ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT 



STATION— 1945-46 



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 

 AND FARM MANAGEMENT 



A. H. Lindsey in Charge 



Development of Statistical Data as Controls to Livestock Production Pro- 

 gram. (A. A. Brown, Elaine M. Roberson, and Judith E. Rosentiial.) The 

 field work phase of this project is completed and 941 farms in the "6% sample" 

 have been classified by major source of income. These farms fell into the follow- 

 ing classifications: 



Dairy 239 Ducks, Turkeys, Broilers 13 



Poultry - 104 Miscellaneous 10 



Poultry with other Livestock—. 30 Rural Residence with Livestock 198 



Tobacco, potatoes, or crops 42 Rural Residence without Live- 

 Vegetables 47 stock — 235 



Fruit - 13 Estates ..-.. ■ 10 



In statistical tests applied to the "6% Sample", the New England Crop Re- 

 porting Service Sample, and the "10% sample" of cow numbers, the differences 

 between means fell below the 1 percent level of significance, indicating that the 

 samples were drawn from the same population. The same results were obtained 

 in the comparison of chicken numbers of the New England Crop Reporting 

 Service sample and the "6% sample." The success of these tests indicates that 

 the "6% sample" may be used to estimate livestock numbers with a satisfactory 

 degree of dependability. 



The Effect of Public Regulation of Milk Marketing Upon the Organization of 

 the Milksheds of Massachusetts Markets. (A. A. Brown, Elaine M. Roberson, 

 and Judith E. R6senthal.) The objective under this project has been to develop 

 a satisfactory series of market data for the five principal secondary milk markets 

 for the State. Comparable and reliable price series concerning the decade since 

 the beginning of public control are now available for these markets. Milkshed 

 maps have been prepared for each market. Bulletins have been published cover- 

 ing Springfield and Worcester. 



A Study of Farm Real Estate Taxation, Methods of Taxation Reform, and the 

 Effect of Such Measures on Farm Income. (A. A. Brown, Judith E. Rosenthal, 

 and Elaine M. Roberson.) Statistical analysis of the tax and valuation data 

 of the "10% sample" of dairy farms in Massachusetts has been completed. The 

 results obtained from the compilation and analysis of data indicate excessive 

 variation in assessment, which is fully as great among farms within a town as it 

 is among the various taxing units. An analysis of the number of farms with 

 more than one parcel of land, and the average number of parcels per farm show 

 just how confused the assessment picture must be. For the entire sample, 61 

 percent of all the farms have more than one deed, while the average (number of 

 farms) for the counties ranges from 39 to 94 percent. The average number of 

 parcels per farm is 3.04. Statistically speaking, then, each farm is legally com- 

 posed of three distinct units, requiring separate valuation, although from the 

 appraisal point of view, good procedure might dictate either an over-all estimate 



