6o4 



READINGS IN RURAL ECONOMICS 



pay, but it is not necessary to raise "two spears of grass where 

 one grew before." Those who raise one and a fifth are doing 

 very well. In fact, it is not probable that it would often pay to 

 raise twice as much as the neighbors raise on the same soil. 

 Farmers keep a fairly close adjustment of crop yields to prices, 

 but, being conservative, they do not always change quite as 

 promptly as conditions would justify them in doing. They are 

 not so foolish as to be lOO per cent out of adjustment to condi- 

 tions, as is assumed when they are advised to double their crop 

 yields. Of course, individual instances can be cited in which 

 such a change has paid, but instances prove nothing. 



In Jefferson County, there was not quite so striking a relation- 

 ship between crop yields and labor incomes. The reason for 



TABLE 17. RELATION OF CROP YIELDS TO LABOR INCOME. 

 670 FARMS, JEFFERSON COUNTY, NEW YORK 



Yields compared with Average of Region 

 (Per cent) 



Average Yield 

 compared 



With Average 

 OF Region 

 (Per cent) 



Number 

 OF Farms 



Labor 

 Income 



75 or less 

 76-85 . . 



8^5 

 96-105 . 

 106-115 . 

 116-125 . 

 Over 125 



65 

 81 



lOI 



III 



120 



143 



94 



85 



95 



103 



87 



67 



139 



526 

 618 

 650 

 662 

 693 

 755 



this is that the region depends on crops to a less extent. Prob- 

 ably the difference is also in part due to the kind of crops. 

 Much more of the area is in hay. A small yield of hay may be 

 harvested so cheaply that it may pay when an equally poor yield 

 of a crop that required more labor would result in a loss. But, 

 even in Jefferson County, the crop yields are next in importance 

 to area, receipts per cow, and diversity. 



Relation of crop yields to other factors. As has already been 

 shown (p. 593), the crop yields are practically the same on 

 large and on small farms. The farmers with the best crops 



