PART-TIME FARMING 



129 



led to specialization by part-time fanners in the raisinjr of vegetables and 

 strawberries. As these enterprises are based on seasonal labor, there 

 was a larger number of seasonal part-time farmers in Taunton area than 

 in Lowell area. 



Table 2-5. — Value of agricultl-ral output of part-time farjiers. 

 Lowell Area 



Value 



of 

 output 



Per cent 



of total 



value 



Number of 

 ofjerators 

 reporting 



Average 



per 

 operator 



Live-stock products $.36,235 



Crops 17,180 



Total 53,415 



Taunton Area 



Live-stock products 527,644 



Crops 28,16.5 



Total 55,809 



67.S 

 S2.2 

 luO.O 



110 

 115 

 115 



$.329 

 149 

 464 



Live Stock in Part-Time Farming 



With very few exceptions, part-time farmers in Lowell and Taunton 

 areas, in addition to raising vegetables or other crops, kept some live 

 stock or poultry. As shown in Table 26, about one-third of all enter- 

 prises had cows, but most of them had only one cow. By having one cow, 

 the operators with large families obtained enough milk for their own 

 needs. The keeping of two cows, or even one cow for a small family, 

 ordinarily involved the sale of surplus milk. Since a small surplus of 

 milk had to be disposed of largely to the neighbors, the operators in 

 well-supplied neighborhoods often found it more profitable to buy milk 

 than to keep a cow; but those who kept three or more cows found good 

 facilities for disposing of their surplus milk by selling it to different 

 marketing agencies. 



The keeping of poultry was found to be the favorite and most con- 

 venient form of part-time farming. The majority, however, had less than 



25 birds each. 



Swine were largely kept by operators who had some waste products on 

 their farms or who had easy access to garbage sources in the city. Feeding 

 swine with purchased feed was found to be generally unprofitable. Table 



26 shows that fewer operators kept swine than kept cows. The average 

 number of swine per enterprise was 2.-5 in Lowell area and 2.2 in Taunton 

 area. 



Horses were kept only in the larger part-time farming enterprises. About 

 one-fifth of the enterprises had horses, but there was none with more 

 than one horse. Operators who kept no horses ordinarily hired them from 

 their neighbors for plowing or other work where a horse was needed. 



In addition, several operators kept rabbits, goats, and different kinds 

 of poultry. 



