal factors controlling y ariations in cost on the average farm. While 

 there was a slight depreciation per horse in the high-cost group, 

 there was an appreciation of $4.50 in the low-cost group, making a 

 difference in cost of $4.57 per horse. Similar conditions were found 

 regarding loss and profit on the colt account; that is, the high-cost 

 group showed an average colt-account loss of $2.86 per horse, while 

 the low-cost group showed an average profit of 34 cents per horse 

 on this account. The depreciation and appreciation of horses, and 

 the loss and profit on colt accounts, are items worth considering 

 when it is understood that these differences in cost between the two 

 groups were about $8 per horse. The difference in all other costs 

 between the two groups was $4.78. This difference was largely due 

 to the higher cost of interest, shoeing, medicine and veterinary 

 services, stabling, and use of equipment in the high-cost group. 

 Other items of cost, such as taxes, insurance, and miscellaneous, 

 were about the same in each group. 



There was an average variation in manure credits of $2.19 per 

 horse, the greatest credit appearing in the low-cost group. This 



