172 
COST OF 40 ACRES OF WHEAT. 
In setting out to compute the cost of 
raising a crop of anything it is useless 
to set down figures for raising one 
bushel, for the reason that the cost of 
raising one hundred acres will allow a 
fair profit, while the cost of raising five 
acres would be absolutely prohibitive. 
I shall accordingly base my calculations 
on the 40-acre field, that being some¬ 
where near an average acreage. First 
we must consider the necessary equip 
ment; as good horses are admittedly 
the cheapest in the end we will allow 
a fair price for them. 
Horses (four) at $175.00.$600.00 
Sulky plow . 45.00 
Harrow . 15.00 
Press drill, 12 disc. 80.00 
Binder, eight-foot cut. 150.00 
Work harness, two sets at $40.00.. 80.00 
Equipment total .$970.00 
Considering the average life as being 
about 15 years (and most farmers will 
admit that it is very liberal), we find 
the annual cost for equipment to be 
about $65.00. The item of repairs can 
only be guessed at, but $5 per year will 
probably cover that item on the average 
farm. The feed is almost as indefinite 
as the repair bill, but it is possible to 
make a guess close enough for the pur¬ 
pose. Each horse will require a peck 
and a half of grain per day or for the 
two months that are usually reouired 
to prepare the ground and sow that 
amount of wheat, 2 2/ bushels, say 90 
bushels for the four horses, which at 
40 cents per bushel, amounts to $36. To 
do that amount of work will reouire 
close to two tons of hay, to be con¬ 
servative, we will allow $15 for that 
item. Before we have turned a furrow, 
we have invested then something like 
this: 
Equipment or depreciation cost... S65.00 
Repairs . 5.00 
Grain and hay . 51.00 
the rural, new-yorker 
Sowing Lime on Wheat. 
I have a piece of wheat that wrs sown 
last Fall while I was away. In putting in 
the crop they omitted lime. Could 1 sow 
lime now or any time during the Winter, 
without injuring the crop, and would it 
be of any use or benefit to it? The wheat 
is up about two or three inches now. 
Mill Neck, N. Y. d. h. p. 
You can put on the lime with safety, 
but it will not benefit the crop nearly as 
much as if applied so as to work it into 
the soil. _ 
Improving Rnn-down Pasture. 
77. II., Massachusetts .—I have a run¬ 
down pasture producing little but June 
grass, daisies, sorrel and wild carrot 
What fertilizer should I apply before 
planting an orchard (apple) and what crop 
should precede it? Is the potash contained 
in seaweed worth the carting? The soil 
is a sandy loam. Should an orchard do 
well on this soil? 
Ans.—W e should plow this land, give 
a good dressing of lime and plant the 
orchard at once. It ought to be good 
soil for the Baldwin apple. Such land 
is usually sour and the lime will start 
it into life. We should plant a low- 
growing variety of flint corn in this or¬ 
chard, fertilize and give good culture, 
and at the last cultivation sow a cover 
crop like rye and clover or turnips— 
this crop can be plowed under next year. 
February 8, 
Total .$121.00 
Now let us see what it will cost to 
get the ground ready and sow and har¬ 
vest the crop. The figures are the prices 
we have to pay in this section for hired 
help, for it is obvious that if we are 
to get at the actual cost of the crop 
we must allow the farmer the same 
wages he would have to pay hired help. 
If he hired everything done, it would 
cost : 
Plowing 40 acres at $1.25 per acre. $50.00 
Harrowing twice . 10.00 
Seeding 2% days at $5.00 per day. 12.50 
Harvesting at $1.00 per acre. 40.00 
Shocking at $3.00 per dav . 7.50 
Thrashing at five cents per bushel. 42.00 
Seed, one bushel per acre at 75 cents 
per bushel . 30.00 
Total ...‘ .$192.00 
Total cost of raising and gathering 
the crop we find is the cost of equip¬ 
ment plus cost of seeding and harvest¬ 
ing, thrashing, plowing, etc. 
