Incomes of 178 New York Farms. 145 



Eighty-six farms were divided into these classes, no account being 

 taken of the 10 potato and truck farms, 45 falling into the " least 

 profitable" class and 41 into the "most profitable" class. The per- 

 centage of profit for the 86 farms was 12.8%. For the poorest class it 

 averaged but 5.8%, while for the best class the average was 19.1%. 

 One of the first facts to be observed is that in every comparison the 

 total acreage, arable acreage, and the capital of the best farms is con- 

 siderably larger. 



The income on the most profitable farms averages about double 

 that of the least profitable farms, but the expenses are about the same. 

 The better farmers seem to have secured their greater profits not by spend- 

 ing less but by taking in more. 



In regard to the distribution of the capital, we find that the best 

 farms uniformly have the largest real estate value and much larger 

 machinery and implement, horse and other live stock values, which 

 emphasizes the need of a larger capital. Expense for seed and feed is 

 somewhat larger on the best farms on an average, but higher on dairy 

 farms than on the others. The best farms spent nearly twice as much 

 for fertilizers and considerably more for machinery and repairs and 

 buildings and fences. The most profitable farms had $76 greater labor 

 expense than the least profitable. 



