JUDGING A FARM 281 



type of farming to be pursued and the desirability of the 

 farm as a place to live must be considered. 



Directions. Go to a near-by farm and make a thorough 

 examination of the place. Keep in mind the purpose for 

 which the farm is being used, whether grain farming, dairy- 

 ing, fruit farming, general farming, etc. Make a journey 

 over the fields, noting their shape, topography, character of 

 the soil, drainage, and condition of the fences. After thor- 

 oughly examining the fields, return to the farmstead and ob- 

 serve the improvements, house, barn, orchards, water supply, 

 etc. 



After the farm has been thoroughly examined fill in the 

 score of the different points on the accompanying score card. 

 In scoring designate the condition of each point by marking 

 with E., V.G., G., F., P., V.P., standing for excellent, very 

 good, good, fair, poor, or very poor. The figures in the 

 standard score give the relative importance of the different 

 points that appear on the score card for a farm used for gen- 

 eral farming. The distribution of points would be differ- 

 ent in specialized farming. For instance, for truck farms 

 all points that have to do with ease of tillage would be given 

 a higher rating, while fertility would be of less importance. 



Size 2 Per Cent. The farm should not be too small. 

 There are many farm operations that require two or more 

 men for economical work, and a small farm requires as much 

 machinery as a larger one. The fields should be long enough 

 to be easily tilled, which is impossible on too small a farm. 

 On the other hand, the farm should not be larger than it is 

 possible to handle with the equipment and labor available. 



Fields 6 Per Cent. The fields should be of good shape. 



