230 WHEAT PRODUCTION IN NEW ZEALAND 
taken of every element of cost. The previous history of 
the land and the nature of the soil did not in any way 
operate to cause extraordinary conditions and thus to 
nullify the experiment. A field of 345 acres was taken, 
and of this amount 12 acres were cut for hay, and 24 
acres of special varieties were harvested by stripping and 
winnowing. We are thus concerned with the remaining 
309 acres. The method adopted is commendable, because 
each item of cost was calculated as the operation was 
performed, and there was thus no uncertainty about the 
result. The total cost of the crop per acre was £3 12s, 
deducting the cost of pressing and carting the straw. 
Thus the cost is comparable with conditions in New 
Zealand. The total yield was 7,171 bushels of ‘‘firsts’’ 
and 683 bushels of ‘‘seconds,’’ which may be reduced 
to about 400 bushels because their value is assumed 
to be about two-thirds that of the firsts.* We may thus 
place the yield at about 7,500 bushels, or an average 
yield per acre of 26 bushels. ‘The actual cost per 
bushel was thus 2s. 94d. The only important con- 
sideration which rendered this figure slightly abnormal 
was the fact that harvesting operations were carried on 
at a time of high prices due to war increases. A table 
of normal costs is also shown, and the cost of production 
per bushel comes to 2s. 7d. With wheat selling at 
3s. 4d. for ‘‘firsts,’’ and 2s. 9d. for ‘‘seconds,’’ a profit 
of about £1 -per acre is possible with this cost. The 
article concludes, ‘‘It will be seen that a wheat farmer 
who exercises ordinary care and economy and who 
attends consistently to the thorough cultivation of his 
soil, liberal manuring of the crop, and judicious selection 
of his seed, can assure himself of a good return on his 
capital and industry in a normal season.’’ 
Now, it is not claimed that the average cost of pro- 
*As a matter of fact the ‘‘firsts’’ were sold at 4/9, and the 
‘“seconds’’ at 4/-. 
