PART-TIME FARMING 



135 



Table 37.- 



AVERAGE IKCOME AND RETURN PER HOUR OF LABO« SPENT IN PABT- 

 TIME FARMriNG. 



Lowell aroa 



Taunton area 



Average farm income SH09 $454 



Average number of hours spent 1,340 1,605 



Return per hour $0.23 $0.28 



berries, which under favorable weather and marketing conditions brought 

 good returns. There were indications, however, that increased competi- 

 tion from other areas was bringing down prices on special types of 

 vegetables, and many operators were inclined to curtail their vegetable pro- 

 duction. By marketing their products in larger quantities the seasonal part- 

 time farmers were able to send them to central markets and obtain higher 

 prices. The average return per hour of labor in Taunton area was 31 

 cents for seasonal part-time farming as compared with 26 cents for regu- 

 lar part-time farming enterprises. (Table 38.) 



Table 38. — Comparison of regular and seasonal part-time farming enter- 

 prises IN TAUNTON AREA. 



Regular 



Number of enterprises 60 



Size of landholdings acres 5.03 



Crop land, exclusive of hay. ..ncres .82 



Improved land aires 1.82 



Agricultural output: 



Crops S1.58 



Live-stock products S201 



Total farm output S424 



Total farm e.xpenses S143 



F"arm income S281 



Hours of labor 1,102 



Return per hour SO. 26 



Operator's non-farm labor income $1,206 



Income from other sources $279 



Value of land and buildings $3,348 



\'alue of house $2,464 



Housing costs $329 



Seasonal 



24 



18.99 



4.15 



8.22 



$778 



$495' 



$1,334 



$447 



$887 



2,862 

 $0.31 



$765 

 $334 



$4,2.50 



82,560 



8319 



Most operators were inclined to jnit a certain premium on the work 

 ]5erformcd in their own enterprises, and when the remuneration in out- 

 side employment was not much in excess of m hat they could earn by 

 working on the land, they preferred to do the latter. They claimed that 

 by working at home they enjoyed a certain independence in planning their 

 own work and freedom from outside compulsion and supervision. This 

 IS one of the reasons why the return from agricultural activities of part- 

 time farmers will probably always be somewhat lower than wages paid 



