y l ■SB 19» ■ 1 .113 |Copy 1 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BULLETIN No. 641 OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY Contribution from the Office of Farm Management W. J. SPILLMAN, Chief J&T'&J'U Washington, D. C. March 4, 1918 FARM PRACTICE IN THE PRODUCTION OF HAY IN STEUBEN COUNTY, N. Y., AND WASHINGTON COUNTY, PA. (A detailed study of the amount of labor required per acre and per ton for each operation, and the machinery charges per acre and per ton.) By H. B. McCliURE, Agriculturist. CONTENTS. Page. Object and scope 1 Facts brought out ■ 1 Description of the areas 2 Page. Labor charges for different operations 4 Machinery charges 12 Total cost of producing hay 14 OBJECT AND SCOPE. Since hay is very susceptible to damage by bad weather at harvest time, and often demands attention when other farm work is pressing, the problem of getting haying done with a minimum expenditure of time and labor is of great importance to the hay grower. The object of this bulletin is to present data that may help the farmer in solving this problem. The figures on labor and other factors of production given in the following pages were obtained in a study of hay production made in 1915 on 52 farms in Steuben County, N. Y., and on 37 farms in Washington County, Pa. The methods used by hay growers are practically the same for both of these sections, so that results for each operation are comparable. 1 FACTS BROUGHT OUT. The total items of production, including labor, machinery charges, [interest on hay land, taxes, and seed, averaged $5 per ton for the New York area and $6.10 for the Pennsylvania area, with an average "yield of about one and a half tons per acre. 1 Acknowledgment is due to Mr. Robert W. Meyer for valuable assistance in the collection of the data {discussed in this bulletin. 18024°— 18 Monograph 2 BULLETIN" 641, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. It was found that the amount of man labor required to produce a ton of hay averaged 4.2 hours for the 52 farms studied in the New York and 5.23 hours for the 37 farms in the Pennsylvania area. The number of hours of horse labor is almost the same as the number of man hours, 4.22 per ton for New York and 5 for Pennsylvania. About 36 per cent of all hay produced on the New York farms was sold, while but 17 per cent from the Pennsylvania area reached the market. The average life of hay meadows was 3.66 years for the New York farms and 4.10 years for the Pennsylvania farms. The average farm value of hay on December 1 for a period of 10 years (1906-1915) was $14.62 per ton for the New York farms and $15.14 for the Pennsylvania farms. With a yield of about one and a half tons per acre, there is an excess over cost of production of $9.62 per ton for the New York farms and $9.04 per ton for the Pennsyl- vania farms in the farm value of No. 1 hay, which indicates that under average conditions hay growing is a profitable farm enterprise in these areas. DESCRIPTION OF AREAS STUDIED. Steuben County, N. Y., is one of the more important hay-producing counties in the State. It ranks among the first 10 in total produc- tion, both of timothy alone and timothy and clover mixed hay. In general the surface in this comity is very uneven, being broken by a series of long, rather steep hills and moderately broad valleys. The important towns in most cases are connected by good pike roads, which are a great asset in marketing farm crops. In Washington County, Pa., the hills are of slightly less elevation than those in the New York area, though the slopes are steeper. In the main, however, the topography is the same with reference to facility for making