244 



Diversity. 



If a farmer raises nothing but crops, he usually wastes considerable 

 material that could be used to a profit to feed animals. He is also likely 

 to find it more difficult to keep men and horses busy all the year. 



If he raises animals only, he spends all his time on the farm enter- 

 prise that is less likely to pay good wages. He does not get so much for 

 his manure because a heavy application on one acre does not usually bring 

 as good returns per ton as if spread on two acres. Nor is he so likely to 

 keep horses and men fully employed. To care for a dozen cows is about 

 half work for a man. A man will do this and raise the cows' feed and cash 

 crops to sell besides. Table 13 shows such a comparison. The farmers who 

 combine cash crops and stock make more than those who go to either 

 extreme. 



Table 13. — Diversified Farming Related to Profits on Farms Selling Whole- 

 sale Market Milk, Livingston County, New York, 



Per cent of re- Number of Average Labor 



ceipts from crops. farms. area. income. 



15 or less 14 209 $769 



16-30 28 218 1,210 



31-50 25 264 1,284 



Over 50 10 174 1,225 



COMPAEATIVE IMPORTANCE OF SiZE, CrOP YiELDS AND PRODUCTION 



Per Cow. 

 Table 14 shows that crop yields are less important than size of farm 

 or production per cow. The combination of good cows and a large farm 

 gives a better chance than good crops and good cows. The same point is 

 shown by comparing Tables 11 and 12. 



Table 14. — Jefferson County. Percent 



malting over 

 $1000 

 Labor income, labor income. 



All farms, 670 $609 22 



97 farms, best crops (132 per cent) 684 24 



97 farms, best cows ($84+) 968 41 



97 farms, largest (224A+) 898 43 



23 best crops and cows 994 39 



11 best cows aild size 1,294 73 



best crops, cows and size 



Balanced Farms. 



As has been previously stated, there seems to be little relation between 

 any of these factors. If a farmer is good in one respect, it does not tell 

 anything about the other points. 



Evidently a farmer who is as good as the average in every particular 

 is a very far from an average man. He is a very unusual man. In Jeff ea-- 

 son County, out of 670 farmers only 32 were as good as the average in each 