Equipment, hay, grain, repairs, etc.$121.00 
Sowing and gathering . 192.00 
Total .$313.00 
All calculations are based on a yield 
of 21 bushels per acre and a price of 
75 cents per bushel. The crop is worth 
$630, but Mr. Farmer has not cleared 
that much. As we are figuring things 
from the standpoint of the renter, there 
remains the rent to be deducted from 
the whole. If he is fortunate, he has 
only to give the landlord one-third, or 
the' trifling amount of $210. We are 
now ready to figure out just how much 
our rich and prosperous wheat grower 
has made as a result of his year’s labor: 
Interest on $970.00 at 6%. $58.20 
Equipment, hay, grain, repairs, etc. 121.00 
Sowing and gathering . 192 00 
Rent . 210.00 
Grand total .$581.20 
Forty acres at 21 bushels per acre 
gives us 840 bushels, but from that must 
be deducted 40 bushels for seed the 
coming year, leaving 800 bushels which 
can be sold. Subtracting the total cost 
from the gross proceeds leaves us with 
the handsome sum of $18.80, with which 
we may buy that long-coveted motor 
car or send the women folks off on a 
trip to Europe. To figure in a little dif¬ 
ferent way, that is, not allowing the 
farmer anything for his labor, we find 
his net income to be: 
Interest on $970.00 at G% .$58.20 
Equipment, hay, grain, repairs, etc. 121.00 
Thrashing 840 bushels at five cents 
per bushel . 42.00 
Rent . 210.00 
Total .$431.20 
Again subtracting we have as the 
farmer’s net income $198.80. The loss 
of a horse would knock his profits sky 
high, and the loss of a horse is a dan¬ 
ger that continually confronts the farm¬ 
er. In fact, he will be mighty lucky if 
he does not lose more than one in 15 
years. Robert rinker. 
Nebraska. 
Old Soil for Potatoes. 
A. F„ Hampton, N. J .—I have a field of 
four acres that has not been farmed in 
about six or seven years. Nothing has 
been taken off, consequently nothing put 
on, except the grass and weeds that dried 
up in the Fall. I had this all plowed up 
last Fall, and would like to put corn and 
potatoes in it with fertilizer. Do you 
think I shall be safe in getting a fair crop 
in doing so? Land is sloping toward a 
creek and never cakes or hardens. People 
who have seen grain crops growing tell me 
that there was always a good crop. 
Ans.— You cannot hope to obtain a 
full crop of potatoes on such soil, for 
this crop requires a soil mellow and 
well fitted by culture. Corn will do bet¬ 
ter on such land if well fertilized. 
F lanted in hills and worked both ways 
with some hand hoeing the corn will 
make a good cleaning crop. You must 
remember that this land will be very 
foul with weeds and grass, so that hill 
crops wdiich can be worked both ways 
are best. It is a mistake to suppose 
that heavy fertilizing or manuring on 
any kind of soil must produce good 
crops. The condition of the soil must 
be considered too. If you grow corn 
on this land, keeping the crop clean, 
and sow' some cover crop in the corn, 
you can, the following year, grow a bet- 
ter potato crop than if you started on 
the old sod this year. 
Save 25% on Your Fertilizer Bills 
By Home Mixing 
A nd - endorsed by all Experiment Sta- 
urers Colleges. Institute Lect- 
A nal W / lt L ers and Scientific Agricul- 
tiii™?' Opposed by every commercial fer¬ 
tilizer manufacturer. Why? Guess. Home 
nf'olan? money * besides knowing sources 
better crop? genUme and best ’ curing 
of's^vv, 1 ? r # es M™ p0I Jf re aad manufacturers 
of Fertihzer Materiais and pioneers 
Some Mixing. Nitrate of Soda, Potashes. 
^ any Jua?fties Tankage ’ etC " &t right price3 ' 
_H™t^ d ^/ orfr ,? e booklet on Home Mixing 
«isrf 'V ly ' Copy an analysis from an 
old fertilizerbag send ittousandask usto give 
you formula and cost of materials for same 
delivered your station, you will be surprised. 
WRITE TODAY 
NITRATE A6ENCIES COMPANY, 26 BRID6E $T., NEW YORK 
LIME, LEGUMES 
AND DRAINAGE 
are the three crying needs of most 
farms and the men making use of 
these vehicles to success should write 
the title ‘L.L.D.’' after their names. 
The greatest of these is Lime , because 
without lime it is well nigh impossible 
to grow the legumes, and the drainage 
would prove barren of results. 
EBLANDL IME 
is best for all agricultural purposes_ 
sold under a guaranteed analysis and 
a reputation of more than a century 
standing back of the product. Write 
today for our free illustrated booklet, 
telling how, for what, and when to 
use lime. Address nearest office. 
Rockland 6 Rockport lime Co. 
Rockland, Me. 
Beston, 45 Milk St.; New York, Fifth Ave. BIJg. 