hay. SIZE OF FARMS. The average size of the farms studied in Pennsylvania was 171 acres; of the New York farms, 202 acres. (See Table II.) The tillable area per farm is about the same in each State, approximately 156 acres. On the New York farms 35 per cent of the tillable area is in hay, as compared to 26 per cent on the Pennsylvania farms. There is no apparent reason for this large difference in hay area. Wash- ington County is close to the Pittsburgh market, where there is a con- stant demand for hay, while the hay from Steuben County must be shipped much farther to market — to Buffalo or New York City. Table I, compiled from census figures (1910 report), gives statistics on the per cent of land in hay for both counties. The per cent of tillable area in hay for each county as a whole is lower than that for the farms where the records were taken. (Compare with Table II.) D. Of D. MAR 14 10IO <&. A 2 farms in Steuben County, n. y. a 4,047 1.50 5.14 (•13.410 « 1,604 8.36 .935 .622 $1.67 $0. 1S7 $0. 124 16.72 1.870 1.246 $2.17 .243 .162 $3.84 .430 . 286 37 farms in Washington Count v, Pa.' 6 2,201 1.56 5.92 d 16. Kin I 1.685 9.73 . 925 . 593 $1.94 $0. 185 $0. IIS 19. 46 1.850 1.186 $2.53 .240 . 154 $4.47 . 125 a 2,698 acres. b 1,411 acres. 8.940 acres. <* 10.510 acres. TEDDING. 1.070 acres. / l.oso acres The tedder is used on over half of the farms in both States. The acreage tedded per hour averages 1.62 acres for the New York group and 1.28 for the Pennsylvania group. The average width of tedders used on the New York farms is 1.9 feet more than the average for those used by the Pennsylvania farms, which would account for the fact that 0.3 acre more work is done per hour in New York than in Pennsylvania. (See Table VII.) The acreage of hay actually tedded per year is probably less than the figures would indicate, for when weather conditions are favorable it is not necessary to ted all of the hay unless the crop is heavy. On the farms using tedders, however, it was assumed in this study that all hay was tedded. The cost per ton for tedding is 19 cents for the New York group and 23 cents for the Pennsylvania group. Table VII. — Cost of tedding. Item. Number of farms using tedder Amount tedded per year (total tons) . Yield per acre (tons) Width of tedder (feet) Man labor: Hay tedded per day (tons) Hay tedded per hour (tons) Hours of labor — Per day Per acre Per ton .52 farms in Steuben County, x. V. 29 a 2, 191 1.50 8. 76 c is. 10 e 2. 43 7.45 .617 .441 37 farms in Washington County, Pa. 21 6 1,444 1.56 6.85 d 19. 75 I 1.99 9.90 .782 501 a 1,461 acres. '< 92H acres. 12.07 acres. >i 12.66 acres. • l.2s acres FARM PRACTICE IX PRODUCTION OF HAY. Table VII. — Cost of tedding— < 'onl inued. Item. 52 farms in Steuben County, N. Y. 37 farms in Washington Countv, Pa." Man labor — Continued. Cost of man labor, at 20 cents per hour — $1.49 .123 .082 14.90 1.234 .822 $1.93 .160 .107 ■S3. 42 .283 .189 $1.98 .156 .100 Horse labor: Hours of labor — 19.80 1.560 1.001 Cost of horse labor, at 13 cents per hour — $2.57 .202 .130 Cost of man and horse labor: $4.55 .358 .230 RAKING. The common two-horse dump rake is generally used by the farmers of both groups. Both the side-delivery rake and side-delivery tedder are used to a certain extent. Neither bunching nor gleaning is prac- ticed, except by a few farmers. (See Table VIII.) Wider rakes, by 0.18 foot, are used in the New York farms than on the Pennsylvania farms. The amount of hay raked per hour is about 2.3 acres for New York and 2.0 acres for Pennsylvania. The cost of labor per ton for raking is 13 cents for New York and 15 cents for Pennsylvania. The cost of raking is one factor in