COST OF KEEPING FARM HORSES. 9 
The cost per hour of man labor, as determined from these cost- 
accounting investigations, was found to be 15 cents for the Illinois 
farms, 16 cents for those in Ohio, and 16.5 cents for those in New 
York. The proprietor’s labor was charged at the same rates. 
The cost per hour of horse labor was found by dividing the net 
cost of keeping the horses by the total number of hours worked by 
them. The average cost was about 94 cents for the Illinois farms, 
14 cents for those in Ohio, and 144 cents for those in New York. 
INTEREST ON VALUE OF HORSES. 
Although interest is an indirect cost, it must be considered before 
the total cost of keeping can be determined. This interest cost was 
figured at 5 per cent of the average value of the horse as shown by 
the yearly inventories. In the three States studied, interest varied 
from an average of $7.90 in Illinois to $9.43 in New York. The aver- 
age values of the horses studied in this work were as follows: Ill- 
nois, $158; Ohio, $173; New York, $189. 
STABLING COST. 
“Stabling cost”’ concerns that part of the buildings used for sta- 
bling horses and storing horse feed, and includes 5 per cent interest 
on the average investment, insurance, taxes, cash and labor, repairs, 
and depreciation. In cases where records were not kept for a long 
enough period to determine the depreciation of buildings, a charge 
of 2 per cent was made, allowance being made for all repairs that 
were made during the year. This cost varied from 4.7 per cent of 
the total gross cost of keeping in Illinois to 8.1 per cent in New York. 
USE OF EQUIPMENT. 
This item of cost embraces a charge of 5 per cent interest on the 
average investment in harness and all miscellaneous equipment used 
by the horses, both cash and labor for repairs, insurance, taxes, and 
depreciation. Since this equipment is used by the horses alone, its 
entire cost should be charged to them. In Illinois this cost was about 
$4 per head, and $1 and $2 higher in Ohio and New York, re- 
spectively. : 
SHOEING. 
This item of cost usually represents a direct outlay of cash. On 
many of the farms this expenditure was of minor importance, since 
the horses were not shod except when needed for heavy road work or 
when used on frozen ground. Especially was this true on the Illi- 
nois farms, where the average cost per horse was only $0.86 per year. 
On the Ohio and New York farms it was much higher, being $2.35 
93180°—Bull. 560—17——2 
