1892 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
95 
The  Cost  of  Farm  Labor. 
(Continued.) 
usually  paid  in  the  vicinity  for  hand  and 
team.  This  price  ought  to  be  high  enough 
to  pay  interest  on  the  cost  of  the  horses 
and  tools  and  also  for  the  wear  and  tear 
of  the  tools  and  harness,  as  well  as  for  the 
feed  of  the  team  and  hand,  and  contribute 
to  a  “sinking  fund”  to  pay  for  the  horses 
when  they  die.  I  suppose  J.  II.  R..  in  his 
statements,  means  60  days’  work  for  one 
horse,  and  hence  I  shall  call  it  30  days’ 
work  for  a  hand  and  team  of  two  horses. 
I  should  make  my  estimate  something 
like  this : 
Dr. 
To  Interest  on  the  cash  value  of  8^  acres  of 
the  land  at  $60  per  acre  ($510) .  $30.06 
To  taxes  on  land  appraised  at  $40  per  acre  at 
\%  per  cent  ($340) .  5.90 
To  commercial  fertilizer .  64.00 
To  30  days'  work  with  team  and  hand  at  $3 .  90.00 
To  \'/£  month's  work  or  35  days  by  hand  at  $15. .  22.50 
To  \\4  month’s  boarding  for  hand  at  $12 .  18.00 
To  60  bushels  of  seed  potatoes  at  90  cents .  54.00 
Total . $285.00 
Now  the  probability  is  that  90  cents  is 
too  low  a  price  for  seed  potatoes,  for  I 
paid  $1.40  for  mine.  I  suppose  that  J.  II. 
R.’s  whole  crop  on  the  8)4  acres  was  1,050 
bushels,  that  is,  he  put  away  for  family 
use  and  seed  95  bushels. 
Or. 
Ry  1,050  bushels  sorted  potatoes  at  45  cents _  $472.50 
By  50  bushelB  small  potatoes  at  15  cents .  7.50 
Total . $480.00 
leaving  as  the  net  profit . $195.00 
The  probability  is  that  the  above  esti¬ 
mated  value  of  the  land  is  too  low,  and  so 
is  the  amount  on  the  tax  duplicate. 
Changing  the  cash  value  to  $100  and  the 
duplicate  value  to  $60  an  acre  would  re¬ 
duce  the  net  profit  about  $20,  but  there 
would  remain  a  clear  profit  of  $20  per 
acre,  or  20  per  cent  on  $100  per  acre,  or 
33  X  per  cent  on  $60  per  acre — truly  a 
very  large  net  profit  on  the  land  ;  but  J. 
H.  R.  will  do  well  on  his  wheat  crop  if  he 
nets  10  per  cent'next  year;  and  the  follow¬ 
ing  year,  when  his  land  is  in  clover,  his 
net  profits  will  dwindle  to  naught,  for 
hay  and  pasture  will  do  little  more  than 
pay  the  interest,  taxes  and  labor. 
I  think  the  proper  way  to  find  out  the 
net  proceeds  of  the  farm  is  to  take  the 
whole  farm,  buildings  and  all,  and  debit 
it  with  the  interest  on  the  cash  value, 
fertilizers,  taxes,  repairs,  labor  of  both 
man  and  beast,  not  forgetting  to  charge 
liberally  for  the  laborious  and  self-sacri¬ 
ficing  efforts  of  the  good  housewife.  Then 
credit  the  farm  with  all  it  produces — 
grain,  hay,  straw,  corn  fodder,  root 
crops,  rent  of  house  and  barn,  pasture, 
berries,  etc.,  etc.  john  d.  cunning. 
The  Cost  of  Driving-  a  Team. 
