COST OF PRODUCING WINTER WHEAT IN GREAT PLAINS. 3 
_ During the next three decades, the region of greatest acreage and 
heaviest production for both spring and winter wheat has centered in 
the Central Great Plainsregion. ( Boe figs.1 and 2.) In 1919 about 66 
per cent of the total spring wheat acreage and 57 per cent of the total 
spring wheat production was in North Dakota, South Dakota, and 
Minnesota, and nearly 47 per cent of the total winter wheat acreage 
and 43 per cent of the total winter wheat production was in Kansas, 
Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. (See Table 1). Minor wheat 
-eenters are found in eastern Oregon and Washington, southwestern 
Illinois and southeastern Pennsylvania, extending through Maryland 
into Virginia, with a fairly even distribution throughout Ohio, Indiana, 
and southern Michigan. 
The southern boundary of winter wheat production is limited by 
an average temperature of 68° F. from about April 15 to June 15, 
or for two months preceding harvest, and more or less closely co- 
incides with the northern boundary of the cotton belt. The northern 
boundary of winter wheat production coincides in a general way with 
the mean winter temperature line of 20°, and corresponds rather closely 
with the southern boundary of the spring wheat belt. The northern- 
limit of spring wheat has a mean summer temperature of 58° F. 
which occurs in the United States only in the western mountains. 
The general northern boundary of spring wheat is in Canada. 
TABLE 1.—Acreage and production of wheat in the principal spring and winter wheat 
States,' 1919. 
| Verceninee Percentage 
of Unite of United 
State. peed States Production. States 
Be. wheat wheat 
acreage. production, 
Spring wheat: 
INORG SD BO Gaeta Se ee alle ee ars cree vag |e 7,770, 000 33. 3 53, 613, 000 25.6 
SOUTMUDAK OLA Saas ae te a Rae ANE 3, 650, 000 15.7 29, 200, 000 14.0 
MEMOS OCA tetera eee ney oe eirepece ete Lona ne 3, 950, 000 16.9 36, 735, 000 17.5 
ANOUEIa5 BAe ears SE Th eet ho eens OPES Feat EER IN 15, 370, 000 65.9 | 119,548, 000 Site 
Winter wheat: 
LESESH OTS S eB pl os ee OA roe ren ie Si NST ela de ga 11, 594, 000 23.2 | 150,722,000 20.6 
(MESS OUT eames ley or eine ernest eae a 4,274, 000 8.6 57, 699, 000 7.9 
ING DnaS Kaeser es ale ee ee L ee ee Beer een: 3, 716, 000 7.4 54, 997, 000 7.5 
CONFIEH ovo) 0 oe Heater er ch USE re WG ee My ar eee 3, 760, 000 7.5 52, 640, 000 2 
Bee OLE eipetaetie sp. Moe hel en ra Se alate ices cia Nae ore 23, 344, 000 46.7 | 316, 058, 000 43.2 
Spring wheat; UmitediStates-) 2. --28 5-4. osce.- 22: 7B opis 0100) |nooocsodoase 209301 5000) | fees a eee 
Wanterwheats Umited States cus semesters meee lls 49 O05 O00 See cemsces (SL N03G5 OOM seers. eee 
1U.S8. Dept. of Agriculture Yearbook, 1919. 
BASIC FACTORS OF COST. 
In areas of dense wheat production such as are found in the central 
Great Plains region of the United States, the wheat crop is the principal 
and sometimes the only source of income to the farmer. Under such 
conditions the question of costs and profits in wheat production is 
of vital importance. 
Basic cost factors such as hours of man labor and horse labor, 
amounts of fertilizer, quantities of seed, etc., are desirable measures 
of cost. Cost items expressed as money units are subject to consider- 
able change, especially during periods of wide price fluctuations. 
The same items, when Sorel: in terms of quantity requirements 
