156 AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 



above. In Bell County, Texas, more than 96 per cent of the 

 farmers are white, whereas in Washington County, Mississippi, 

 over 95 per cent of the farmers are colored. As has been noted, 

 the improved area per farm is three times as great in the former 

 as in the latter. This gives a strong suggestion that the capac- 

 ity of the individual farmers is a potent factor in determining 

 the size of farms. 



In 1900, farms were classified by size and by principal sources 

 of income. The statistics show a wide range in the size of farms 

 used for any one purpose ; for example, there were cotton farms 

 hi every size group from under 3 acres to over a thousand 

 acres, but the most common size was from 20 to 50 acres. 

 Hay and grain farms showed also a wide range, but the most 

 common size was from 100 to 175 acres. Live stock and dairy 

 farms were most largely in the group ranging from 50 to 175 

 acres. The most common size of fruit and vegetable farms was 

 from 20 to 50 acres. Thus, while there is a wide range in sizes 

 of farms in a given line of production, the dominant size varies 

 with the kind of agriculture carried on. 



Topography is a factor in determining the size of farms. In a 

 broken country where the fields are small because of the limited 

 areas of plow land found lying together, and where large ma- 

 chines cannot be used to advantage because of the unevenness 

 of the ground, the cultivated area in farms is usually small. 

 This same condition may result in large farms for grazing 

 purposes. 



The climate influences the size of farms in many ways. In 

 California, where the wheat crop can be left standing for some 

 time after it is ripe, a given crew can harvest a much larger 

 area of wheat than in the more humid regions where the crop 

 must be cared for in a few days. 



The number of days per week the land is dry enough to work, 

 during the season when crops are being put in and cared for, 

 is an important factor in determining how many acres of each 

 crop can be handled per man and team, and hence how large 

 an acreage of improved land will be found per farm. 



The character of the farm work influences the size of the 



