686 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



plumbing and the various kitchen and batbroom fixtures is explained in 

 detail. Sewage disposal receives attention, various nietbods of collecting' and 

 disposing of liquid and solid wastes being described and illustrated. The 

 heating system of the house is described with special reference to the use of 

 the hot-air furnace and the size and location of air-distributing pipes. Fol- 

 lowing this are cited several examples of homes where modern conveniences 

 have been installed, the character and cost of the improvements being noted 

 and plans given of typical houses and grounds and of the water and sewerage 

 systems. 



RURAL ECONOMICS. 



The cost of producing farm products, ^^^ M. Hays and E. C. Parker ( U. 8. 

 Dept. Agr., Bur. Htatis. Bui. 4S. pp. ixi. pis. '/. flsj.s. 11; Minnesota 8ta. Bui. 91, 

 pp. 90, pis. .'i, figs. 11). — These bulletins report the results of investigations by 

 the Bureau of Statistics, in cooperation with the division of agriculture of the 

 Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, relating to the cost of producing 

 farm products and giving methods devised in successfully inaugurating these 

 studies. 



Several farms in .*) counties uf the State, wliere diversified and grain farm- 

 ing is conducted, were selected for the purpose of this inquiry, and detailed 

 statistical data bearing upon every phase of the cost of producing cro])s are 

 reported for the years 1902, 19C)3, and 1004. The objects sought relate in gen- 

 ei'al not only to the economic side of the agricultural industry, such as secur- 

 ing profitable returns for labor, invested capital, managing ability, etc.. but 

 to the broader problems of farm management and organization, of providing 

 practical data for use in agricultural schools and colleges, and of " developing 

 a literature on farm management and a class of effective teachers, editors, and 

 general writers." 



In connnenting on the value of the data secured in this investigation to 

 the future welfare of agriculture, the authors conclude as follows : 



" Statistics on the cost of production and concerning the general business 

 of the farm, gathered under the methods here employed, together with data 

 from plat experiments with crop rotations, from plat and laboratory experi- 

 ments with fertilizers, from physical studies of the soil, and from the general 

 practical experiences of proficient farm managers must be secured and made the 

 common knowledge of our farmers if the fai-ms of the United States are to l)e 

 so planned and reorganized as to yield profits commensurate with the rapid 

 appreciation of land values that is bound to follow the increase of population 

 and wealth in the United States." 



Condition of farm labor in California, W. V. Stafford and J. M. Eshle- 

 MAN [Bicn. h'pt. Bin: Labor Statis. (Jul., 12 {1905-6), pp. 72-Sl). — Data secured 

 by direct intiuiry and by correspondence regarding the conditions of farm life 

 and the wages of farm labor in California are reported. 



Attention is caUed to the scarcity of reliable farm help, and the investigations 

 center around the question as to whether or not the home life of farm laborers 

 and the wages paid have any bearing on the problem of the scarcity of labor. 

 The statistics presented relate to the classes of farms, number of white and 

 oriental laborers, the conditions surrounding their home life, and the wages paid 

 both with and without board, house rent, etc. Regarding the question under 

 investigation the following conclusion is drawn : 



" It is believed that this investigation shows conclusively the actual conditions 

 prevailing in ranch work. The constant complaint, heard from every section of 

 the State, of the scarcity of farm laborers, jjlainly indicates the' necessity of 

 some radical change in our i)resent system. The encouragement of jjermauent 



