SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 



1. In the postwar period adjustments in Massachusetts agriculture will be 

 needed both to correct pre\ious maladjustments and to meet new developments 

 and situations. 



2. The analysis of commercial farming units in Massachusetts indicates that 

 more than half of them fail to meet the desirable requirements of income for farm 

 families. 



3. The greatest need is for the reconstruction of substandard farming units 

 into efficient, economic family farms capable of providing an adequate level of 

 living under modern conditions. 



4. The best opportunity for reconstruction of farms is found in the rebuilding 

 of land resources which are at the basis of farm operations. 



5. Large areas of undeveloped farm land ot suitable quality are available 

 both on farms and in adjacent rural areas. 



6. Recent experience with modern power machinery, especialK' bulldozers, 

 power shovels, and bog harrows, indicates that there is a good possibility for 

 land clearing and development through remcnal of stones and stone walls, clear- 

 ing of trees and brush, and drainage of fields. Reduction in costs will be possible 

 bv cooperative efforts, particularly through recently established soil conservation 

 districts. 



7. The classification of soil and field investigations carried out in a number of 

 towns indicate that improvement of undeveloped areas, where justified by costs 

 and resulting.benefits, maj- ser\"e to enlarge and improve land resources on existing 

 farms, naake possible the replacement of poor land now in use, and provide for 

 new farming units. 



8. In the towns of Southwick and Uxbridge where an intensive investigation 

 has been carried on, there is a possibility of adding about 10 percent to the num- 

 ber of existing commercial farming units. Some of them can be utilized for the 

 replacement of farms located in isolated areas. 



9. The irregular distribution of the available land and the complicated pattern 

 of land ownership present some difificulties in adding new tracts from undeveloped 

 areas to existing farm units. 



10. The conditions found in the town of Hubbardston indicate the necessity of 

 careful planning in land acquisition for public purposes, to preserve a proper 

 balance in the agricultural position of rural towns. 



11. Management of farm woodlands, which represent about 37 percent of the 

 total area of Massachusetts farms, will have to be integrated with other farming 

 operations to secure higher returns to the producers. 



12. The improvement in the condition and productivity of pasture and hay 

 lands, the most important assets in Massachusetts agriculture, wdl reduce costs 

 and improve the position of many Massachusetts farms. 



13. In all important enterprises in Massachusetts agriculture, as represented 

 by dairy, poultry, fruit, and vegetable farming, the prospects in the postwar 

 period warrant the expectation of a high level of demand and consumption. 



14. The position of Massachusetts agriculture in the postwar period will be 

 determined by the success in reduction of costs through the adoption of the most 

 efficient methods, whether they are in the use of land resources, the employment 

 of labor, the use of machinery, or the marketing efforts. 



