COSTS AND FARM PRACTICES IX PRODUCING POTATOES. 
15 
VARIATION IN COST PER BUSHEL. 
The average cost per bushel for all farms was 78 cents for the year 
1919. The number of farmers producing at certain costs and the 
cumulative percentage of the production at these costs are shown in 
Figure 6. Eighty-six per cent of the production was obtained at a 
cost of $1 per bushel or less, and 71 per cent of the growers had costs 
of SI or less. The outstanding factor on the farms with extremely 
low costs per bushel was the yield. The costs per acre were also 
relatively low on these farms, but the high yields reduced the cost 
per bushel. Similarly, the farms with excessively high costs per 
VARIATION IN COST PER BUSHEL 
POTATOES 1319 461 FARMS 
cmrau- 
COST PZF 
NUMBER 0? FARSS 
rivis PkH 
BUSHEL 
• 30 
1 
20 30 '-K> 
EUCTI0H 
.1 
m 
• 35 
.no 
*i 
• 50 
•55 
.SO 
.65 
.7 
2.6 
6.7 
11.5 
16.1 
28.5 
'■15 
.SO 
• 25 
.90 
•95 
1. 00 
1.05 
1.10 
1.15 
1.20 
1.25 
1-30 
^— 
36.5 
U7.7 
64.8 
69.7 
77.1 
82 A 
86.1 
90.0 
91-9 
93.6 
95-5 
96 .4 
96.9 
■SH 
1.35 
97-9 
1.U0 
§■■ 
98-5 
V.'*5 
■■■ 
98.7 
1.50 
■■ 
98 .9 
1.55 
■■ 
99-2 
1.60 
^H 
99-3 
1.65 
MM 
99.5 
1.70 
1.75 
1.S0 
99.6 
1.85 
99.6 
1,90 
■ 
99-7 
1.95 
2.00 
99.7 
2.05 
99.8 
2.10 
99.9 
2.15 
2.20 
/db\ 
2.25 
(t us i) 
99-9 
2.'^ 
■ 
\2? 
100.0 
Fig. 6.— The cost per bushel of potatoes grown on 461 farms in 1919 ranged from 30 cents to $2.45, with 
most of the farms producing at cost of SI or less per bushc 1. 
bushel had extremely low yields per acre accompanied with relatively 
high costs per acre. With normal yields these high costs per bushel 
would have been cut in half. 
RELATION OF YIELD TO COST PER BUSHEL. 
Yield per acre is an important factor affecting the cost per bushel, 
as has been previously pointed out. In Table 10 the farms are ar- 
ranged in groups according to the yields, the table giving the relative 
yields and relative costs rather than the actual amounts. The yield 
and costs for each farm were reduced to the percentage that each 
was of the average for the area to which it belonged in order to place 
all farms on a comparable basis. 
