MACHINERY COST OF FARM OPERATIONS. 
17 
to about one-eighth of 1 cent. The average cost per tree for trees of 
different height * is approximately as follows: 
Height of tree. 
Cost per 
tree. 
12 feet or less *. 
$0.0008 
.0015 
.0021 
13 to 20 feet 
Average 
.0012 
The cost per acre depends upon the number of trees planted per 
acre, and can readily be computed for any given orchard by multi- 
plying the appropriate one of the above amounts by the number of 
trees per acre. 
MOWERS. 
While the mower is a machine with rapidly reciprocating parts, it 
gives relatively long service. Inspection of Table XIV indicates 
that the average farmer does not obtain the maximum days of work 
from his mower. Mowers that cut 14 acres annually last only four 
years longer than machines that cut 90 acres a year, the latter doing 
100 days of work against 25 for the former. The size of the mower 
has some influence on the total acres cut by mowers before wearing 
out, but the principal contributing factor to a high record of days of 
work appears to be large acreage annually. 
Table XIV. — Mowers — relation of work done annually to service and cost per acre and 
per day used on 1,232 farms. 
Range of area covered annually acres. . 
1 to 15. 
16 to 30. 
31 to 45. 
46 to 60. 
61 and 
over. 
Average. 
Number of records included 
368 
13.8 
16.1 
222.2 
25 
4.9 
518 
23.6 
14.3 
337.5 
38 
5 
193 
38.8 
14.6 
566.5 
60 
5.4 
110 
53.6 
13.1 
702.2 
70 
6.0 
43 
88.8 
11.9 
1,056.7 
100 
6.4 
Average area covered annually acres. . 
Years of service rendered 
28.0 
14.8 
414.4 
Days actually used during life 
46 
Average width of mower feet . . 
5.2 
Cost when new 
$40. 00 
19.00 
20. 45 
$40. 00 
24.45 
18.30 
$42. 00 
35.77 
19.71 
$45. 00 
37.47 
19.00 
$47. 50 
37.84 
18.33 
$41.00 
Total cost of repairs during life 
26.94 
Total interest during life, at 6 per cent 
19.39 
Total of depreciation, interest, and 
79.45 
82.75 
97.48 
101. 47 
103. 67 
87.33 
Cost of mower: 
$3.18 
.357 
$2.18 
.245 
$1.62 
.172 
$1.45 
.144 
$1.04 
.098 
$1.90 
Per acre mowed 
.210 
The overhead charges against mowers doing the amount of annual 
work shown in Table XIV average $0,099 for depreciation and 
$0,047 for interest per acre. 
i Computed from Table XXVI, U. S. Dept. of Agr. Bui. No. 3. 
