Minnesota station, the total cost of feeding and maintaining a
farm work horse for one year was estimated to be from $75 to $90, of
which about $20 was charged for interest and depreciation. On the
basis of 3.3 hours as the length of the working day, the cost per
horse per hour was estimated to be 7-1/2 cents. At the Ohio state
university, it was found that four horses weighing about 1,400 pounds
were chosen to perform 2,185 hours of labor during one year, while
under like conditions four horses, weighing about 200 pounds less,
worked on an average but 1,641 hours each. For each secular day,
therefore, the former worked about 7-1/2 hours, while the latter were
employed but five and one-half hours. The cost of food was estimated
at $54; cost of shoeing, repairs of harness and stable supplies at
$6.50; and the cost of feeding, grooming and cleaning of stables at
$23.50, or a total cost of $84 per year. Nothing was charged for
interest or depreciation, but the expense of feeding and caring for
three colts was included in the estimates given. The annual expense of
maintaining a horse was practically the same in both states, but the
cost per hour of labor performed was less because of the possibility
of employing the horses at productive labor a larger portion of the
time. Too much emphasis cannot be placed upon the need of planning a
farm organization which will give continuous employment to horses as
well as to men in order to realize the most profitable returns. An
industrial system that makes it necessary to maintain work animals
three days in order to secure one day's work falls far short of an
ideal.

CHAPTER XVII

FARM LABOR

The problem of farm labor demands thoughtful and frank consideration.
Since work is an essential element in the production of all wealth, it
follows that every industry has its labor problem. The adjustment of
labor to the production of the various forms of wealth must ever
constitute one of the most important problems in any organized
society. It is often remarked that the labor problem is the chief
difficulty in farming. In a certain sense this is true, since work is
a primary element in the production of agricultural as well as all
other wealth. It is not true, however, that the problem of labor is
more difficult or more intricate than that of other industries. In
fact, that problem is less delicate than in some other occup