106 SECONDARY RESULTS 



a full test being made (for the difficulty of obtaining a full 

 valuation of the farmers' capital in every case owing to the 

 lack of proper books of account prevents the measure- 

 ment of efficiency according to the method described 

 above), the results have considerable value as an illustra- 

 tion of method and of a line of investigation well worthy 

 of pursuit. 



The total area investigated was 9,390 acres divided into 

 fifty-two farms of various sizes, and the conditions through- 

 out were sufficiently uniform to admit of comparisons being 

 made in fact, the area was selected for this reason. The 

 farms were classified into five groups according to acreage, 

 and particulars were obtained on each holding of the acre- 

 age, percentage of arable land, altitude, rent, number of 

 men employed, and the total sales. To complete the data 

 particulars should have been obtained of the farmers' capital 

 invested, and of the purchases and other expenses, but in 

 the great majority of cases nothing in the shape of book- 

 keeping was attempted on the farms, so that this informa- 

 tion, essential to a complete investigation, could not be got. 

 The figures serve, however, to illustrate a line of inquiry 

 which should have important results if carried out more 

 fully with the aid of systematic book-keeping. 



The results obtained from this partial investigation are, 

 however, not without interest. The figures collected from 

 each farm have been thrown together and averaged accord- 

 ing to the acreage grouping, and the results are given in 

 the following Table. 



TABLE XXXII 



