52 
BULLETIN 659, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
These data indicate that approximately three days of horse labor 
per acre gives the most profitable amount of tillage, either more or 
less than this amount showing a decrease in the net returns. The 
number of work animals making up the various crews will have 
some bearing on this figure ; the larger the crews the less horse labor 
is required to accomplish the same results. 
In figures 17 and 18 are shown types of implements utilized in 
cotton production. Each of these machines requires the use of two 
Fig. IS.— A new type of stalk cutter which works on the principle of the lawn mower. 
or more animals: by such utilization large acreages are covered in 
a day's work. 
A study of figure 19 brings out the relation of the various items 
of cost to each other and to the total acre cost of cotton. It will be 
remembered that the average yield of cotton is 241 pounds of lint 
principal crops found on the 114 fanns of Ellis County on which 
the various items are as follows: Man labor. $10.04; rent of land, 
$5.08; horse labor, $1.47; ginning, per acre, $1.49; equipment, $0.73; 
seed, $0.50 ; and interest on cash to operate the farm, $0.34. 
A comparison of these items of cost with the same items for the 
average acre cost shows that man labor is considerably higher than 
the average and horse labor and equipment costs are slightly higher. 
Rent of land and seed cost of cotton are slightly lower than the 
average. 
In Table XXI are given a summary of costs and values for the 
principal crops found on the 114 farms of Ellis County on which 
costs were determined. The average cost of cotton per acre is $22.65, 
the yield being 241 pounds of lint and 456 pounds of seed (Table 