haymaking costs that can some- times be reduced materially by using a boy to operate the rake. Table VIII. — Cost of raking . Item. Number of farms using rake Yield per acre (tons) Width of rake (feet) Man labor: Hay raked per day (tons ) Hay raked per hoiir (tons) Hours of labor — Per day Per acre Per ton Cost of man labor, at 20 cents per hour — Per day Per acre Per ton Horse labor: Hours of labor— Per day Per acre Per ton Cost of horse labor, at 13 cents per hour — Per day Per acre Per ton Cost of man and horse labor: Per day Per acre Per ton a 17.30 acres. i> 15. 65 acres. <• 2.295 acres 52 farms in Steuben County, N.Y. 52 1.50 10.83 i 25. 95 < 3. 442 7.54 .436 .290 $1.51 .087 .058 15. 08 .872 .580 $1.96 .113 .075 $3.47 .200 .133 ■'1.930 acres. 37 farms in Washing- ton County, Pa. 37 1.56 10.65 (>24.42 d 3. 010 8.11 .518 .332 $1.62 .103 .066 16.22 1.036 .664 $2.10 .134 .085 $3. 72 .237 .151 8 BULLETIN 641, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. LOADING, HAULING, AND PUTTING HAY INTO THE BARN. The crew most generally used in the New York area is one of four men and two horses. On the 52 New York farms there were found 30 four-man crews, 13 three-man crews, 7 two-man crews, 1 eight- man crew, and 1 six-man crew. Small crews do not as a rule keep any horse or team at the barn, the team used for hauling being also used for hoisting. (See figs. 1 and 2.) In the cases of about half of the four-man crews one man remains at the barn to drive the team on the hay fork while unloading, and does nothing at other times. In such cases the fourth man is usually an old man or boy unable to work at loading. The four-man arrange- ment allows two men to work in the mow, enough to put the hay away in good shape. Fig. 1.— Hay loader in operation. The loader saves time and puts hay on the wagon more cheaply than it can be pitched by hand. When six, seven, or more men are used, there is a barn crew of from three to four who do all of the unloading, the driver unhitching from the load when reaching the barn and taking an empty wagon back to the field. The two-man crew allows one man to work in the mow and one to stick the hay fork and drive the hoisting team. In the Pennsylvania area there were found 4 four-man crews, 27 three-man crews, 1 two-man crew, 3 seven-man crews, and 2 six-man crews. (See Table IX.) The amount of hay handled per crew per hour is about 1.50 tons for the New York group and 1 for the Penns} r lvania group, at a cost of 69 cents and 06 cents, respectively. FARM PRACTICE IN PRODUCTION OF HAY. -•'Bfc^ H^^ 4 r^x J^jtffl __ t 1 I yyWJk rmr — i T?'- B Sill _" -WW: ■ — - HI 1 ■ ■ ■ ll^H 7 &BQSH^^fl^BS Fig. 2. — Unloading hay at the barn with horse power. This method is much more rapid than unload- ing by hand, and horses do the hard part of the work. Table IX. — Cost of bringing hay from the field and putting into barn. Hem. Amount produced per year ("I cms i Yield per acre (tons ) . . .' Average number of men in crew Man labor: Hay handled per day (tons'" Hay handled per hour (tons) Hours of labor per day Man hours — Per day Per acre Per ton Cost of man labor, at 20 cents per hour— Per day Per acre Per ton Horse labor: Average number of horses used Hours of horse labor — Per day Per acre Per ton Cost of horse labor, at 13 cents per hour- Per day Per acre Per ton Cost of man and horse labor: Per day Per acre Per ton 52 farms in Steuben County, X. Y. a 1,047 1.50 3.66 oil. 970 el. 180 8. 09 29. 65 3.715 2. 475 $5. 93 .743 .495 2. 23 IS. 17 2.275 1.516 82. 36 . 295 .197 18.29 1.038 .692 37 farms in Washing- ton County, fa. • 6 2, 201 1.56 3.57 ('9.375 I 1.080 8.67 31.86 5.300 3.400 86. 37 1.060 .680 20.11 3. 346 2. 