PART-TIME FARMING 



121 



Record of Families 



Table 14 shows both the actual number of persons in the families in- 

 vestigated, and the number expressed as adult equivalent units.^ Both 

 in the average number of children at home and the number of children 

 dependent on the head, Lowell shows a higher figure. This is due partly 

 to the differences in the distribution of ages of operators and their child- 

 ren, and partly to the fact that in Taunton area the children of Portu- 

 guese operators were found at work at an earlier age than those of other 

 operators. 



T.\Bi.E 14. — Record of families. 

 Lowell Area 



Adult equivalent 



Number Number of persons 



of 



families Total Average Total Average 



Total numter living in house 115 688 



Number dependent on head 115 631 



Children at home 105 440 



Children dependent on head 104 396 



Dependents outside immediate family. . . 9 12 

 Children working outside and other 



independents 37 57 



Taunton Area 



Total number living in house 84 



Number dependent on head 84 



Children at home 75 



Children depe dent on head 68 



Dependents outside immediate family, . . 6 

 Children working outside and other 



independents 41 80 



1.5 



Present Occupation of Operators 



The majority of operators in both Lowell and Taunton areas, as shown 

 in Table 15, were engaged as skilled and unskilled industrial laborers. 

 Of the other types of laborers, Lowell area had a higher percentage of 

 general laborers, and Taunton area led in the number of farm laborers 

 and artisans. 



Occupation of Operators Prior to Entering Part-Time Farming 



Only two operators in Lowell area and five in Taunton area were 



° There are several systems of estimating adult equivalent units. Most of them, 

 however, are built on the basis of food consumption requirements of children of dif- 

 ferent ages. For the purposes of general discussion in this study, all the children 

 under 12 were assigned the weight of one-half of a unit ; all other persons were given 

 the weight of a full unit. 



