Fmyners' Week in Agricultural College. 



147 



ill debt and some also have money available. These persons should 

 study the question of how well their horses, machinery and labor are 

 being used. If a farmer is able to manage horses and machinery to 

 good advantage, it may pay him to go in debt for additional land. 



In considering this question we must also consider the probability 

 of a continued increase in the use of machinery in the future that will 

 give the larger farms a still greater advantage. 



Sometimes it is very difficult to purchase land that adjoins one's 

 farm. The line fence is one of the greatest ol)stacles in the way of 

 agriculture. The farms are not well laid out, and it is often impossible 

 to purchase so as to make a farm of satisfactory area and shape. It 

 will sometimes pay to sell and buy where a satisfactory area can be 

 secured. 



Many owners have enlarged their acreage by renting additional 

 land. Of the ow^ners for whom a labor income was calculated, 14 per 

 cent also rented land. This, together with the consolidation of farms 

 l\y purchase, shows how many men recognize the importance of in- 

 creased acreage. Eighty-six farmers who rented additional land owned 

 an average of 89 acres and rented an average of 51 acres. This gave 

 them 35 acres more than the area operated by the average owner, who 

 did not rent. Their average labor income was .$522, which is $115 more 

 than the amount made by the average ow^ner who did not rent. This 

 method of increasing the area seems to be a very satisfactory one for 

 those with limited capital. After a few years it is often possible to 

 purchase more land. 



TABLE 14. OWNERS RENTING ADDITIONAL LAND, TOMPKINS 



COUNTY. 



Owners operating their own farms only . 

 Owners renting additional land 



Number 

 of farms. 



529 

 86 



Acres 

 owned. 



105 



89 



Acres 

 rented. 



51 



Labor 

 income. 



$407 

 522 



Nineteen per cent of the tenants rent farms from more than one 

 landlord. Some others rent two farms of oile landlord, so that over 

 one-fifth of the tenants operate more than one farm. 



Some farmers are not able to direct their own labor or that of a 

 hired man eff'ectively; probably the smaller the business the better for 

 such persons. Some others do not wish to run a larger business be- 

 cause they wish merely a small home and can live on the means they now 

 have. These remarks ap]>ly to those who desire to run effective farms. 



