FACTORS OF SUCCESS IN FARMING 



591 



Another comparison is shown in Table 10. On the large farms, 

 twice as many acres of crops are raised per horse as on the small 

 farms. The average cost of keeping a horse on New York farms, 

 as shown by cost accounts, is about $150 a year. This includes 

 feed, labor, depreciation, and all other costs. From this the 

 importance of the efficient use of horses is apparent. 



Relation of size of f ami to efficiency in the use of machinery. 

 The small farms are very inadequately equipped with machinery, 

 as is shown in Table 1 1 . Even the farms of over 200 acres have 

 an investment in machinery of only ^833. This represents 

 machinery of all ages. Probably the cost when new would be over 

 twice as much, but even this sum will not provide all the well- 

 established machines, such as a grain-binder, manure-spreader, 

 and hay-loader for each farm. But, while the small farms are not 

 well equipped, their cost of machinery per acre of crops is almost 

 double that on the larger farms. 



TABLE 11. RELATION OF SIZE OF FARM TO EFFICIENCY IN THE 



USE OF MACHINERY. 1248 FARMS, -LIVINGSTON AND JEFFERSON 



COUNTIES, NEW YORK 



Acres 



Acres 

 OF Crops 



Value of 

 Machinery 



Value of 



Machinery 



PER Acre 



OF Crops 



30 or less 



31-50 

 51-100 . 

 101-150 . 

 151-200 . 

 Over 200 



14.2 

 28.4 

 46.8 



73-5 



98.7 



152.S 



M41 



207 

 426 

 497 

 613 

 833 



^93 

 7.29 

 9.10 

 6.76 

 6.21 

 5-45 



Relation of size of farm to efficiency in the use of capital. 

 The small farm has relatively much more of its capital invested 

 in unproductive ways than does the large farm. No matter how 

 small the farm may be, the owner desires a respectable house. 

 Table 12 shows that the smallest farms have 43 per cent of their 

 capital in houses ; the largest farms have somewhat better houses, 

 but have only 9 per cent of their capital thus invested. 