145 82.61 .27!! 88.98 1.495 . 959 a 2,988 acres. b 1,411 acres. c 7. liso acres. d6.010 acres. e0.968acre. / 0.693 acre. 10 BULLETIN 641, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. LENGTH OF WORKING DAY AND WORK ACCOMPLISHED. The hours of labor and amount of work done for each of the haying operations on the farms studied is shown in Table X. Table X. — Hows of work per day and amount accomplished in hay-making operations. ' >peration. 52 farms in Steuben County, N. Y. 37 farms in Washington County, Pa. Seeding by hand Mowing. Tedding Raking Loading, hauling, and putting into barn Farms report- ing each opera- tion. Hours worked per day per man. 9.43 8.36 7.45 7.54 Hours worked per day per horse. 16.72 14.90 15. 08 Amount of hay handled per day. Acres. Tons. 16.80 8.94 12.07 17. 30 13.41 IS. 10 25. 95 11.97 Farms report- ing each opera- tion. Hours Hours worked worked per day per day per I per man. ! horse. 10. 00 9. 73 9.90 8.11 19. 46 19.80 16.22 8.67 20.11 Amount of hay handled per day. Acres. Tons 15.54 10.51 12.66 15.65 6.01 16. 40 19.75 24.42 9.37 WORK ACCOMPLISHED PER HOUR. The work accomplished per hour, under average conditions, is shown in Table XI. For all farms studied the average per hour for seeding is 1.66 acres; for mowing, 1.07 acres; for tedding, 1.45 acres: for raking, 2.65 acres; and for loading, hauling, and putting into the barn, 3.61 tons. The operation of loading, hauling, and putting into barn is performed by three men or four men, depending upon the length of haul and the adaptability and efficiency of the men. TaJ)le XI may be of some assistance to those who wish to make plans for harvesting hay, acreage and length of working day being known : Table XI. — Amount of hay handled per hour. ( >peration. Seeding Mowing Tedding Kaking Loading, haul- ing, and put- ting into bam 52 farms in Steuben County, N. Y. 37 farms in Washington County, 1'a. Farms report- ing each opera- tion. Width (feet). Num- ber of men. 5. 14 8. 76 10. S3 Num- ber of horses. 2.23 Acres. 1.780 1.070 1. 620 2. 295 Tons. 1.004 2. 430 3. 4 12 1.480 Farms report- ing each opera- tion. Width (feet). 5.92 li. N5 10. 65 Num- ber of men. Num- ber of horses. 1.550 1.080 1.2S0 1.930 Tons. 1.685 1.990 3. 010 PARM PRACTICE IN PRODUCTION OP HAY. AMOUNT OP LABOR REQUIRED PER ACRE AND PER TON. 11 The amount of labor required per acre and per ton on the farms studied is shown in Table XII : Table XII. — Labor required per acre and per ton for different operations. MEN. Operation. Seeding by hand a Mowing. ." Tedding Raking Loading, unloading and putting into barn 52 farms in Steuben County, N. Y. Farms reporting each operation. Total. Num- ber of men. Man-hours. Per acre. 0. 561 .935 .617 .436 3.715 li. 264 Per ton. Farms reporting each operation. 0.622 .441 .290 4. 202 37 farms in Washington County , Pa. Num- ber of men. Man-hours. Per acre. 0.643 .925 .782 .518 3.57 5.300 8.168 Per ton. 0.593 .501 . 332 a Actual amount of labor required t o seed an acre and not prorat ed for life of meadow. HORSES. Operation. Horse-hours. Farms Num- _ reporting! ber of | each I horses. Per operation. I acre. Per ton. Farms reporting each operation Num- ber of horses; Horse-hours. Per acre. Per ton. Mowing Tedding Raking Loading, unloading, and putting into barn 1.870 1.234 .872 Total. 1.246 .882 .580 1.850 1.560 1.036 2.23 ! 2.275 1.516 1.186 1.001 .664 2.145 6. 251 4. 224 7.792 COMPARISON OF LABOR COSTS FOR DIFFERENT OPERATIONS. The cost of man and horse labor for the different operations is shown in Table XIII. The total labor cost per ton for the New York group is $1.31, and for the Pennsylvania group, $1.63. The differ- ence in cost is due almost entirely to the cost of loading, hauling, and putting into the barn, which is 32 cents higher in Pennsylvania than in New York. The costs for other operations show only very slight differences. 