SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR CITY PERSONS 133 



amount of capital is usually a one-man farm. The graduate of a 

 college who would act as superintendent of this farm should be 

 able to do all the work himself, if not interfered with too much by 

 the owner. There would usually be nothing left for the owner to 

 do and no other hired help to board. 



A farmer running such a farm would ordinarily make a labor 

 income of about $350. A person who is not so vitally interested 

 would not be likely to run the farm so well. It takes more ability 

 to run such a place and make any profit than it does to run a 

 larger enterprise successfully. A graduate of a college of agricul- 

 ture who has the experience and the ability that are necessary to 

 make a profit on such a farm is a man who can earn ;^8oo to 

 $1200 a year in any one of several different kinds of work. In 

 short, this represents too small a business to make it pay to hire a 

 graduate. 



A few farmers who use this amount of capital are doing well, 

 but they are the exception. A considerable number who know 

 how to farm are doing well when the owned capital is not more 

 than $5000 and when nearly as much more is borrowed. It is 

 not safe for any but experienced farmers to be so heavily in debt. 

 Another way of obtaining more capital is to be a renter. Many 

 renters with less than $5000 of their own are doing well. 



Judging by the profits that farmers make, 5 per cent of the 

 capital would be very high pay for a manager. It will be seen 

 at once that no small business would justify one in employing a 

 graduate of an agricultural college as a manager. Usually it requires 

 a wise investment of $20,000 to $40,000 in order to justify one 

 in employing a really good graduate of a college of agriculture 

 who has had good farm experience and good business experience. 



A general or dairy farm with this amount of capital will usually 

 employ three to six men. A good manager of such a farm does 

 not conduct his business from an office ; he should be at work 

 with the men and should do as much farm work as any other man 

 on the place. No industry can afford a non-working foreman for 

 so few workers. 



In 16 townships in 3 counties, the 23 most profitable farms 

 selling market milk at wholesale had an average capital of 



