206 CORN 



acre in New Hampshire to 12.44 acres in Nebraska. The acreage 

 regularly planted was 3,491 acres, requiring 442 1-4 days of labor 

 and 375 3-4 days of team service — an average accomplishment of 7.89 

 acres per day's labor. 



Cultivation. The cost of cultivation differs more than any other 

 operation, owing to the differences in implements used, and to differ- 

 ent degrees of care and labor given the crop. The whole area, 4,051 

 acres, was cultivated twice; 3,991 acres were cultivated three times; 

 2,515 acres received a fourth cultivation, while 442 acres were given 

 additional cultivation. To perform the total amount of cultivation 

 given to the crop, for the record required 2,296 1-2 days of labor and 

 2,297 i"2 days of team service. The average performance per day's 

 'abor was 1.76 acres; this, of course, representing the total cultivation 

 given to this breadth during the whole season. A day's labor sufficed 

 to cultivate about 6.6 acres. 



Gathering and Cribbing. Two methods were followed ; first, cutting 

 up and shocking, then husking from the shock; second, husking from 

 the standing stalks, the stalks left standing in the field to be pastured 

 down. In this investigation 2,976 acres were husked standing, 

 requiring 2,438. days of labor and 2,264 days of team service, the ac- 

 complishment being 1.22 acres per day's labor, this including cribbing 

 as vvcll as husking. Of the crop cut up, 659 acres were done by hand, 

 requiring 595 3-4 days of labor, or i.ii acres per day. Husking from 

 the shock was. practiced on 651 acres, excluding 212 acres by con- 

 tract, requiring 1,223 3"4 days of labor and 382 1-2 days of team ser- 

 vice, or an accomplishment in husking and cribbing of .53 acres per 

 day's labor. 



SEED COST. Up to the present time we have been concerned 

 with the labor cost. Going now to the cost of seed it is but a simple 

 matter to compute this, especially where seed is purchased from some 

 dealer and the cost is known. In case the seed has been home grown 

 the cost should be figured to include actual labor in selecting, storing 

 and preparation for planting. In the reports given this cost varies 

 from $1.00 to $8.00 per bushel, the average being around $3.50. In 

 most of the accounts, however, the seed is charged at only the prevail- 

 ing seed corn price, not including cost of storing, preparation for 

 planting, etc. A bushel should plant approximately seven acres. 



FERTILIZER. The method of figuring the cost of fertilizer ap- 

 plied to the land for each crop varies, but the government charges 50 

 per cent of this cost to the crop for that year, apportioning the balance 

 to the succeeding crops, that is where manure is used. According to 