12 BULLETIN 641, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Taule XIII. — Cost of man labor and of horse labor per acre and per ton for different operations. MAN LABOR. 52 farms in Steuben County, N. Y. 37 farms in Washington Coun- ty, Pa. Operation. Farms. Cost. Farms. Cost. Per acre. Per ton. Per acre. Per ton. Seeding bv hand a 30 52 29 52 52 $0. 030 .187 .123 .087 .743 SO. 020 .124 .082 .058 .495 37 37 21 37 37 $0. 031 .185 .156 .103 1.060 $0,020 .118 .100 .066 Loading, unloading, and putting into the .680 Total 1.170 .779 1,535 .984 i Cost during life of meadow. HORSE LABOR. 52 29 52 52 SO. 243 .160 .113 .295 SO. 162 .107 .075 .197 37 21 37 37 $0. 240 .202 .134 .435 $0. 154 Tedding .130 .085 Loading, hauling, and putting into barn .279 Total .811 .541 ! 1.011 .648 .... Cost of man and horse labor 1.981 1.310 2.546 1.632 MACHINERY CHARGES. Haying machinery is used but a few days per year on these farms. When ordinary care is used in operating machinery, the cost of re- pairs is but a small portion of the total cost of production. Machinery charges include repairs, interest, and depreciation or replacement, but not the value of labor in making repairs, regarding which it was not possible to get accurate data. However, this item is not im- portant. Interest on machinery, in most cases, equals the cost of repairs. It has been figured at 5 per cent, which is the prevailing rate in each region. (See Table XIV.) Table XIV. — Repairs, interest, and depreciation on hay machinery. REPAIRS. 52 farms in Steuben County. N. Y. 37 farms in Washington County, Pa. Kind of Farms report- ing. Cost. Farms report- ing. Cost. Per day used. Per year. Total for life. Per acre. Per ton. Per day used. Per year. Total for life. Per acre. Per ton. 30 52 29 52 $0,295 .us .226 $1. 52 .60 .64 $16. 19 10.24 11.26 SO. 033 .012 . 013 SO. 022 .008 .008 37 21 37 $0. 328 .140 .lis SI. 190 .488 .289 S17. 20 11.84 7.28 $0. 031 .011 .007 $0. 020 .007 .004 FARM PRACTICE IN PRODUCTION OF HAY. 13 Table XIV. — Repairs, interest, arid depreciation on hay machinery — Continued. INTEREST. 52 farms in Steuben County, N. Y. 37 farms in Washington County, Pa. Kind of Farms report- ing. Cost. Fajms report- ing. Cost. Per day used. Per year. Total for life. Per i Per acre. ton. Per day used. Per year. Total for life. Per acre. Par ton. Hand seeders. \\ her .barrow seeders 17 13 52 29 52 SO. 05S .340 .235 .204 .222 SO. 052 .271 1.200 .819 .629 $1.02 4.75 12.78 14.07 11.08 $0. 004 .019 .027 .017 .013 $0. 003 .012 .018 .011 .008 11 SO. 091 $0. 051 $1.05 SO. 006 $0,004 Tedders 37 21 37 .315 .226 .310 1.141 .784 .757 16.51 19.03 19.07 .030 .017 .019 .019 .011 012 REPAIRS INTEREST, AND DEPRECIATION. Hand seeders. Wheelbarrow seeders 17 13 52 29 52 $0. 172 1.078 1. 330 .805 .927 $0, 155 .86 6.83 3.25 2.62 $3.02 15. 05 72. 83 55. 45 46.20 $0. 011 .061 .148 .066 .053 $0. 007 .040 .099 .044 .035 11 $0. 262 SO. 146 $3. 00 $0. 017 $0. 011 Mowers n, edders 37 21 37 1.450 .711 .903 5.280 2.470 2.200 76.46 61. 02 55.48 .138 .0.-6 .057 .088 .036 .037 WORK DONE BY MACHINERY. Table XV shows the amount of work done by machinery in acres and in tons per day, per year, and during its life. On the Pennsyl- vania farms, mowers, tedders, and rakes cover a greater acreage during life than they do on the New York farms. Table XV. — Service rendered by machinery. 52 FARMS IN STEUBEN COUNTY, N. Y. Farms report- ing. Width of machine. Amount of hay handled. Kind of machine. Per day. Per year. Total during life- Acres. Tons. Acres. Tons. Acres. Tons. Hand seeders 17 13 52 29 52 Feet. 15.53 17.69 8.94 12.07 17. 