TYPES OF FARMING 73 



many counties in the United States. The cost of hauling, 

 of course, changes constantly, but the time required to 

 haul a given distance is not likely to change much. It 

 will be seen that the average time required to haul a 

 load is about a day for ten miles. Many factors affect 

 the rate of hauling. Under usual conditions, farmers 

 who haul two miles or less can haul three to. four loads 

 a day. If the haul is two to four miles, three loads are 

 commonly hauled. For four LO six miles, two loads are 

 usually hauled. 



In general, if the cost of hauling from the farm to the 

 shipping point is not over 5 per cent of the value of the 

 product, it may be regarded as reasonable. If the cost is 

 10 per cent, it is very high. The cost can often be re- 

 duced by hauling larger loads. 



56. Cost of hauling milk. In nearly all parts of 

 the country a large amount of time is wasted in hauling 

 milk. Not infrequently, the time spent is worth more 

 than the milk. Every morning, thousands of American 

 farmers take a drive of from half an hour to half a day 

 with a little milk. The trouble is that the loads hauled 

 arc too small. Frequently one can see a half dozen 

 farmers coming along the same road with so little milk 

 that one wagon might haul it all. Sometimes farmers 

 have milk enough to make a full load. Sometimes it can 

 be hired hauled. Sometimes neighbors can take turns 

 hauling. By these means the cost can be kept reasonable. 

 The only excuse for the many long drives taken with a 

 can or two of milk is that the farmer has nothing else to do. 

 This is an admission that his type of farming ought to be 

 changed. 



The cost of hauling milk and of hiring it hauled in 

 Delaware County, New York, is given in Table 12. The 



