ANNUAL REPORT, 1929 329 



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 

 Alexander E. Cance in Charge 



Consumer Demand for Apples. (Lorian P. Jefferson). The study of 

 the consumer demand for apples has been divided into three parts. The 

 first two sections, "The Mcintosh Apple on the New York Market" and 

 "A Study of the Consumer Demand for Apples", have already been pub- 

 lished as Bulletins 243 and 250 respectively. The third section deals with 

 the competition between apples and other fruits, and between different 

 varieties of apples. The data for making these comparisons have been 

 secured from public and private records, and much of the statistical work 

 has already been done. The study will be completed in 1930. 



The Economic Worth of Different Varieties of Apples. (Lorian P. 

 Jefferson). This project, which has been under way for several years, 

 has still two years to run. Data are being secured for a series of seasons, 

 numbers of trees, yields by grades, and prices, looking to a determination 

 as to which varieties are the most profitable for Massachusetts growers. 

 While the statistics already secured have been tabulated, no summary 

 has yet been made nor has any attempt been made to draw conclusions. 



The Nature of Consumer Demand for Poultry Products. (Lorian P. 

 Jefferson). This study is based on data collected from consumers and 

 retailers, and should supply information as to the type of demand in 

 specific markets through the State and thus be of use to both producer 

 and dealer. The gathering of this material has not yet been completed. 



Part-Time Farming. (David Rozman). The field work in connection 

 with the project on part-time farming is now completed, and the material 

 is being prepared for publication. Three different areas were investigated. 



A house to house survey was carried on in the town of Holden with a 

 view to determining the extent and relative importance of part-time farm- 

 ing in a rural community. As a result it was found that of 585 operators 

 engaged in some kind of agricultural activities in the town of Holden, 519 

 were part-time farmers, and only 66 bona fide farmers. Part-time farmers 

 contributed 42.6 per cent or almost one-half of the total value of agri- 

 cultural products raised in Holden. 



A second part of the study was carried on in the Lowell and Taunton 

 areas represented by towns situated in the vicinity of these industrial 

 centers. The main object of this part of the investigation was to deter- 

 mine the economic and social set-up of a representative group of part- 

 time farmers. To this end a number of part-time farmers in both areas 

 were visited with a detailed questionnaire taking records of their occu- 

 pations, date of settling on the land, extent of farming operations, living 

 conditions, and earnings both on the farm and outside of it. A total of 

 115 records was obtained in the Lowell area and 84 in the Taunton area. 



The data obtained in this study portray an important feature of Mass- 

 achusetts agriculture and have a special bearing on the problems of land 

 utilization, food supply, and agricultural competition in the State. 



Prices of Eggs and Poultry Products. (A. H. Lindsey). Until Septem- 

 ber 1 this project was under the leadership of H. W. Yount, who completed 

 the work on the first two parts. Data have been gathered and tabulations 

 and correlations completed for part three. Eggs were purchased in the 



