584 READINGS IN RURAL ECONOMICS 



highly specialized truck farms, one farm of a poultry fancier, one 

 certified-milk farm, and two farms devoted wholly to grazing. 

 A number of farms were also omitted because the owner derived 

 a very large part of his income frpm buying and selling live- 

 stock, keeping boarders, or some other outside labor. Farms that 

 sold a large amount of lumber were also omitted because this is 

 not an annual crop. Some farms were omitted because they were 

 on the edge of towns where the land values were excessive. Such 

 farms are more in the real-estate business than in farming. The 

 truck farms will be considered later. 



Most of the farms here included are rather general farms. On 

 the majority of these, dairy cows are the chief live-stock interest, 

 but many of them kept only a few cows. Some kept sheep. All 

 kept some hens, and a few kept several hundred. The crop sales 

 are varied. The most common crops sold were hay, potatoes, 

 apples, cabbage, beans, wheat. Many other crops were sold from 

 some farms. Nearly all the farms raise hay and oats to feed. 

 Some raised corn for grain. Those that kept many cows usually 

 had silos. The types of farming are representative of perhaps 

 90 per cent of the New York farms. Some of the farmers sold 

 truck, but highly specialized truck farms are not included, nor 

 are farms that derived much income from greenhouses included. 

 When comparing farms on the acre basis, it would, of course, be 

 misleading to include truck farms and greenhouses with general 

 farms and dairy farms. 



The average farmer with 30 acres or less of land made ;^i2i 

 for his year's wages. The average farmer with over 200 acres 

 made over eight times as much. Of the 74 who farmed 30 

 acres or less, only two made over $500. One of these made a 

 labor income of $534. He sold considerable truck, and probably 

 should not have been included with general farms. The other 

 made a labor income of 1^511. He hired out as a farm hand for 

 nine months, and raised potatoes, eggs, and some milk to sell. 



Of the farms of 50 acres or less, only 4 made labor incomes 

 as high as $1000. One had a 40-acre farm, combined bees with 

 general farming, and made most of his money on honey. His 

 labor income was ^looi. Another had a 40-acre general farm 