I  do  not  think  there  is  any  basis  for 
figuring  the  cost  of  producing  any  one 
crop  alone  ;  for  instance,  the  cows  pay 
better  by  helping  to  make  cheaper  pork ; 
but  why  not  count  the  feed  for  the  team 
at  the  market  price,  less  the  cost  of  de¬ 
livering  to  market  ?  It  is  certainly 
worth  that  much,  but  I  would  not  charge 
the  crops  with  teamsters’  prices.  Here, 
in  Steuben  County,  N.  Y. ,  my  team  costs 
me  50  cents  a  day,  counting  hay  at  $10 
a  ton,  and  oats  at  35  cents  a  bushel  at 
the  barn,  and  a  man  by  the  month  to 
drive  the  horse  generally  costs  about  65 
cents  a  day  and  board,  and  I  can  board 
the  man  for  the  chores  he  will  do.  We 
should  not  charge  boarding  house  prices 
in  computing  the  cost  of  boarding  a  hand; 
but  the  value  of  the  provision,  if  sold  in 
market.  A  man  and  horse  would  cost,  I 
should  think,  about  $1.15  a  day,  or  a  team 
$1.40.  The  allowance  for  the  wear  and 
tear  of  the  harness  and  horses  would 
vary  very  much.  C.  H.  kverett. 
S.  M.,  page  38,  it  seems  to  me,  is  not 
right  in  his  way  of  estimating  the  cost 
of  farm  crops.  The  actual  cost  is  the  only 
safe  basis  of  calculating  this.  If  we  are 
to  estimate  everything  at  the  current 
prices,  we  take  a  delusive  ground  for  the 
estimate.  The  whole  product  of  the 
farms  could  not  be  sold  for  such  prices, 
for  the  simple  reason  that  the  market 
would  be  overstocked  and  prices  would 
be  greatly  lowered.  The  only  safe  way 
is  that  taken  in  ordinary  mercantile  busi¬ 
ness,  in  which  the  actual  cost  of  all  mate¬ 
rials  used  is  taken  in  the  estimate  of  the 
profits.  The  farmer  may  rightly  charge 
the  crops  with  a  sufficient  value  for  his 
own  work,  but  the  feed,  etc.,  used  should 
be  estimated  at  its  cost,  or  two  profits  are 
counted.  henry  stewart. 
On  a  Maryland  Farm. 
It  is  very  difficult — almost  impossible 
— to  figure  out  the  actual  cost  of  a  crop. 
As  for  the  labor  cost  of  both  man  and 
horse,  I  put  it  at  the  average  price  per 
day  for  the  year,  unless  in  the  case  of 
extra  help  hired  for  a  certain  crop  or 
crops.  The  cost  of  the  fertilizer  charge¬ 
able  to  the  crop,  also  the  improvement  of 
the  soil  on  account  of  cultivation  towards 
making  the  next  crop,  can  only  be  ap¬ 
proximated  ;  we  must  depend  a  good 
deal  upon  estimates.  Shall  we  charge 
horse  and  man  labor  at  actual  cost  or  at 
market  value  ?  J.  II.  R.  says  “the  hand 
would  eat  45  to  60-cent  potatoes  at  a 
boarding-house,  while  mine  cost  me  only 
about  18  cents  per  bushel.”  If  J.  H.  R.’s 
potatoes  are  worth  in  market  45  to  60 
cents,  then  he  cannot  charge  them  to  his 
hand  at  18  cents,  for  they  are  worth  the 
mr  rket  price,  less  the  cost  of  selling,  and 
that  is  what  each  bushel  he  uses  at  home 
costs  him.  If  J.  H.  R.  should  plow  up  a 
pot  of  dollars,  could  he  buy  goods  with 
the  money  and  say  they  did  not  cost  any¬ 
thing  except  the  expense  for  plowing  ? 
Of  course  not ;  we  cannot  figure  out 
profits  in  that  way.  Horse  feed  must  also 
be  charged  at  market  rates  ;  if  we  did  not 
feed  our  hay  and  corn  we  could  sell  them, 
and  what  we  could  sell  them  for  would 
be  the  price  we  must  charge  to  the  horse 
feed  account.  The  average  life  of  a  farm 
horse  is  not  much,  if  any,  over  10  years ; 
putting  his  average  value  for  the  10  years 
at  so  much,  we  should  charge  him  with 
one-tenth  of  this  value  to  cover  interest, 
etc.,  per  year,  and  to  this  must  be  added 
feed,  cost  of  shoeing  and  harness.  The 
fairest  way  to  get  at  the  cost  of  man  and 
horse  labor  is  to  average  the  cost  per  day 
for  a  year,  and  then  charge  the  crop  with 
the  number  of  days’  labor  actually  spent 
on  it. 
