ANNUAL REPORT, 1935 5 



relatively fruitless effort with this method, which accomplished little besides 

 the amassing of mounds of data of a census nature, made it very evident to 

 some that research in the field of economics must vary its program if it was to 

 overcome the limitations that were rapidly becoming recognized. The greatest 

 need was not for more unrelated facts or data, but for the finding of a relation- 

 ship between those already available or within easy reach. This led to an 

 attempt at correlation which required a type of cooperation with subject- 

 matter departments that heretofore had never been considered necessary. 



This incentive for cooperation has been, and can be to a much greater extent, 

 the most significant contribution of the economist to agricultural research. So 

 long as economists operate independently and restrict their services to the con- 

 fines of economics as laid down by departmental boundaries, their efforts will 

 be of very limited significance in serving the agricultural industry. The public 

 is demanding that our researchers project their results beyond what is justified 

 by statistical data only. The specialist in applied science will do this to the 

 degree that he is willing to develop the courage to express an opinion. His 

 opinions will be respected as far as they are found reliable. If the economist 

 can encourage him to venture further into this field and then cooperate with 

 him in making sure that his venture is on a sound basis, he will contribute much 

 of the service that is demanded of him. It is believed that then and then only 

 shall we get sound and constructive service in planning for the economic future 

 in agriculture. Progress in this direction is being made. It is limited only by 

 the extent to which the economist is capable of realizing that this may be his 

 most worth-while service, and the scientist of recognizing that the results from 

 his research may require an economic interpretation that he, independently, 

 may not be qualified to supply. 



Administratively every effort is being made to promote and develop rela- 

 tionships which will encourage this enlargement in our service. It is hoped, 

 now that funds from Bankhead-Jones sources are available, that added flexi- 

 bility may be injected into our program thus making the plan more quickly 

 and more generally operative. 



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AND FARM 



MANAGEMENT 



A. H. Lindsey in Charge 



Farm Tax Delinquency and Farm Real Estate Values. (R. L. Mighell. ) 

 This study was carried on in cooperation with a Civil Works project adminis- 

 tered by the Federal Bureau of Agricultural Economics. The records were 

 gathered in 1934 and the analysis completed during this year. A mimeographed 

 statement, entitled "Tax Delinquency of Rural Real Estate in 37 Massachusetts 

 Towns, 1928-33," released September 19, 1935, by the Bureau of Agricultural 

 Economies, summarizes the results to date. 



As found in this study, rural real estate tax delinquency on the 1932 levies in 

 37 Massachusetts towns involved more than 201,000 acres, an increase of 34 

 percent over the acreage delinquent on the 1928 levies. During the same 

 period the amount of taxes delinquent increased 70 percent. Not only did 

 delinquent acreage increase, but delinquency per acre also increased. At the 

 end of 1932 the period of delinquency for all properties then involved averaged 

 1.5 years. Other information available indicates that much of the delinquency 

 in this State represents merely a slowness of payment. 



