Fifty acres of wheat, 20 bushels to the acre,
at $1 per bushel $1,000 00
Charged to the crop 465 00
---------
Balance in favor of crop $535 00
Now, the expense of breaking, by right, should not be charged to the
first crop, for it is a permanent value, added to the value of the land,
and should be calculated as capital: 50 acres broken on a farm of a 160,
adds fully $2 an acre to the value of the property.
But in the above calculation, we have not alone charged the first crop
with the breaking expenses, but also with the cash price of every
dollar's worth of labor expended, until the wheat is in the railroad
elevator, and the owner has nothing more to do, unless to receive his
money for it; and yet there is a clear profit over all expenses of
$535.00.
In making these calculations, it is necessary to put a certain value on
the wheat per bushel, and to allow for a certain amount of bushels to
the acre, but it will be obvious to any reader that in both these
important items there are continual variations.
The calculations we now give appeared in the edition of our pamphlet for
1877, and were based, in a measure, on our fine wheat crop for that
year.
The crop of 1878, as we have already stated, fell short of 1877, and
were we basing our estimate on it we should calculate wheat second grade
at 66 cents per bushel, but the crop of 1879 may surpass the crop of
1877; taking the average of many years' crops and prices, our
calculations are as near correct as they can be made.