I 
0 
H MAPES MANURES 
Absolutely Choicest of Materials 
Seasoning and Best Methods of Manufacture 
AVAILABILITY WITHOUT ACIDITY 
NO ROCK OR ACID PHOSPHATES USED 
T is not only the “Man Behind the Bag,” 
but the men in the bag. Three generations 
of men to whom the name of “ Mapes ” has 
been a matter of deep personal pride, and 
who have used every honest and successive 
endeavor to make the “Mapes Manures” the best 
possible for the crops for which they are intended. 
FOR THIS REASON THE MAPES 
MANURES HAVE NEVER STOOD STILL 
We do not mean to say that our competitors 
cannot make good goods. In fact, some of them, 
we know, do make very good goods, but we do 
claim that where a business has been under the 
same management for generations without a break, 
with the element of family pride deeply involved, 
you can be absolutely certain that everything will 
be all right, with an attention to details which can¬ 
not be expected from large corporations merely 
run on an absolutely commercial basis. 
Buy “Mapes” and you need never have any 
rear that you have made a mistake by not look¬ 
ing elsewhere. Send for our Pamphlet. 
The MAPES FORMULA and PERUVIAN GUANO CO. 
No. 143 LIBERTY ST., NEW YORK 
Good Crops of Oats were Formerly the Rule; 
Now a Good Crop is the Exception. 
One reason, is starvation — the lack of the right kinds of 
plant food in the right form, available at the right time. 
The result is weak plants that grow slowly, yield light" 
chaffy grain and fall an easy prey to rust, blight and insects! 
OTASH 
nil 
mji 
has been shown to greatly decrease the liability of the small 
prams to attacks of rust, as well as lodging because of t™ak 
straw. Be sure that your oats fertilizer contains 6 to 8 per cent 
Potash. Ask your dealer to carry such brands, or Potash Salts, to 
enable you to bring the brands up to this standard. 
V Ae w* will sell you Potash in any amount 
from a 200-.Pound bag up. Write for prices and for free 
book on fertilizer forma las and how to adjust them . 
GERMAN KALI WORKS Inc. 
__ 42 Broadway, New York Monadnock Block. Chicaeo 
WWt Srf B T<l g B , a Atla^' N8W ° rlean8 B “ nk * Tra san B F d raucl 8 a ;o annah 
RAW GROUND LIME 
For use in stable gutters as an absorbent. 
F. E. CONLEY LIME CO., Dept. L, Utica, N. Y. 
Fruit GrowerxFavorrtePrunin&Saw 
; climbing). Shapts trees better and tfoee the work easily, 1 
quickly amt well. If your dealer cannot supply you, send 
your order to us. Booklet on 
MORE POTATOES PER ACRE 
Think of finding one to'eleven $5 bills 
m the furrow, on every acre you 
plant. It’s been done many 
times. Planttlie spaces you 
skip, sell the potatoes, 
audyou'vegot the mon¬ 
ey. No extra land 
no extra work, 
it costs no 
more to 
prepare 
ground, 
fertilize 
cultivate, 
spray and 
dig a per¬ 
fect 
Stand 
This 
m a - 
chine soon 
pays for it¬ 
self and yet puts 
real money into 
your pocket. One seed 
piece in every space and 
one only. Uniform spacing. 
No injury to seed. Ask 
your dealer to show it 
and write us for tree 
booklet, “/oo per cent 
Potato Planting. ” we 
make full line Potato 
machines. Garden tools. 
Sprayers, etc. 
BATFMAN M’FG CO. 
Bo* 1026 Grenloeh, N. J. 
Fruit Growers Saw Co., 20 Main St,, Scottsville, N. Y. | 
SCIENTIFIC POWER MILL 
Best and | strongoat mill ovor built. Capacity 30 to 
60 bushels of cob corn per 
hour. The only mill on 
market with King Oiling 
Bearings.Adapted forme In 
any looality. Will grind ear 
corn, shelled corn, 
oats, barley, rye, and 
all small grains. Will 
also grind ear corn In 
the shuck. Produces a 
better grade o f work 
and more of it than any 
other mill of similar 
type on the market. 
I EASY RUNNING—FULLY GUARANTEED 
Built for hoavy sorrice. This No. 103 mill hus given 
the beet of satisfaction everywhere. Write for our 
new catalog which describoa over 20 styles aud 
sizes of Power and Sweep Mill*. 
The Bauer Bros. Co...Box 415 Springfield, Ohio 
