* 
28 BULLETIN 1202, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
COST OF KEEPING WORK STOCK. 
A record of the amount and value of feed consumed by the work 
stock, the amount of time spent in taking care of them, the value 
and depreciation of work harness, change in the value of the work 
stock, and the cash outlay for shoeing and veterinary service was 
obtained from each farmer. These items, together with interest at 
8 per cent on the value of the work stock, were included in determining 
the cost of keeping them. Deductions were made for manure prod- 
uced and colts foaled during the year. Table 29 shows the average 
cost per head in the different areas during the year covered by the 
investigation. 
TaBLE 29.—Annual cost per head of keeping work stock, 1921. 
Cost per head. 
Num- Tr Net 
Area. ber of Ma- cost per 
| farms. | Feed. | Chores.) Hat- | Shoe- | Veter- | Inter- | Depre-| |... | Colt | head. 
cy ‘| mess. ing. |inary.| est. | ciation. spade credit 
Southern... 120 | $49.14 | $6.06) $4.77| $0.05] $0.73] $8.28] $11.33| $3.00| $1.64] $75.72 
Western. .-. 107 | 29.84 5.44) 4.63 -02 | . 24 7.56 7.20 1. 50 2. 98 50. 45 
Northern... 127 |) 41.91} 21.07-| 4174 05 | . 83 8. 97 7.93 5. 00 -96 | 68. 97 
1 ae 354 | 39.75 | 7.42) 4.53 - 04 | - 038 8. 23 | 8.71 | 3.09 1.92] 64.25 
There were great variations in the cost per head of keeping the 
work stock on different farms. On 100 of the 354 farms the cost per 
head was less than $50 and on 67 farms it was over $90. This cost 
was influenced to a certain extent by the amount of work which the 
horses did. (See Table 35.) On some farms injuries or untimely 
deaths had been responsible for heavy depreciation and resultant 
high cost, but on a great many farms the cost per head of keeping 
5 
: Number of Farms 
fn Or129... 2.) 
0 25 50 0 eae 50 
130 and over tum 
igs SOUTHERN AREA WESTERN AREA NORTHERN AREA 
Fic. 13.—Variation in cost per head of keeping work stock. 
the work stock could have been reduced considerably by better 
management. Figure 13 shows graphically the variation in the cost 
per head in the different areas. 
Feed.—Table 30 shows the average annual consumption per head 
of the different kinds of feed in each area. For all farms the work 
stock consumed an average of 2,820 pounds of hay, straw, and stover 
and 1,766 pounds of grain per head during the year. 
——— —=.s: 
ee a m 
