258 



FARM MANAGEMENT 



Table 47 shows the relation of size of farm to investment 

 in machinery and tools. The farms of 61-100 acres had 

 an average of $341 worth of machinery. These valua- 

 tions are probably not over half of what new machinery 

 would cost. Any one who has ever made a list of the nec- 

 essary farm machinery will see how inadequately these 

 small farms are equipped. Yet this machinery costs 

 much more per acre than on the larger farms. The an- 

 nual cost for housing, repairs, and depreciation, interest, 

 oil, insurance, has been found by cost accounts to be 

 about 20 per cent of the value of the machinery. 

 The annual cost per acre for use of machinery would be 

 about $1.75 on the smallest farms and $1 on the largest 

 farms. 



TABLE 47. SIZE OF FARM RELATED TO EFFICIENCY OF MA- 

 CHINERY. 586 FARMS OPERATED BY OWNERS, TOMPKINS 

 COUNTY, NEW YORK 



One mower, one hay rake, one tedder, one hay loader, one 

 corn harvester, one grain harvester, one grain drill, one 

 manure spreader, one potato digger, one potato planter, 

 can do their work on a 250-acre farm as readily as on a 

 small farm. Few of the small farms have half of these 



