12 
BULLETIN 338, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
The roller is also damaged but little by exposure. It is one of the 
last implements to be housed, and often is not sheltered at all. From 
the standpoint of replacement, interest, and repair charges per acre, 
it is one of the most inexpensive implements on the farm. The 
average roller in western New York does 75 days of actual work, 
extending through a period of 16 years, covering 1,054 acres. The 
average replacement charge per acre is $0,023, and the interest 
charge at 6 per cent is $0,011. 
Table VII. — Land rollers — relation of work done annually to service and cost per acre 
and per day used on 1,173 farms. 
Ran^e of area covered annually acres . . 
Number of records included 
Average area covered annually acres . . 
Years of service rendered 
Acres covered during life 
Days actually used during life 
Average width of roller feet. . 
Cost when new 
Total cost of repairs during life 
Total interest during life at 6 percent 
Total of depreciation, interest, and repairs during life 
Cost of land roller: 
Per day used 
Per acre rolled 
425 
29.5 
16.5 
186.8 
39 
7.2 
S20. 00 
5.94 
10.56 
36. 50 
SO. 93 
.075 
41 to 80. 
493 
60.0 
15.8 
948.0 
68 
8.0 
S22. 00 
7.90 
11.06 
SO. 
.043 
81 and 
over. 
255 
138.2 
15.2 
>, 100. 6 
145 
10.0 
S25. 00 
9.12 
12.16 
2S 
Average. 
65.9 
16.0 
1,054.4 
$24.00 
7.52 
11.20 
42.72 
SO. 32 $0. 57 
.022 ; .041 
Land rollers cost an average of only $0,007 per acre for repairs. 
The average land roller used in this area should cost about $24, and 
the total repairs necessary during its life average about 32 per cent 
of the original cost of the implement. 
THE GRAIN DRILL. 
The grain drill (Table VIII) is a comparatively expensive machine 
and is used only a few days in the year. The interest charge per 
day is therefore high. Gram drills in western New York last an 
average of 16.4 years in doing 76 days of work. Since they cover 
from 6 to 12 acres per day, the depreciation and interest charges per 
acre are but a small proportion of the cost of the men and horses used 
with them. Grain drills are substantially built, and are capable of 
doing many more days of work than the average farmer obtains from 
them. 
From the computations for grain drills, it appears that there is an 
average depreciation charge of $0,095 per acre and an interest charge 
of $0,049 per acre. An $85 drill, doing 75 or more acres of work 
annually, costs less than one-third as much per acre as a $65 drill, 
doing less than 25 acres annually. 
