CHAPTER VII 

 THE SIZE OF FARMS. THE ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES 



WHICH DETERMINE THE SIZE OF FARMS J THE SIZE OF 

 FARMS IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES. 



Section I. The economic principles which de- 

 termine the size of farms. The amount of land 

 which a farmer should attempt to operate, in 

 order that he may win the largest total net profit, 

 depends upon many varying conditions : the kinds 

 of crops which he grows ; the intensity of culture ; 

 the character of the horses, the tools, and the 

 machines which he uses ; the number and charac- 

 ter of the laborers which he employs; and the 

 efficiency of the farmer himself, are all impor- 

 tant factors in determining the size of the farm 

 which is most economical. 



Where tobacco or sugar beets are cultivated, 

 one man cannot operate so large a farm as where 

 maize is the principal crop. In the tobacco dis- 

 tricts of Dane County, Wisconsin, farms have de- 

 creased in size in recent years ; while in the dairy 

 districts they are larger now than fifteen years ago. 

 In New England, where mixed or grain farming 

 has been unprofitable for the last twenty-five years, 

 some regions have, in recent years, been devoted 



117 



