MINOR AKTICLES OF TAKM EQUIPMENT. 5 



minor equiiHiient Avill be influenced most by the farmer's attitude in 

 regard to small economies and his abihty to use tools to the best 

 advantage. 



EXTENT OF MINOR EQUIPMENT. 



For the purpose of ascertaining how mucii of the miscellaneous 

 equipment discussed is necessary on general farms, the annual inven- 

 tories on the farms of thirty-three cooperators in Ohio were made as 

 complete as possible with respect to minor items. These farms 

 include one poultry, truck, and general farm, one large horse farm, 

 and a number on which dairying is the principal enterprise, yet none 

 depart radically from the general type. The average size is a trifle 

 less than 167 acres, and the average equipment as nearly as can be 

 determined is given in tabular form on subsequent pages of this 

 circular. 



SUMMARY OF INVENTORIES . 



Table I, showing a summary of the inventories of minor equip- 

 ment, must be studied closely in order to he of the greatest value. 

 Not all the items listed are necessary for a satisfactory farm equip- 

 ment, and on no farm was a complete list found. No farm combined 

 all the enterprises represented, yet every item in the list was found 

 on one or more of the cooperating farms. A few articles were 

 omitted as being of an extremely unusual character. Many items 

 which might be called farm equipment because found in farm rather 

 than in town homes are not included, the aim being to present a sug- 

 gestive list of miscellaneous farm tools, etc., for the convenience of 

 the farm manager. The use of the various tools is not described, as 

 only the more common ones, with which local merchants are usually 

 familiar, have been included. 



The table is designed to show the relative importance of the 

 various items and approximately what is required for a complete 

 e(iuipmeiit. The first column shows the percentage of the whole 

 number of farms from which each article was reported in the inven- 

 tories. It is probable that m many cases there should be a slight 

 increase in the percentage shown, owing to failure to record all the 

 articles on some of the farms. It is believed to be correct, however, 

 in showing the relative importance of the different articles. In col- 

 umn 2 is shown the average number of each article on the farms 

 which report the same. In column 3 is the number which the inven- 

 tories suggest as approximately the average for a well-equipped 

 general fanu under the conditions obtaining in Ohio. In making up 

 this number it has been necessary to consider the percentage of farms 

 rej)orting each article, the average number of articles for each farm 



[Cir. •14] 



