predominantly poultry raising, but that there is more specialization in 

 poultry on these farms than on the farms in the decreasing towns. 



Next, the number of cows and heifers milked in each sample of towns 

 was compared as an index to the relative importance of dairying in the 

 two sets of towns for the years 1920, 1930, 1935, 1940, and 1945. The 

 data are summarized in Table 15. 



The average number of animals milked decreases regularly for both sets 

 of towns, but the relative decrease is greater for the farms in the sample 

 of decreasing towns and the difference in number of animals milked be- 

 comes less. 



These data show that the tendency is toward more specialization in poultry 

 in the increasing towns and in dairying in those towns that are decreasing. 

 This specialization is undoubtedly linked to changing farm size and avail- 

 ability of land to farm. 



The quality of the animals in one sample was compared w^ith those in 

 the other to see if out-migration had helped raise the quality of the farm 

 enterprise and to check on the use of numbers as an index of specializa- 

 tion. To accomplish this, the average number of gallons of milk produced 

 per cow and heifer milked was computed and the difference taken as an 

 index of quality. Admittedly it is crude, since variation in herd types 

 might make a difference, but there was no reason to believe that any one 

 type of cow was concentrated in any particular area of the state. Table 15 

 summarizes the data. 



The data presented here question to a degree the answers suggested 

 by the data in the preceding table: that of a tendency toward dairy special- 

 ization in the decreasing towns. While the decreasing towns certainly have 

 more cows, the production of those cows since 1920 has not been as high 

 as those on farms in the increasing towns. Production per cow has im- 

 proved, but not as rapidly as in the increasing towns. 



The least that may be said is that it does not contradict the conclusions 

 stated earlier that one method of economic adjustment in the decreasing 

 towns has been to increase the size of the farm enterprise. It may be that 

 the costs involved by such increase preclude the possibility of concurrent 

 herd improvement, the quality of the resources available in the decreasing 

 towns is not as good, or the price received for agricultural products in 

 these towns forbids intensive use of agricultural resources. 



Migration and Economic Adjustment 



As was noted in the criteria for sample selection, most of the decreasing 

 towns are located in the northern part of the State, while most of those 

 increasing are located in the southern counties. The difference in distance 

 from markets to the two sets of towns would influence the degree of in- 

 tensity with which agricultural resources could be utilized. Those nearer 

 the market would have to make more intensive use of resources than those 

 at a distance because the greater price received for agricultural products 

 in the areas nearer market tends to be capitalized in the land. This means 

 that units at a distance would have to increase size of holdings and farm 

 extensively rather than intensively. If this happened, then the value of 

 farm property at the two distances should become more alike. This in- 

 crease in size of unit becomes possible, if a number of producers leave 

 the distant area permitting those remaining to expand. 



At the same time, if others are moving into the area nearer market 

 while production remains at about the same level, the number of acres 



22 