Figuring  out  the  cost  of  a  crop  sets  one 
to  thinking  :  Suppose  J.  II.  R.  had  applied 
three  times  as  much  fertilizer  and  had 
doubled  his  crop  in  consequence,  his 
account  would  have  stood  thus :  1,910 
bushels  of  potatoes  sold  for  $860,  cost 
of  fertilizer  and  interest  on  tools,  $202, 
leaving  $658,  out  of  which  to  pay  any 
man  and  horse  labor  and  make  a  profit. 
His  profit  per  bushel  would  have  been 
greater,  for  the  potatoes  would  have  cost 
less  per  bushel,  and  he  would  not  have 
been  half  so  anxious  to  know  what  the 
labor  bill  amounted  to ;  he  would,  in 
fact,  have  been  more  anxious  to  discover 
how  he  could  profitably  put  more  labor 
on  the  next  crop.  When  we  begin  to 
figure  down  the  labor  and  fertilizer  cost, 
we  are  overlooking  the  main  point ;  it  is 
like  feeding  a  dairy  cow  ;  when  we  watch 
her  head  end  and  calculate  the  cost  of 
the  feed  we  put  in  it,  we  must  watch  the 
udder  end  also  and  see  how  much  milk 
comes  out,  then  apportion  the  feed  to  the 
highest  point  of  profitable  production. 
Isn’t  it  the  same  way  in  growing  a  crop, 
and  don’t  we  often  fail  to  discriminate 
properly  between  the  relationship  the 
feed  end  bears  to  the  “  udder  ”  end  ? 
A.  I,.  CROSBY. 
Poultry  Yard. 
Shall  We  Salt  the  Hens. 
I  presume  salt  is  beneficial  in  soft  feed 
although  I  never  use  it.  p.  williams. 
Hens  require  salt  as  well  as  other  ani¬ 
mals,  but  only  in  quantities  sufficient  to 
season  the  food.  Too  much  causes  ex¬ 
cessive  thirst  and  inflammation. 
P.  H.  .JACOBS. 
We  think  it  essential  that  hens  should 
have  a  little  salt  in  their  food,  but  it 
should  be  used  sparingly,  knapp  bros. 
Although  salt,  except  in  very  small 
quantities,  is  well  known  to  be  very  in¬ 
jurious  to  hens,  I  consider  a.  proper 
amount  quite  beneficial  to  them.  My 
practice  is  to  feed  about  an  ounce  to  100 
hens  daily,  dissolved  and  mixed  with  the 
soft  feed.  It  is  usually  fed  in  the  morn¬ 
ing.  Its  good  effects  are  shown  in  a 
greater  relish  for  the  food,  an  increased 
appetite,  and  a  bright,  active  appearance. 
An  over-dose  will  produce  almost  the 
opposite  effects — a  dull,  drooping  appear¬ 
ance  and  dark  colored  combs  with,  gener¬ 
ally.  an  excessive  looseness  of  the  bowels. 
C.  H.  WYCKOFF. 
I  do  not  think  salt  is  needed  in  food  for 
hens.  A  small  quantity  will  not  hurt 
them.  I  do  not  find  they  like  food  con¬ 
taining  salt  better  than  that  without 
any.  The  reason  to  me  seems  obvious  : 
in  their  natural  state  they  do  not  inhabit 
meadows  or  the  sea  shore.  Birds  and 
animals  that  do  so,  show  a  preference  for 
salt,  and  these  can  be  graded  according 
to  their  natural  habits.  Horses  like  a 
little  salt,  but  like  sugar  better.  Cows 
like  more  salt.  I  have  never  experi¬ 
mented  with  ducks,  but  it  is  probable 
that  they  prefer  salt.  Pigeons  are  very 
fond  of  it  and  it  is  very  necessary  to  their 
health.  Tn  their  wild  state  they  inhabit 
caves  and  rocky  sea  cliffs  and  feed  par¬ 
tially  on  small  snails  and  seeds  of  salt 
meadows  as  well  as  on  grain.  I  do  not 
think  that  salt  is  necessary  for  poultry 
and  turkeys  that  naturally  live  on  high, 
dry  ground.  henry  hales. 
