INTERNATIONAL CONSOLIDATION 199 



3.3 cents per day less than an average daily per capita share 

 of the American farmer and members of his family in the 

 total product, to say nothing of their daily net profit. 



It must be remembered that this $582 or 26 cents per day 

 per capita is not the profit made from the average farm or 

 day's labor, but constitutes the value of the entire annual pro- 

 duction of the farm, just the portion of the product fed to 

 live stock and expenditure for hired labor and fertilizers hav- 

 ing been deducted therefrom. It includes that portion con- 

 sumed on the farm, as well as that portion sold. Out of this 

 amount the farmer must pay his taxes, insurance, interest, 

 the cost of seed, wear and tear of farm implements and re- 

 pairing of fences and buildings. All these items must be paid 

 out of the $582, before the farmer can have anything for him- 

 self and his family. The question then is, how much will the 

 average farmer and his family have for their own support 

 after paying all these items? As the profits in the most lucra- 

 tive industries do not exceed 50 per cent, of joint product, 

 then, assigning to the farmers of the United States even such 

 an immense proportion of the total product, we discover that 

 the average farming family of the country receives, at the 

 present, for their own support, an average income (net profit) 

 of $328 per year. Deducting 0.77 of agricultural laborer per 

 farm from 6.9 persons to each farm, we discover that the 

 average net income of farming family in the United States, 

 amounting, according to the most liberal estimate possible, 

 to $328 per year, must be divided among 6.13 persons to each 

 farm, what gives for the members of farming families of the 

 country an average net annual income of $53.50, i. e., $29.50 

 less than the same income of agricultural laborer or an aver- 

 age per capita net income of 14.6 cents per day, i. e., 8 cents 

 less than an average net daily income of agricultural laborer 

 of the country. With this miserable income, lower than the 

 income of the lowest industrial strata of the land, the farm- 

 ing family of this free country must secure food and clothing, 

 educate the children and pay incident expenses. 



In report of the Industrial Commission on prison labor 



emission's Reports, Vol. VTII), we find data relating to 



tin- employment of prisoners during 1898 and 1899. Tn Ari- 



