PROFITS IN AGRICULTURE 877 



as business men or as independent producers, as most of them were 

 in their native land. This ambition to rise from the ranks of the 

 wage-earners has been one of the characteristics most strongly exhib- 

 ited by the Japanese and must be emphasized in explaining their. 

 progress either in business or in independent farming. Moreover, 

 by leasing land the farm laborer secures a settled residence, more 

 regular employment, and, if he has a family, an opportunity to 

 reunite it in this country. 



Furthermore, the Japanese are venturesome. They are not 

 deterred by risk to the same extent that members of other races are, 

 and are greatly attracted by the unusual profits realized by a few of 

 their countrymen. In some instances it has been found that not only 

 are they highly speculative in their economic activities, but that they 

 are inclined to reckon expenses and losses at too low a figure. All of 

 these things have combined to cause the farm laborer to desire to 

 become a farmer on his own account, and pride and a limited field of 

 employment have frequently kept him from returning to the wage- 

 earning class when the profits realized from farming have been small. 



Another fact of importance in this connection is that many of the 

 Japanese farmers have required little or no capital to begin with. 

 As already indicated, many, in fact most of them to begin with, have 

 leased land for a share of the crop, the landlord supplying all or 

 practically all of the equipment. This is especially true in all localities 

 where much seasonal labor is required and the Japanese are the pre- 

 dominant element in the labor supply. In these localities not only 

 have the farmers provided most of the necessary equipment, but have 

 also frequently provided the money necessary to pay current expenses, 

 so that the tenant required no capital at all. Moreover, in the pro- 

 duction of sugar beets the beet sugar companies have ordinarily 

 advanced a part of the necessary capital. 



One characteristic of Japanese farming is that with their short- 

 time interests the farmers frequently specialize greatly in the produc- 

 tion of the crop which has proved to be more than usually profitable. 

 As a result of the rapid increase of these farmers in certain localities 

 and this specialization, overproduction has resulted and profitable 

 prices could not be maintained. This is especially true of the straw- 

 berry industry, which has been expanded rapidly by the Japanese 

 because of handsome profits realized a few years ago, until the prices 

 have become very unremunerative. A similar instance of overpro- 

 duction is found in asparagus-growing on the Sacramento River, 



