SHALL I HE A FARMER? 37 



made in 1907. Besides the small places, there were 42 

 farms among 983 that were occupied by persons whose chief 

 business was something other than farming. Many others 

 derived some income from outside work. 



Among the occupations represented on the 42 farms 

 were : laborers, politicians, carpenters, mechanics, engineers, 

 store keepers, mail carriers, road commissioners, teachers 

 and professors, salesmen, stock dealers, butchers, millers, 

 lawyers, glass blowers, creamerymen, and others. 



The average size of the farms was eighty acres. The 

 average capital invested was $3804. Some of the owners 

 worked on their farms nights and mornings. Most of 

 them worked during their vacations and other spare time. 

 This time averaged about one-fourth of the year. On the 

 average the farm receipts were $296 above the farm 

 expenses. The average pay for their regular work was 

 $614. 



With the same investment they could have lived in 

 about equally good houses in town, but would not have 

 had farm products for home use and would probably not 

 have earned much of the $296. By living on farms they 

 have gained half of their food and about $300 per year 

 besides. They have increased their incomes by about 

 50 per cent, besides having the use of a house and farm 

 products. 



As an example, one man worked most of the year as a 

 farm-hand, for which he received $375. He owned a farm 

 of twenty acres, with a total capital of $1326. He kept 

 two old horses worth $110, raised two and one-half acres 

 of potatoes from which he sold $200 worth, kept one 

 pure-bred Holstein cow from which he raised a heifer calf 

 worth $50, and sold $93 worth of milk. He also kept 

 about sixty hens from which he sold $109 worth of eggs. 



