OFFICE OF FARM MANAGEMENT. 495 



The tractor has received a great deal of attention from farmers 

 in most parts of the country. Continued demands have been made 

 for information on the factors which determine whether it will pay 

 to purchase a tractor, with special reference to size of farm business 

 and kind of farming followed. Detailed reports on the performance 

 and practicability of all kinds of tractors have been obtained from 

 more than 12,000 owners of these machines. Several publications 

 liave been issued giving the latest experiences of tractor users in 

 different parts of the country and indicating the conditions under 

 which the purchase of a tractor is advisable and the results that may 

 be expected from its use. 



The labor situation on dairy farms has emphasized the impor- 

 tance of the milking machine. Very careful investigations con- 

 ducted on more than 300 farms on which various types of milking 

 machines are in use have enabled the office to answer the questions 

 relating to this form of equipment. Particular stress has been given 

 to such questions as the size of herd which will justify the pur- 

 chase of a milking machine, the time saved through its use, the cost 

 of its operation, and its effect, if any, upon the dairy cow. 



Attention has also been directed to the care of machinery, with 

 a view to insuring its maximum efficiency ' and reducing expense 

 for repair and replacement, as well as to certain special equipment 

 problems, such as the use and practicability of wood-sawing outfits, 

 the use of corn-harvesting machinery, and the care and operation 

 of thrashing machines. Particular attention has been given to the 

 use of larger machines wherever practicable and to the introduc- 

 tion of new labor-saving machines in regions where man labor can 

 be saved by their use. 



FARM TENURE. 



Investigations on tenure have been largely discontinued, though 

 such data as already have been collected have been summarized and 

 published. Attention on this subject has been directed to working 

 out a suitable lease contract for farms of different types. More 

 particularly, these studies pertain to dairy farms and grain farms. 

 Inquiry has shown that tenants remain longer where the lease is 

 on a one-year basis, but renewable if both parties are satisfied. 



FINANCIAL ANALYSES OF THE FARM BUSINESS. 



Analyses of the farm business as developed in various regions 

 have been made and have been especially helpful in furnishing in- 

 formation on the amount of capital required for each type of farm- 

 ing and for the various-sized farms. Especially valuable informa- 

 tion is available on the returns which may be expected from farm- 

 ing in each district and under different systems of management. 

 The proportion of capital invested in land and real estate, in equip- 

 ment and work stock, and in funds for operating the business has 

 been determined for each kind and type of farming. 



Investigations on this subject are being extended from time to 

 time in new areas where conditions are changing and where addi- 

 tional data are needed, as well as in the same areas over 5- and 10- 



