COST OF PRODUCIXG WHEAT. 5 
average cost and the variation in cost on individual farms and groups 
of farms in each area visited, and to indicate the more important 
reasons for the great variations in cost per acre and per bushel on 
individual farms. 
The cost data were obtained from wheat growers to whom personal 
visits were made. Each record represents the experience of an indi- 
vidual farmer, the object being to learn for each farm visited, the 
detailed facts of production relative to all wheat land operated by 
the farmer during the crop year 1919. 
This study is based on 481 farm records, of which 197 were obtained 
in five representative counties of the principal spring-wheat States, 
and 284 in nine counties in the leading winter-wheat States. Table I 
shows the districts visited and the total harvested acreage and total 
production on the farms visited in each district: 
Table I. — Distribution of cost records, spring and irinter uJieat, 1919. 
state and county. 
North Dakota: 
Grand Forks County. 
Morton County 
South Dakota: 
Spink County 
Minnesota: 
Clay County 
Traverse Comity 
Total spring wheat. 
Kansas: 
Ford County 
Pawnee County 
McPherson County... 
Missouri: 
Saline County 
Jasper CoimtV 
St. Charles Co 
Nebraska: 
Phelps County 
Saline County 
Keith County 
Total winter wheat 
Designation of area. 
Larimore-Gilby 
New Sal em-Hebron. 
Redfield. 
Moorhead 
Wheaton-Grace\i.lle. 
Dodge City. 
Lamed 
McPherson. 
Marshall... 
Carthage... 
St. Charles. 
Holdredge 
Crete-Dorchester. 
Ogallala 
Number 
of 
records. 
39 
197 
284 
Acres 
har- 
vested. 
10,060 
5.840 
,500 
10,376 
7,071 
42. 847 
9,817 
9,092 
4,652 
2,362 
2,949 
3,035 
4,404 
2,008 
4,395 
Bushels 
pro- 
duced. 
98, 335 
25.835 
93,862 
84, 325 
59, 690 
362.047 
130, 890 
126, 838 
59, 034 
38,422 
56, 730 
59, 520 
47, 744 
36, 334 
79,612 
According to the Yearbook of the United States Department 
of Agriculture for 1919, farmers in the United States harvested 
49,905,000 acres of winter wheat, yielding 731,636,000 bushels, and 
23,338,000 acres of spring wheat, yielding 209,351,000 bushels. 
In this survey a total area of 43,940 acres seeded to winter wheat, 
yielding 635,124 bushels, and a total area of 44,218 acres seeded to 
spring wheat, with a total production of 362,047 bushels, were used 
as the basis for computing costs. About equal acreages are shown 
for the spring and winter wheat groups, though in 1919 the winter- 
wheat acreage in the United States as a whole was a little more than 
twice as large as the spring wheat acreage. 
