Conclusions 



THE ANALYSIS of data on frequency of picking cucumbers was di- 

 rected toward the particular production problems on the typical small 

 farm where the family might be interested in growing this intensive crop. 

 The main characteristic of the production process on such farms is that 

 many of the resources employed are already available on the farm, often 

 have no alternative productive use, and do not represent definite out-of- 

 pocket costs. The problem facing the operator is largely one of combining 

 these available resources with limited amounts of other resources to max- 

 imize his returns. On the other hand, since many of these farms more nearly 

 represent a family household situation than a commercial business enter- 

 prise, personal aspects may condition the desire or necessity for maximizing 

 of net income. 



The analysis, to be useful, must indicate a procedure for arranging 

 the data for decision making by the family. The "theory of the firm" as 

 a procedure of analysis of combinations of fixed and variable resource in- 

 puts fits the situation described above very well. 



In the short-run discussion of this problem the acreage of cucumbers 

 grown and ready for harvest was considered as a fixed resource since the 

 operator has already incurred the expenses of bringing it to the picking 

 stage. Only inputs of labor in picking are considered as variable and as 

 subject matter for decision making. No fixed costs, whether small or large, 

 influence the decisions as to picking practices, when once the cucumbers 

 have reached the harvest period. 



The average physical productivity curve for labor in picking decreases 

 moderately. This is because the data available are so far out on the hori- 

 zontal axis that the average output is not sensitive to changes resulting from 

 applications of more units of labor in harvest. The marginal productivity 

 curve, on the other hand, indicates dramatically that each successive addi- 

 tional labor input applied results in substantial diminishing returns. 



A somewhat longer period, that of the entire season of growing and 

 harvesting, was also employed to explore the influence of variable inputs 

 of picking on total costs. The cost curves constructed were based on the 

 physical input-output data, but the cost rates for both the fixed and vari- 

 able resources were assumed. The resulting curves, of course, should not 

 be interpreted as exact costs, but rather as indications of the general effect 

 of variable labor inputs on costs. Actual costs cannot be determined be- 

 cause the cost per unit of inputs, such as family labor, can only be im- 

 puted or estimated. 



Since the family, in the usual case, has available labor, an important 

 decision is the acreage of cucumbers that will utilize this available labor 

 to the best advantage. In the analysis of this full-season problem, the 

 family labor available for picking was considered as the fixed resource and 

 the number of acres of cucumbers grown to the harvest stage was treated 

 as a variable input. The cost of producing an acre of cucumbers to the 

 harvest season was assumed. The curves in the chart indicate the general 

 effect of combining a fixed labor force with varying inputs of cucumber 

 acreages on total net income for the family. 



The results shown in this analysis depend upon the grade prices in 

 existence at the time of the study. Present grade prices may be quite 

 different from the ones used. 



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