Incomes of 178 New York Farms. 



139 



Table III. — Showing the Distribution of the Capital on the Various Types 



OF Farms. 



No. of farms 



Average area 



Total capital 



Real estate 



Machinery and tools. 



Horses 



Other live stock 



Seed and feed 



Miscellaneous 



Truck 



6 



47 

 $6,652 



5.136 

 517 

 417 

 377 

 172 



33 



Aver- 

 age 



17S 

 132 



$11,137 



8.558 



577 



559 

 1,042 



316 

 85 



Per cent, 

 of total 

 Capital 



100 



77 



5 



5 



9 



3 

 I 



Real estate usually torms the larger part of the investment. Upon 

 178 farms (Table III) it constituted about 77% of the entire investment. 

 On dairy farms, real estate averaged 70% ,on general farms 79%, atid 

 on fruit farms 84% of the total inventory. The lower percentage on 

 dairy farms is due probably to two causes: (i) the lower value of the 

 farm land, and (2) the relatively high investment in live-stock. 



The relation of the working capital (including all but real estate) to 

 the total investment per acre is important. Dairy farms snow 30 per 

 cent, of the total capital to be thus invested, general farms 21 per cent., 

 and fruit farms 16 per cent. The total average working capital per 

 acre is $20 for dairy farms, $18 for general farms, and $21 for fruit farms. 



COST OF LABOR ON THE FARM. 



Figures on the distribution of labor are available for the 96 farms 

 of 1907 only (Table IV). It is exceedingly difficult to secure accurate 

 data on this subject because so much labor is performed by members 

 of the family, of which no account is taken, and because board, which 

 is often a large item, is not as a rule reckoned in the expense at all. 

 However, an effort was made to secure both these items, which was 

 fairly successful. Under " unpaid family labor " is included all labo^ 

 performed upon the farm by members of the farmer's family and which 

 has not been paid for in cash. This amount is estimated by the farmer 



himself. It does not include his own labor. 



Board of laborers " as 



estimated by the employer is meant to cover the expense of all board 

 furnished by the farmer and not otherwise paid for. Farmers were 

 also asked to make an estimate of the value o^ their own labor on the 

 farm. These estimates averaged $316 per farmer corresponding very 

 closely to our own arbitrary estimate of $300. 