30 26. 53 13. 41 18. 10 25.95 13.99 14.11 46.10 48.65 49.00 21.16 69. 15 82.97 J 73. 50 1 271. 20 247. 00 490. 00 831.00 862. 00 406. SO 370. 50 5.14 8.76 10.82 735. 00 Tedders Rakes 1,247.00 1,293.60 37 FARMS IN WASHINGTON COUNTY, PA. 11 15. 00 8.37 171. 00 273. 20 Wheelbarrow seeders 37 21 37 5.92 6. 85 10. 65 10.51 12.66 15. 65 16.40 19.75 24.42 38.13 44. 10 38.14 59. .".o 68.80 59. 50 551.00 1,(170.(10 961. 00 859. 50 Tedders . 1,670.00 Rakes 1, 498. 00 LIFE OF MACHINERY. Table XVI shows the service rendered by machinery in da} T s used, per year and for its life. Mowers are used about the same number of days in each region. Tedders are used 16 more days and rakes 14 BULLETIN 641, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 11 more days on the Pennsylvania farms than on the New York farms. All haying machinery is well taken care of in both sections. The practice of allowing machinery to stand out of doors, customarv in some parts of the middle west, is not common in the east. Table XVI. — Life of machinery and number of days used. 52 farina in Steuben County, i 37 farms in Washington County X. V. Pa. Kind of machine. Farms report- ing. Days used per year. Years' service. Days use'd during Ufe. Farms report- ing. Days used per year. Years' service. Days used during life. 17 13 52 29 52 0.904 .797 5.150 4. 030 2.830 19.40 17.50 10. 65 17.07 17.60 17.52 13.96 54.80 68.85 49.80 11 0.557 20.25 11.45 37 21 37 3. 620 3. 480 2.430 14.46 24.28 25.20 52 42 S4 50 61.40 In Table XVII are shown comparative figures on interest and taxes on hay land for the two regions : Table XVII. — Interest and taxes on hay land. Item. 52 farms in Steuben County, N. Y. Per acre. Per ton 37 farms in Wash- ington County, Pa. Per acre. Per ton. Average value of entire farm Average value of hay land Interest on hay land at 5 per cent Taxes on hay land Interest and taxes $55. 35 80.10 4.00 .801 4. 801 $2. 670 .534 3. 204 S72.84 105.40 5.27 1.054 6.324 $3,380 .675 4.055 TOTAL COST OF PRODUCING HAY. In Table XVIII is given a summary of the cost of all labor, of machinery charges, seed cost, taxes, and interest on hay land. This amounts to $5 per ton for the New York farms and $6.10 for the Pennsylvania farms. This cost is obtained by prorating the cost of seeding, tedding, etc., to cover the total hay area surveyed in each section. 1 Table XIX presents the cost of producing hay on farms where there is a charge for seeding and tedding. The cost of these operations, machinery charges, seed cost, taxes, and interest on land, amount to $7,704 per acre and $5,154 per ton for the New York and $9,673 per acre and $6,202 per ton for the Pennsylvania group. On farms where hay is not seeded with a grain crop, but where the seed bed is prepared especially, there will be an additional labor charge of perhaps from 75 cents to $1 per acre per year, depending upon the life of the meadow. 1 Commercial fertilizers are used very little in the areas studied, and not at all on the hay crop. Hence there is no charge for fertilizers. FARM PRACTICE IN PRODUCTION OF HAY. 15 Table XVIII. — Cost of man and horse labor, repairs, interest, and depreciation on machinery for haying operations. 52 farms in Steuben Count r,N.Y. 37 farms in Washington County, Pa. Operation. Farms report- ing each opera- tion. Cost. Farms report- ing each opera- tion. Cost. Per day. Per acre. Per ton. Per day. Per acre. Per ton. Seeding with hand seeder Seeding with wheelbarrow seeder. Average for seeding 17 13 30 52 29 52 52 $2. 052 2. 95,8 2.553 5.170 $0. 041 .091 .065 .578 $0. 