Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1927-05-05
1926, ASkOv, MINI.

Net cost ........$5194 $32.3S-$77.61
Yield-tons ..... 10.4 ST. 1873
Cost per ton go. $5.O1 SAIL $S.41
*Cash paid for tractor blowing on
one farm and for marketing by truck
on another.
The cost per ton is much below the
price at which they are usually sold.
The market is however very uncer-
tain and fluctuates violently. The en-
tire 1926 crop was sold at very salts
factory prices. The market for the
1925 crop was discouraging to many
producers in spite of the fact that the
average price received per ton for
those sold was $11.50. A few growers
obtained as much as $40 a ton, but
others were unable to sell their crop
at all and it was either fed to cattle
or spoiled in storage. The uncer-
tainty of the market makes the grow
ing of this crop hazardous and specu-
lative. The highest cost per ton on
any one farm in 1926 was $S.41 and
on one was as low as 1921. AS very
few of the rutabagas were sold for a
price as low as $500, all producers
made gains last year.
All possible items of cost have been
included in arriving at the total cost.
Man labor is charged at 25 cents an
hour, horse labor at 10 cents and trac-
tor work at 80 cents. Labor for mar
keting is included in the labor cost.
The charge for rock picking of SIC
an acre is labor charge included
as separate item A heavy manure
and fertilizer charge is made. The
total cost per acre is $54.04 and the
net cost, after deducting the value
of culls at $500 a ton, is $5194. A
yield of 1Q.4 tons caused the cost per ton
to be only S5.01. The yield was benefit
ted by the fall rains, which damaged
other crops. The 1926 average yield
was greater than lin 1925 when only
~7.S tons per acre were obtained The
cost per ton in 1925 was therefore
somewhat higher The margin be-
tween the cost and selling price is
the profit that the grower receives
ABOVE all possible costs.
Rutabagas are not used extensively
as feed crop. When a low price pre-
walls or when there is no market,
feeding provides an alternative me-.
thod of disposal. Although some far
mers think that they can be used as
a substitute for grain, they should be
used as a succulent feed to take the
place of silage. Even if they can be
sold at $500 ton some should be
fed to dairy cows when no silage is
available. More rutabagas than ST.
lage must be fed for the same amount
of nutrients, about $50 to 165 pounds
of roots being equal to 100 pounds of
silage. Slightly more feed can be pro-
dqced per acre by raising rutabagas
than with silage at the average yields
for 1926. 1t takes over twice as many
man hours to produce the same
amount of feed with roots, however.
When the amount of cleared land is
limited, when plenty of help is avail
able, or when too few cattle are kept
to justify a silo, rutabagas can be re-
commended as feed crop.
The rutabaga crop presents certain
advantages which allow it to COM
mand an important position in the
cropping system at Askov. 1t grows
nicely on new breaking, producing
large yields. 1t provides a market
for large amounts of labor where the
amount of land is limited. The labor
can be distributed so that it does not
become too heavy a burden at any
one time by seeding at intervals. The
harvest comes at season when tho
other crops have been harvested an