1524 RURAI, ECONOMICS 



The relation of the leceipts per cow to the labour income is of the first 

 importance in a district devoted to dairj- farming and this is set ont in Ta- 

 ble XII. No farmer in this district went to too great an expense to obtain 

 a high yield of milk per cow. 



In a similar way the labour income has been studied in relation to the 

 combined effect of crop index and receipts per cow, the eihciency of farm 

 labour and the " diversity index " of the farm. The last term requires 

 some explanation ; it might also be called the " specialisation index ". 

 To find this index : Take the sum of the costs for each branch, divide the 

 cost of each branch by this sum, square each quotient, and divide unity 

 by the sum of these squares. The relation of diversity index to labour 

 income is given in Table XIII. 



Table XIV shows in detail the nature and relative amount of expendi- 

 ture for various purposes on farms of different sizes, on special farms, on 

 cash-rent farms and on farms run on a share basis. 



The writers have calculated also : the feeding cost per animal unit — 

 the area under cereals, hay and pasture per animal unit — the amount 

 of silage made and fed per head of cattle, divided according to the amount 

 of stock on each farm — the rate of depreciation of dairy cows and farm 

 horses — the value of farmyard manure per animal unit. These are the chief 

 points in the complete analytical study which includes fifty tables of 

 numerical data. 



1 115 - Study of a Small Holding at Kirberg, District oi Wiesbaden, Germany.— bender, 



Emile, in Illustrierte Landwirtschaftlichc Zcilung, 35th. j^ear, Nos. 99 and lop Berlin, 

 December 11 and 15, 1915. 



Introduction. — Taking as basis the classification of agricultural 

 holdings adopted by the Imperial Bureau of Statistics (i), small and medium 

 holdings occupy 81 per cent of agricultural land in the district of Wies- 

 baden. In all Prussia the Wiesbaden figure is only surpassed by the district 

 of Lunebourg, with 86 per cent of its area in small and medium holdings. 

 But if we compare the number of holdings improved by the owners, whose 

 chief occupation is agriculture, the district of Wiesbaden takes the lead with 

 182 holdings per 2471 acres (1000 ha.), with the exception of the district of 

 Coblence. Nassau, district of Wiesbaden, is clearly' a typical countrj' of 

 small and medium proprietors as well as of small and medium holdings. 



Situation, Climate, Extent and Distribution. — The holding studied hes 

 in the old market town of Kirgberg, near Limbuig, 7.5 miles from the coun- 

 ty town and 47 miles from the railway station at Niederbrechen. The 

 climate is temperate ; altitude varies from 574 to 984 feet. The countn.^ 

 is slightly undulating and includes about 1000 acres of public woodland 

 and 2 220 acres of arable fields and meadows (meadows : 10 per cent), of 

 which about 370 acres are estate (Domanen) and 216 acres are in trust (Fi- 

 dei-Kommis, or land let out in plots of 6.2 to 9.3 acres). The areas of the 



(i) Small holdings: less than 5 acres. Medium holduigs 5 to 250 acres. I<arge hold- 

 ings : over 250 acres. 



