Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-04-23
THE MICHIGAN CROPS.
THEIR COST AND VALUE FOR
1890.

the Farmers OF the State What IL Costs
Co Raise Crops and What They Arc Worth
in the Market
The farm statistics OF Michigan for
the years 1ss0-90, from the Office OF the
Secretary OF State, contain the follow
ing statistics of cost and value of the
principal farm crops In 1889:
The wheat crop OF 1889 was produced
In the southern counties at a cost of
S15,0so. 343, and was worth STA, 1881, $50, a
loss OF 81, 1877, 457; In the central counties
IL cost 81, 1886, $50, and was worth So, 1885,
AGA, loss OF $40, 1902; In the northern
counties 1t cost S474, 1870, and was worth
$370, 483, loss of S103,646. The total
cost OF the crop In the State was $1S,
200, 32s, total value SIC, 72S, 500, total
loss on crop S1,471,52 The total cost
of the corn crop that year I'm the south
ern counties was $40. s24, 800. value
| SO, PAS, 1853, loss of S4,576, DAG; In the
central counties the cost was S1,244,S 72,
value Ss25, 776, loss $4,000 in the
northern counties the cost was
$780, 1851, value S17o,7O6, loss s19,-
645. The total cost of the crop
In the State was S12, 269, 032, total value
1924, 245, total loss on crop $5,014,7S7.
The cost OF the oats crop In the southern
counties was 81, S73, value IS, 440, $50,
loss on the crop of 2,370, 523; in the
central counties the cost was 81, 500, 343.
the value 81, 453, 233, the loss $349, ITO;
In the northern counties the cost was
1917, 439, value S496, s74, loss $50, sos.
The total cost of the crop In the State
was $40, 130.655, total value 81. 800, 457,
total loss 50, 74O, 1913. The total cost of
the three crops in the southern counties
was $50, 725, OPS, total value $25, $40. 900,
81 I<1oo y 14oI AOf t..
| the State was $4,000, obs, total value
S31, 373, sos, and total loss 50, 226, $40.
The cost of the crops as here given Is
based on the total acreage of each crop
and the average cost per acre In the five
years 1ss4-Ss, as published in the Janu-
airy crop reports Of those years The
| cost includes the expense for labor in
| blowing and fitting the ground, drilling
| in the seed, hauling ont barD-yard
manure, harvesting, stacking, thresh-
| ing, and marketing; the cost OF fertiliz-
ers purchased and of seed, and the ex-
pense OF insurance, taxes, and repairs,
and interest at seven per cent. on capt.
| tai invested. The interest is cal
| culated on an average valuation
OF $56.43 per acre in the south
ern counties, of S34.29 per acre in the
central counties, and SSH per acre in
the northern counties. Each crop is
| credited with the value OF straw, and
also "wlth its proportionate share of the
Essa ase IRE f hssf s ~ t a%eRyR e
must be charged with its proportionate
share Of the interest, taxes, repairs, and
insurance on the dwellings,; at the same
| time 1t is charged with the wages of la
borers, who are supposed to board them
selves, and of course dwell in their own
houses, or in houses the rent Of which
is paid out of their wages"
In the southern counties the aggregate
cost of the three crops, wheat, corn and
oats was, for labor SO, 425, eco, for inter
| est SO, rec, 734, and cash outlay S5,579
O9l. Subtracting the labor and other
| expenses fiom the total value of the
crops and there remains S6l6,67S to APP
| ply on interest, which is less than one
half OF l per cent on the capital in
vested. In other words, farmer in the
southern counties or this State, on a
farm of average value, and who raised
in 1889 average crops Of wheat, corn and
oats, and sold them at price equal
to the average price In this section
January /, 1890, would receive for them
only a sufficient amount to pay the
wages of labor and the other expenses
incurred in raising the crops, and less
than one-half OF one per cent interest
on the value of the land on which the
crops were grown. Computing for the
entire State the wheat crop paid, in adj
dition to wages and other expenses, foul
and two-tenths per cent. on the value oil
the land on which it was grown. The
cost, exclusive OF interest of rails ng and
marketing the three crops, wheat, corn
and oats, was $6,651 more than the tota
value of the crops; that is to say, farmer:
lost on their three principal crops the in
terest on the value Of the land anC
So, 651 in expenses.
The hay crop was more profitable. III
the southern counties the cost OF the
crop was So, 929, 13S, and its value 50, $50,
025, and in the State the cost of the crop
was SO, O61, s04 and its value S14, ole, 1874
In the southern counties the net profit
on the hay crop was T. 95 per cent, and
in the State 1902 per cent. of the value
of the land on which 1t was grown.
The following shows the value OF the
crops raised in 1889, figured from the
| host data aVailahla.