96 BULLETIN 341, U: S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
The rate is largely determined by the practice of farmers in dis- 
posing of horses while they are still salable at a fairly satisfactory © 
price. If all farm horses were kept until their usefulness was at ] 
an end, the depreciation on them would undoubtedly be much greater 
than the results here found. The death rate would also be much 
greater. As it is, the percentage of deaths among the farm horses 
in the Pennsylvania area was 3.58 per cent annually, and in the 
Michigan area 3.31 per cent. This is not the average annual death 
rate among horses generally; if it were, it would indicate an average 
- lifetime of nearly 30 years. But it is the average annual death rate 
of horses during the period they are kept on these farms. 
On the average, the farmers of the Michigan locality keep a horse 
8.5 years, and sell him then for $18.68 less than they paid for him. 
The Pennsylvania farmer, on the other hand, keeps his horses an ~ 
average of 12.1 years, and then sells them for $29.34 less than they 
cost originally. 
TasLE LVIII.—Table showing depreciation of horses on 300 owner farms, 
Lewanee County, Mich. 
Total | Value Total 
number. per head.| value. 
— SSE resis a 
Horses at beginning of year @ .........22-022202ec0eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez---| 1,027 | $126.50 | $129,912. 00 
Horsesypurchased!2 sss ee ae Beem aaa eee ee ae PE eee 90 161. 31 14, 518. 00 
FPOTSOSTAISOd Sen os coe ee Satiot be een Sn a nae Daehn re ere ne 37 | 161. 31 5, 968. 00 
otaleetee en? Eee Awe So. Bee ee ee See [: ees as [pees | 150,398. 00 
Flores at ond-olsyoar.ss.00. oe Seen es | 1,033 | 132.91 | 137, 299.00 
ETOFSeS'SOIG Sess a ok Sa ee he ed wee ee eae aes 87 | 142. 63 12, 409. 00 
opal see OS oP er ee 2 Lees Sree ere Leh asbaee [eee | 149, 708. 00 
Ered See Be are ea me eager Sees Pia ck ape Vee Dara at Ode 8 [eaeeee Paes 690. 00 
Enereased price: CuUPIMg ty Cares os 5 a. oe ee eee ee eee erecta a 6.41 | 6,621.00 
PotaAllOss! =o eke ee Fe aca ce oe ee So eee ee ee es | en ee | 7,311.00 
Acverace Investment. 2% 2 Ss- so oe Sos econ a ee Pe ee ee Re Sees | eee 150, 053.00 — 
Rate ordepreciation 24 =< 22 - = Ae a oe cere a es ein eee | ee | ee 4.87 — 
@ Does not include 3 stallions valued at $1,100 apiece. 
VALUE OF FARM MANURE PER ANIMAL UNIT. :| 
The data obtained in the usual farm-management survey make it — 
possible to estimate at least roughly the money value of the manure | 
of farm animals on the basis of the actual increase in crops yield on~ 
farms having large complements of live stock as compared with” 
those having few animals. The results obtained by the method out-_ 
lined in Tables LIX and LX will depend on the character of the 
soil, the character of the crops grown, the value of these crops per 
unit of product, and on the methods practiced by farmers in the 
management of manure. | 
ieee. 
AAS Ye cus ys 
