COST OF HARVESTING WHEAT. 13 
could, however, do considerably more. It would seem, therefore, that 
the work done by a horse in one day is not much more than three 
times the amount performed by a man, although the working power 
of a horse usually is considered to be ten times greater than that 
of a man (Kent). This is accounted for probably by the fact that 
the horse’s strength is less directly applied to the work than is that 
of the man, there being greater losses through friction and a much 
greater amount of weight to be moved. Irom the figures shown in 
Tables I to VII, inclusive, it will be seen that the cost of cutting, 
shocking, and stacking wheat ranges from about 11 to 15 cents per 
bushel. 
STACKING. 
The acreage covered per day by a given crew in stacking wheat 
depends upon the yield, distance hauled, size of loads, and method 
used. Hor example, two men and four horses, with either one or two 
of the bundle wagons which are commonly found in the wheat-grow- 
ing sections of the Northwest, where both men pitch and no one is 
required on the load, will be able to stack more wheat, other things 
being equal, than will two men following the usual practice in the 
East of one pitching while the other man loads. The wagons used 
in the two cases are usually very different, the western “bundle 
wagon ” being especially built for use in the manner above mentioned, 
whereas with the type of wagon usually found in the Kast it would 
be impossible to haui a very large load in this way, because of the 
difficulty of putting many bundles on such a wagon in such a way 
that they would carry well. Although the loads hauled on the west-. 
ern bundle wagons do not contain quite so many bundles as do those 
in the East when loaded by hand, they are put on in less time and 
with one-half the man-labor, which more than offsets this objection. 
If two bundle wagons are available each man can pitch on a load and 
take it to the stack, where one will pitch off while the other stacks. 
This combination is probably the most efficient crew which can be 
used in stacking wheat, provided the haul is not too long. It is espe- 
cially recommended for consideration by eastern wheat growers, as 
in many cases it would be an easy matter to place a temporary rack 
on their wagons, thus making them well suited for use in the manner 
described. The adoption of this method would materially reduce the 
cost of stacking. 
Six acres per day for two men and one team appears to be a fair 
day’s work in stacking wheat under most eastern conditions, whereas 
in the western sections where the more efficient methods are em- 
ployed 8 acres per day for two men and two horses and 10 acres per 
day for two men and four horses would appear to be a fair average. 
Based on these figures the cost of stacking per acre for man- and 
horse-labor would be as shown in Table VII. No allowance has 
