PROFITS IN AGRICULTURE 



881 



The common wages for a hired man in this region at the present 

 time are $300 to $350, with house rent, garden, wood, and milk. 

 Some of the better men receive more. Roughly speaking, we may 

 say that one- third of the owners made less than hired men, one- third 

 made about the same as hired men, and one-third made more than 

 hired men (Table II). About one- third of the tenants made less than 

 hired men, one-third did about as well as hired men, and one-third 

 made more than hired men. It will be seen that 57 owners and 6 

 tenants made a labor income of over $1,000, and that 25 owners and 

 3 tenants made over $1,500. The highest labor income was $3,668 

 made by a man who operated his own farm. 



TABLE H 

 VARIATION IN LABOR INCOMES "ON 749 FARMS 



It is evident that farmers did not receive more than then* share 

 of the prosperity of the country. The years when these figures were 

 taken were periods of good prices and good crops. There is no ques- 

 tion but that farmers in the past received less than their share of the 

 prosperity of the country a fact that found its emphatic expression 

 in the great movement from country to city. However, the one-third 

 of the farmers who are making more than hired men are a hopeful sign 

 for the future. It is now possible to make a good living on the farm. 



To learn how these men were able to do so much better than their 

 neighbors is the chief aim of this study. As we proceed, we shall see 

 that a number of conditions seem to be necessary for success. 



Percentage of profit made by owners. Each farmer was asked to 

 estimate what it would have cost to have hired the farm work that 



