The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-07-30
WHEAT FARMERS |
CLEAR $40,00O,0OO
GRAIN MAN ESTIMATES WHEAT
FIELDS PAY EXPENSES AND $40
AN ACRE OVER.

Wichita KAN July 29.-liow !
would YOU like to be the Kansas
farmer this year? Conservative |
wheat dealers are estimating the
Kansas yield at 30 million bushels.
or state average of about 10 bush
els an acre, which means clear
profit OF $i0,000,000 In spite of the
advance of every thing on the farm
in the past decade, it costs the
farmer about $3.50 or at the preser
price OF wheat about seven and Il
half bushels of wheat per acre t. pro
duce and market his crop. Thl'
leaves him a profit of eleven and a
half bushels per acre, or an appro%
innate clearing of $40, providiGS h
owns his land, or, if he rents, tax
ing the customary one-third for rem
tai, it leaves him a profit of 50.
The above calculations are drawn
{
Craig of the Craig Grain company,
with offices in the Sedgwick block.
Formerly the cost of plowing amount
ed to nearly dollar and a quarter
per acre, but within the past few
years IA majority of the farmers are
listing their land which not only
lessons the expense, but according
to the state agriculture department,
gives better satisfaction. Listing costs
the farmer between so cents and 81
per acre and it is argued that the
method which gives more surface OF
the soil exposure TO the air Will
greatly increase the yield.
The narrowing after the ploWins
is small item in the expense ac-
count. as some OF the farmers III
the western part of the state refrain
from narrowing, stating that it allows
the wind to blow the seed from OIL
the soil. and in sections where har-
rowing is practiced it can be done
at such Il rapid rate that 20 cents
per acre would easily cover the eX-
pense.
A dollar and quarter per acre
would be sufficient to set aside for
the cost of the seed for sowing and
the expense of drilling amounts to
about 40 cents an acre. The eXran-
ditures of the farmer are not only
ended until spring, but on the con-
trary, many rifty agricultulislS
figure that they can profit at ieas'
a dollar an acre from their wheat
for pastlrIs Inoses. Some net rs
Il cl as .Nc u :nree dollars an a"'r
IN thl manner, by allowing several
dozen head of cattle to Craze upon
the growing crop during the winter
months, but of course some VINO
have large tracts of wheat are un-
able to gain as much, but an average
of dollar is a very conservative
estimate, according to Mr. Craig.
The cost of reaping in the spring
is an item, fluctuating with the wag-
es demanded by the harvest hands,
For the past ten years the average
farmer figures that it costs HIM in
the neighborhood of s225 to ge5 mis-
wheat into stack or shock ready
for threshing. The final expense
OF threshing and hauling the Nheat
to market just about equals the cos
OF reaping. This makes a total eX-
pense amounting to about $3.50, de-
Quoting a limited amount for profits
netted by pasturing.
These estimates, of course could not
be applied to every farmer says
Mr.. Craig, as many of them have a
part or perhaps all of the help which
they need for the production OF the
crop, and they figure that the eX-
pense is less. Some perhaps have
greater expense than figured above
owing to higher rental or the eX
pense of marketing the grain if the
railroad is considerable distance from
the farm. but at any rate profit
OF some forty million dollars Tor
the Kansas farmers is not mai
years work.