18 



FARM MANAGEMENT 



made less than $200. Eleven per cent of them made labor 

 incomes over $1000 ; none made as high as $2000^ One of 

 the chief aims of this book is to disclose the principles of 

 farming that result in the larger profits. 



Similar studies in the Central West, on the Pacific 

 coast, and in other parts of the United States indicate that 

 in the best regions the farmers' labor incomes rarely 

 average over $500. It is not probable that the average 

 for the United States is as much as $300, or about one 

 dollar per day for the farmer's labor. 2 Besides this, the 

 farmer makes interest on his capital and has a house and 

 some farm products. 



13. Profit on real estate. The figures given above 

 do not include any profit due to increase in the value of 



real estate. This may 

 be a source of loss or 

 may bring more profit 

 than the farm busi- 

 ness. Many farmers 

 in parts of the United 

 States, particularly in 

 the Central West, 

 have made most of 

 their money on the 

 rise in land values. 

 Many a farmer who 

 never made more than 



FIG. 6. A pioneer's barn. 



a living while on the farm has retired on the increased 

 value of his land. 



Real estate will probably always be a part of the farm 

 business. In buying a farm the probability of a rise in 



1 U. S. Dept. Agr., Bureau of Plant Industry, Circular 75, p. 8. 



2 The Farmer's Income, U. S. Dept. Agr., Bureau of Plant Industry, 

 Circular 132. 



