810 



The Cost of Horse Labour. 



[Dec, 



THE COST OF HORSE LABOUR. 



Arthur G. Ruston, B.A.. B.Sc. (Lond.), D.Sc. (Leeds). 

 Lecturer in Farm Economics at the University , Leeds. 



Since 1908 a great deal of time and attention has been devoted 

 in the Department of Agriculture of the University of Leeds 

 to collecting data as to the costs of production of various farm 

 crops and other produce. Records are available from three 

 farms to 1912; from six farms from 1912-1914; during 1919- 

 1920 eleven farms were being costed right through; and at the 

 present time that number has been increased to thirty-five. On 

 these farms time sheets are in use, so that the amount of labour, 

 whether manual, horse or tractor, expended on each crop or 

 head of stock can be readily ascertained, and monthly records 

 are kept as to the quantity of food — whether home-grown or 

 purchased — that has been consumed by the stock. The farms 

 are visited periodically, monthly wherever possible, and after 

 each visit a monthly summary is sent to the farmer concerned, 

 showing the average weekly cost of upkeep of his cows, feeding 

 bullocks, young stock, working horses, sheep, pigs and poultry. 



From the monthly summary of labour he is able to see the 

 number of days his horses are working, and therefore to ascer- 

 tain readily the average cost of horse labour per working day. 

 The practical value of these costings to the farmer is greatly 

 enhanced if they are given to him periodically and not kept 

 until the end of his financial year. At the end of each year 

 the monthly summaries from each farm are collected and a 



Table I. 



Cost of Horse Labour, 1919-1920. No. of Farms, 11. No. of 



Acres, 2,057. 



No. of Working Bays 14,278. 



£ s. d. 



Value of 64 horses ... 4.136 



Sale of 4 horses 110 10 



Cost of upkeep of 66 horses 4,028 15 5 





£ 



p. 



d. 



Value of 66 hoTses 



4,633 



12 



6 



Purchase of 2 horses 



106 



2 



6 



2*1 acres grass ... 



371 



16 



2 



75 tons 12 cwt. hay 



417 



12 



8 



89 tons 5 cwt. straw 



243 



14 



7 



53 tons 19 cwt. roots 



115 



10 



6 



444 quarters oats 



746 



19 



9 



36 tons 3 cwt. of purchased 









foods 



761 



19 



4 



Lahour 



213 



6 



2 



Incidentals 



664 



11 



3 





£8,275 



5 



5 



£8.275 5 5 



