The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1891-04-22
THE MICHIGAN CROPS.
THEIR COST AND VALUE FOR
1889.
Eome Statistics That win BE of Interest To
tho Farmers of the State What 1t Costs
To Raise Crops and What They Are Worth
I'm the Market.

the years lss9-90, from the Office OF the
Secretary of State, contain the follow
ing statistics OF cost and value OF the
principal farm crops i'm 1899:
The wheat crop of 1889 was produced
in the southern counties at a cost OF
SIS, 0s9, 343, and was worth S13, 93l, $50 a
loss Of 81. l57, 4S7; in the central counties
il cost 81, $50, $50, and was worth 81, 426,-
464. loss of $40, 392; In the northern
counties il cost S474, 1919, and was worth
S37O, 4s3, loss of S103,646 The total
cost of the crop in the State was SIS,
200, 32S, total value SO, FPS, SOB, total
loss on crop Sl,471, 525. The total cost
of the corn crop that year in the south
ern counties was SO, S24, 500. value
So, PAS, 1853, IA loss of 81, ,O46; in the
central counties the cost was Sl,244, S72,
value Ss25, 776, loss S4l9, 096; in the
northern counties the cost was
Sl99, 351, value Sl79,706 loss Sl9,-
Gas. The total cost of the crop
in the State was Sl2. 269, 032. total value
1924, 2i5. total loss on crop S5.0l4,7s7.
The cost OF the oats crop in the southern
counties was 81, $40, 873, value So, 44O, $50,
loss on the crop OF S2,37O, 523; in the
central counties the cost was 81, SOP, 343.
the value 81, 453, 233 the loss S349, 10;
in the northern counties the cost was
S5l7, 439, value S496, s74, loss so, sos.
The total cost OF the crop i'm the State
was SO, 1870. 655, total value s.. 800, i57.
total loss 50, 40, 1913. The total cost of
the three crops i'm the southern counties
was S33, 725, OPS, total value S25, GO 800,
total loss 81, l04, 0jG The total cost in
the State was $40, 500, O15, total value
S3l, 1873, 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 lSS4-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 out barn-yard
manure, harvesting, stacking, thresh-
ing, and marketing; the cost of fertili2-
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 $50 3 per acre in the south
ern counties, OF 20 per acre in, the
central counties, and SSH per acre i'm
the northern counties. Each crop is
credited with the value of straw, and
also with its prOportionate share of the
rental value of the farm dwellings, be-
cause, from the nature OF the case, each
must be charged with its prOportionatc
share Of the interest, taxes, repairs, and
insurance on the dwellings,; at the same
time il 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 $40. 425, 200 for inter
est $500, 734, and cash outlay S., So
OBJ. Subtractng the labor and other
expenses from the total value of the
crops and there remains SOLO, 67S 10 APP
ply on interest, which is less than one
half OF ! per cent. on the capital in
vested. In other words, a farmer i'm the
southern counties OF this State, on o
farm Of average value, and who raised
in 1889 average crops of wheat, corn md
oats, and sold them at IA price equal
TO the average price in this section
January l, 1890, would receive for them
only sufficient amount 20 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, four
and twO-tenthS per cent. on the value of
the land on which il was grown. The
cost. exclusive of interest, OF raising and
marketing the three crops, wheat, corn
and oats, was IS, G51 more than the total
value of the crops; that is TO say, farmers
lost on their three principal crops the in
terest on the value of the land and
S6.G5l i'm expenses.
The hay crop was moro profitable. In
the southern counties the cost of the
crop was IS, 929, 1873, and it's value -, $50, =
O25, and in the State the cost of the crop
was 80, O6l, S04 and It's value S14,O16, 1874.
In the southern counties the net profit
on the hay crop was T. % per cent, and
i'm the State 1.O2 per cent. Of the value
Of the land on which ii was grown,
The following shows the va ne of the
crops raised in 1889, figured from the
best data available:
X1oat ste -o9 o19