ORGANIZATION OF THE AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISE 349 



The above discussion applies to general farming and dairy farm- 

 ing, but, whatever the type of farming, the farm should be large 

 enough to allow for the use of the well-established labor-saving prac- 

 tices, and large enough to provide a variety of products that make a 

 full year's work. For truck growing, 80 acres may be as large as 300 

 acres in general farming. An acre partly covered with greenhouses 

 may be an equally large business. 



There is much discussion of this subject by persons who have had 

 no farm experience or whose farm experience was gained before 

 manure-spreaders, potato-diggers, and hay-loaders were invented. 

 These persons usually advise little farms rather than 150- to 2oo-acre 

 farms. The advice is also constantly given that farmers turn to 

 truck growing. The supply of truck crops is easily overdone. It is 

 usually unwise to grow truck crops unless both the soil and the 

 markets are particularly adapted to such crops. The vast majority 

 of our farmers must continue to produce wheat, milk, hay, oats, 

 potatoes, and the general farm crops. Such advice is usually given 

 under the impression that small farms and truck crops will reduce the 

 cost of living in cities. Under American conditions, the full-sized 

 farms produce farm products at least cost, so that the little farm is 

 not desirable from any standpoint. Farmers are quick to respond 

 whenever any type of farming promises greater profits. They change 

 to truck growing whenever conditions warrant the change. 



A farm of i to 20 acres makes an excellent home if one has some 

 other source of income, but a general farm of this area is very poor 

 business. A farm is a place to work. The man who buys a farm buys 

 a permanent job. If the farm is not large enough to provide a fair 

 amount of productive work, it must of necessity be a very poor 

 business. 



E. Some Problems of the Farm Manager 



in. THE FARM LAYOUT 1 

 BY W. M. HAYS 2 



Spend some time in devising a suitable plan for the arrangement 

 of buildings, fields, fences, etc., on the farm, and estimate the necessary 

 cost of installing it in order to save useless expense in travel to and 



1 Adapted from Bulletin 236, Bureau of Plant Industry, United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, pp. 10-13, 34- 



2 Andrew Boss, A. D. Wilson, and Thomas P. Cooper, co-authors. 