Buff  Leghorns. 
The  new  fad  in  poultry  is  buff  colors. 
Buff  Hamburgs,  Wyandottes  and  Leg¬ 
horns  are  among  the  newer  acquisitions. 
The  trouble  with  all  these  new  types 
will  be  that  they  will  not  breed  “true,” 
but  will  revert  to  the  style  of  their  par¬ 
ents.  They  have  not  been  bred  long 
enough  to  fix  the  type.  The  trouble  with 
the  Leghorns  will  be  in  getting  rid  of  the 
white  and  black  in  the  tails  and  wings. 
Where  a  feathered  cross  was  made,  feath¬ 
ered  shanks  will  appear.  The  first  known 
of  the  Buff  Leghorns  was  an  importation 
from  England  a  short  time  ago,  and  it  is 
stated  that  there  are  but  half  a  dozen 
breeders  in  the  United  States  who  have 
them.  It  is  difficult  to  see  how  they  will 
be  better  than  Brown  or  White  Leghorns 
except  to  gratify  pride,  c.  e.  chapman. 
HUsinelUttecuff  gUwettiiMtta. 
If  you  name  The  R.  N.-Y.  to  our  advertisers  you  ■ 
may  be  pretty  sure  of  prompt  replies  and  right  treat¬ 
ment. 
Farming  Tools  for  Brazil. 
The  attention  of  manufacturers  is 
invited  to  the  following : 
The  Escola  Agronomica  is  newly  es¬ 
tablished  on  a  fazenda  of  500  acres  in 
the  State  of  Sao  Paulo — the  richest  agri¬ 
cultural  region  of  Brazil.  It  is  organized 
in  the  interest  of  progressive  agricul¬ 
ture,  provides  a  scientific  course  of  four 
years  with  daily  labor  for  students,  and 
sets  apart  the  first  Saturday  of  every  month 
for  the  entertainment  of  visitors.  It  is  the 
first  college  of  the  kind  in  South  America, 
is  endowed  by  wealthy  and  influential 
citizens,  and  is  attracting  widespread 
attention. 
Among  other  things,  the  institution 
aims  to  introduce  better  implements  for 
the  cultivation  of  the  soil — especially  the 
tenacious  red  clays  of  the  rolling  lands — 
and  for  harvesting  and  handing  crops ; 
but  it  desires  first  to  ascertain  what  are 
best  suited  to  the  conditions  that  prevail. 
To  this  end  the  college  makes  the  fol¬ 
lowing  offer  to  the  manufacturer  of  any 
farming  tools  likely  to  succeed  :  If  you 
will  donate  the  sample  or  samples — made 
precisely  like  those  for  the  regular  trade 
— we  will  pay  all  cost  of  transportation, 
and  afford  every  facility  for  trial  and  ex¬ 
hibition,  the  tools  to  remain  the  property 
of  the  college. 
Shall  not  the  United  States  secure  her 
share  of  the  trade  sure  to  follow  this 
stimulus  to  the  introduction  of  improved 
machinery  ?  The  college  knows  of  no 
better  way  than  this  to  enable  her  to  do 
so  nor  to  give  all  an  equal  chance  to  dis¬ 
play  the  excellence  of  their  goods. 
Any  manufacturers  accepting,  please 
mark  goods  “For  Escola  Agronomica, 
Piracicaba,  S.  P.  Brazil,  care  Sr.  Louiz 
Queiros,”  and  ship  to  the  Thompson  & 
Houston  Electrical  Company,  115  Broad¬ 
way,  New  York,  who  will  receive,  pay 
freight  and  forward.  Also  please  advise 
the  subscriber  by  letter  of  such  ship¬ 
ment,  and  of  terms  on  which  orders  will 
be  received. 
EUGENE  DAVENPORT,  Director. 
MATTHEWS'  Seed  Drill. 
Hand  Cultivator,  Whool  Hoo. 
Single  or  Combined,  i 
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T.  J.  DWYER, 
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ALFRED  BKIDGEMAN, 
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BLOOMINGTON*’  (PHtENIX)  NURSERY.’ 
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