142 



MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION' BULLETIN" 266 



of persons liTing in them, the operators, by moving into country houses, 

 found more spacious quarters. There was on the average a room for 

 each person in Lowell area, and in Taunton area an average family of -5.-5 

 persons lived in 7 rooms. 



In spite of the fact that the average rent paid for rented houses in 

 part-time farming enterprises was lower than the costs involved in ownin? 

 a house, the operators as a general rule preferred to have their own 

 houses. Most of the rented houses belonged to the manufacturing com- 

 panies and were generally in good condition and given to the employees 

 at a low rental charge. The companies ordinarily provided facilities for 

 the employees to have small vegetable gardens and keep small flocks of 

 poultry. 



Table +3. — A\'i:e_\ge axxual cost of the HorsE. 

 Lowell -Vrea 



Tcta: 



cost o; 



Houses Persons Rooms Interest Upkeep rent 



Light 



Heat 



Grand 

 Total 



S.S-5 



$oO 



$213 

 279 

 277 



Taunton .\re-a 



6.6 $160 $1-3 $.57 S230 



7.1 $loS $96 2>4 15 -57 iib 



7.0 239 15 65 319 



"One oaerator ovv-nei h;_ie ;n 



:r- a :ni-term ^ease. 



School Facilities 



School facilities for children of part-time farmers occupy an inter- 

 mediate position between those available in farming districts and those 

 in the city. Some of the part-time farming enterprises are situated in 

 purely farming regions and are widely scattered over a large area. The 

 majority, however, are situated in thickly settled semi-rural communities. 

 The elementary schools are ordinarily found within walking distance 

 of these homes. For all children of part-time farmers attending gram- 

 mar school, the average distance was 1.4 miles in Lowell area and 1.2 

 miles in Taunton area. Nearly half the children walked to grammar 

 school in the former and three-fourths in the latter area. .\11 these 

 children lived at a distance of less than one mile from the school. Those 

 who lived at a greater distance were carried in a school bus. 



The operators situated in some newly settled districts occasionally com- 

 plained that the school bus did not pass by their places and the children 

 had to walk long distances to the main road. On the whole, however, 

 vihere several families settled in the more remote districts, the town 

 authorities were prompt to extend the bus route, except for a few sections 

 where the bad condition of the roads prevented this extension. 



