388 AGRICULTURAL APPROPRL\TION BILL, l^rli. 



It also shows the ages of the people on the farm, the extent to which 

 the work is done by women and children, and the extent to which 

 the work is hired. 



Mr. AxDEUsoN. That is all very interesting, but what I uni trying 

 to get at is: What do you do with this information when you get it, 

 and of what practical value is it? 



Doctor Taylor. When we are studying the question of farm pro- 

 duction through a series of years and want to get at the trend of 

 what is taking place, and if the trend is in the direction of depleting 

 the human basis of agricultural production and we want to know 

 what steps to take to maintain the human basis of production, then 

 this analysis is helpful. 



Mr. Anderson. Well, to discover trends you have to have some 

 information over a series of years ? 



Doctor Taylor. Yes; but in the meantime it is important to know 

 more than we do about the people who live on farms. 



Mr. Anderson. Do you expect to continue this over a series of 

 census periods ? 



Doctor Taylor. The expectation is that when this is tabulated 

 and put in shape so as to show the significance of it — and it has not 

 3'et arrived fully at that stage — the probabilities are that there will 

 be enough people who want this information that the Bureau of the 

 Census may be asked in the future to include this analysis in their 

 regular work, and if that can be brought to pass 



Mr. Buchanan (interposing). Then, is it the purpose to do this 

 work through a series of years and have the Bureau of the Census 

 make it more complete ? 



Doctor Taylor. No; that is not the idea. This work is being 

 done now in cooperation with the Bureau of the Census in order to 

 ascertain whether or not this will answer the questions that many 

 people arc interested in having answered, and if it does it will get 

 infornuUion that will be wanted. It is considered very much more 

 economical to experiment in eight counties at relatively small cost 

 and have the experimentation carried forward bv people who under- 

 stand what thev are trying to ^et than to start m at once and make 

 the whole tabulation without the preliminary experiments. 



Mr. BUCHAN.A.N. How much of this appropriation is spent on the 

 census proposition ? 



Doctor Taylor. This whole question of farm population ? 



Mr. Buchanan. Not the cost of production, but on farm popula- 

 tion i 



STANDARDS OF UVINO .\ND THE ELEMENTS OF COST IN THE FARM FAMILY. 



Doctor Taylor. $2.5,000 is beinfj expended on the whole question 

 of farm population and country life, nut only a small amount will 

 be r('(|uir('(l to complete this census study of farm population. 



Another line of work which is beiiig carried on under this same 

 heading of farm population and country life is the stanchml of living 

 and the clcnicnts of cost in tiic farm family. 



Such a study is just being completed in Livingston County, N. Y., 

 which shows tlie elements of flic farmei's' standard of living, the cost 

 of food, clothing, rent, and various pei-sonal expenses, and general 

 expenses f(tr education, advancement, etc., and the part of this which 



