The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-01-04
CARE or MACHINERY.
TIE Dep, collation. and Appreciation Of
Farm Implements.
(By F. II. Demaree, Asrononist, J. L.
Case Plow Works)

(6y F. u. Demaree, Agronomist, J. 1.
Case Plow Works.)
Are those farm tools which one seeE
out under trees or in fence corners OF (
any account? If not, why not sell [
them for old iron and clean up the
place. l. they are. should they not
be pu. under the shed or in the barn!
Iron will rust, you know, and paint
will easily scale off
Rusted plow shares, moldboards or
cnltivatcr shovels are full OF pits
caused by the small iron scales which |
drop off In the rusting process. These
tools never scour properly again and
cause trouble ever afear by such de.
lay and further fail to do good work
when most needed Poor plowing and
poor cultivation most certainly mean
poor crops and always poor farmer.
This is important, but 1t Is not tho
intention of this article to go into
that phase of the matter. How about
the actual depreciation of farm ma
chinery and what does it mean to
farmers to have their tools wear out,
rust out or disappear in any other
manner:
Bulletin PIP, bureau of plant indus.
try, United States department of agri.
culture, is a export of an investigation
of investments in and on Ohio farms.
The average size of farm reported
was 16G acres, though the list ranged
from 90 to 400 acres in size. The aver.
age investment in machinery was STA.
These figures will not be typicIc| OF
every state, but will furnish thinking
man basis of comparison.
II farmer has STA tied up in farm
machinery, his interest charge on the
amount at 6 per cent. is S46.44 per
year. Now. this money can never be
but the total cost plus the yearly in.
/ terest must be charged to his yearly
| cost of production. Is this item
| Of any momeat9 Can we afford to let
machinery depreciate rapidly?
To make concrete example, sup.
above amount and that the machines
Last ten years. The total cost OF prin.
cipal and interest will amount to
s1,238.40 in that time. If farm
of this size has 100 acres to be titled
On the average each year, then the
machinery charge against each acre
of tillable land for the period of ten
years will be slightly more than $40
This means then 81 per acre per year
as machinery charge to the cost o.
producing farm crops
Suppose the machinery only lasts
FIVE years, how about the cost? (Ths
writer knows of expensive implement.
being completely worn out in les.
time) Computed on the same basi
as the above, the machinery cost il
S1.70 FER acre per year for the five
! year period, and If the whole equip
ment had to be replaced, 1t would, Q
course amount to $40 per acre pc
! year Tor a ten-year period.
Comparing the two sets OF figures
theoretical though they may be, we ar
> forced to admit that they are base,
upon enough facts and obvious condl
tons to make them closely approx
: mate the truth.
!. Furthermore, since there is limi
. TO the yield of crops, it appeals to tn,
writer that one of the best ways t,
make money on our farms it to try t,
;, decrease the cost of production at tn,
:, same tine we are actually trying t.
:. increase production
! From the example cited above j
. would seem that proper appreciation
. of good farm implements will be ;
!. money making sentiment. A goot
I tight shed for machinery is a neces
!, sity oil every farm and will be fount
highly profitable investment.