OFFICE OF FARM MANAGEMENT. 419 



has been effected with other bureaus of the department, with a large 

 number of State colleges and experiment stations, and with other 

 institutions which are in a position to contribute information of use 

 :<n the preparation of the Atlas of American Agriculture. A graphic 

 summary of American agriculture was published in the 1915 Year- 

 book. 



SPECIFIC ORGANIZATION PROBLEMS. 



Work in this section during the past year has been about equally 

 divided between field studies on the one hand, and tabulating and 

 interpreting field data and the preparations of manuscripts on the 

 other. The accumulation and interpretation of a vast array of 

 facts with reference to the different Avays the farmers of the country 

 have organized their business and the degree of success which has 

 attended these different types of organization have led to a clearer 

 insight into the organization problems of the farmers and to a 

 greater knowledge of how to solve these problems successfully. 



For convenience of administration this work has been divided into 

 four geographical regions, as follows : Northeastern States, Southern 

 States, North Central States, and Western States. 



NORTHEASTERN STATES. 



During the first half of the fiscal year 1915 the work in the New 

 England States consisted largely of field work and marked the com- 

 pletion of a survey begun during the previous year and designed to 

 furnish a general view of the agriculture of these States. This sur- 

 vey consisted of about 1,900 complete farm analyses or records for 

 one year's business, comprising 21 separate areas in New England. 

 These areas were selected, so far as possible, both in southern and in 

 northern New England, including all the more general types of 

 farming but excluding the more specialized types such as are found 

 in the lower Connecticut Valley, where tobacco and onion growing 

 predominate, and the specialized poultry farming in the vicinity of 

 Long Island Sound. 



The purpose of this work has been to discover and work out by the 

 study of these farm records the most profitable organization for each 

 of the various types of farming included in the survey. To this end 

 and to supplement the complete farm analyses, enterprise records were 

 also taken in each of the more important areas. These records show 

 the amount of labor normally required and the season of performing 

 each operation for each of the more important farm enterprises. In 

 addition they show the relative cost of conducting the various enter- 

 prises making up the farm unit. 



Since completing the field work the remainder of the fiscal year 

 has been devoted to working up the survey, compiling the data con- 

 tained therein, and interpreting and getting the results ready for 

 publication. This study is designed to show the most profitable or- 

 ganization for each type of farming as found adapted to the various 

 areas, as well as the broad principles entering into and contributing 

 to the success of this organization. 



During the first half of the fiscal year a farm-management survey 

 was made in a representative commercial trucking region in Glou- 