027 .060 .042 .385 .233 .168 .692 1. 520 11 $2.26 $0. 048 $0,031 11 37 21 37 37 2.26 5.920 5.261 4.623 8.980 27. 024 .048 .563 .414 .294 1.495 2.814 .031 .360 4.225 , .349 4.397 i .253 .266 .188 Loading, hauling, and putting 8.290 24. 635 1.038 2.283 .959 1.804 Table XIX. — Actual cost of producing 4,047 tons of hag on 52 farms in Steuben County, N. Y., and 2,201 tons on SI 'farms in Washington County, Pa. Cost of man and horse labor, repairs, interest, and depreciation on machinery. item of cost. 52 farms in Steuben County, N. Y. 37 farms in Washington County, Pa. Per acre. Per ton. Per acre. Per ton. 80. 031 .578 .181 .253 1.038 .012 $0. 021 .385 .121 .168 .692 .008 $0. 035 .563 .270 .294 1. 495 $0. 022 .360 Tedding.. . . .173 .188 .959 Repairs, interest, and depreciation on hay loaders Seed 2. 093 .620 4.801 1. 395 .430 3.204 2. 657 .533 6.324 1.702 .343 4. 055 Total .' 7.514 i 5.002 9.516 1 6.100 COST OF BALING HAY. Only a small per cent of the hay producers in the areas surveyed own their own hay presses. Most of the market hay is baled by the country buyer and shipper, or else by custom balers. The customary price for baling is $1.50 per ton, and often the hay grower is expected to furnish one or two pitchers and board the press crew of three or four men. With the ordinary crew this brings the cost of pressing up to about $2 per ton. 1 COST OF HAULING TO MARKET. It is almost impossible to determine the average cost of hauling hay to market without making special time studies, since hay is marketed in quantities varying from a ton to a carload. This opera- tion is usually performed by farm man labor and horse labor, and not by those making a business of hauling, as is the case in the Middle West, where hay is grown on a more extensive scale. The 1 Considerable information secured in this study on the management of baling crews and the cost of baling will be published in other bulletins. iwmtniHiiP' 021 486 335 2 16 BULLETIN 641, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. condition of the roads has a decided influence on the cost, as bad roads make it impossible to haul a full load and necessitate a longer time per trip. From the report of 25 farmers in the New York area it was found that the average distance to market was 3 miles and the cost of hauling 70 cents per ton. Table XX. — Labor cost per ton when the yield varies. {52 farms in Steuben -Labor cost per ton ivhen the yield varies. County, N. Y.) Operation. Labor cost r cr ton when yield is— 3 tons per 1.50 tons 1 ton per acre. per acre. acre. Seeding.. Mowing. Tedding. Raking. Loading, hauling, and unloading . Total $0. 021 .192 .116 .084 SO. 042 .385 .233 .168 .692 SO. 063 .577 .349 .252 .692 1.105 1.520 1.933 Fig. 3. — A good stand of timothy and clover, yielding over two tons per acre. The cost of production decreases and profits increase as the yield per acre increases. EFFECT OF YIELD ON THE COST OF LABOR PER TON. The cost of labor per ton is directly affected by yield in seeding, mowing, tedding, and raking, since the amount of work accomplished per hour in these operations is nearly the same for a light yield as for a heavy one. Even the cost of loading by hand, hauling, and putting into the barn is but slightly affected by variation in yield. For the purpose of illustrating the effect of yield upon labor cost per ton Table XX has been prepared, based on the cost in the New York area, where the yield is 1.50 tons per acre. It wall be seen that the labor cost per ton decreases as the yield increases, the cost with a 1-ton yield being almost double the cost with a 3-ton yield. (See hg. 3.) ' WASHINGTON : GOVEENMBNT PRINTING OFFICE : 1918 Eb» >